To drop the ball

Idiom: To drop the ball

Example: Last week, my wife received all of our monthly bills. She wrote the checks, put them in envelopes and asked me to mail them the next day. I forgot. Now all of our bills are late. I can't believe I dropped the ball like that! My wife is so angry.

Meaning: To drop the ball means to not do or perform your responsibility. When you have a duty or responsibility and you forget to do it or don't do it well, you drop the ball.

By Iain McConnell, #DTLAcampus

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Social butterfly

Idiom: Social butterfly

Example

"Julia is the most outgoing person I know. She has friends on all of the sports teams, school activities committees and every other group at school! She is a true social butterfly."

Meaning: A social butterfly is a person - girl or boy - who is extroverted, enjoys meeting and talking to new people, and does not confine him/herself to only a few social groups. A social butterfly socializes with everyone.

By Iain McConnell, #DTLAcampus

www.languagesystems.edu

Chasing rainbows

Idiom: Chasing rainbows

Example 1: Sarah is so beautiful and talented! I sometimes dream about what life would be like if she were my girlfriend. I'm too shy to talk to her, but even if I could, I know I would just be chasing rainbows. There's no way she would be interested in me. 

Example 2: My friend is always trying new "get rich quick" schemes. She spends a lot of her money on lottery tickets and workshops that promise to help people achieve wealth in a short time. I try to help her be realistic and tell her that she is just chasing rainbows. Some people can get lucky and win the lottery, but most people won't. 

Meaning: A rainbow is a beautiful arc of color that appears after the rain. A rainbow cannot be touched or held in your hands because it is merely a visual phenomenon created by the sunlight's effect on water droplets in the air. Therefore, when someone chases rainbows, this person is chasing/going after something that is impossible or unrealistic. 

As in example 1, "Sarah" is the rainbow. The speaker knows it's an impossible goal.

In example 2, "getting rich quick" is the rainbow. It is an unrealistic goal.

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The calm before the storm

Idiom: The calm before the storm

Example 1: It was just before the department store was to open on "Black Friday," the biggest shopping day of the year. The store was very quiet, but the sales clerks knew this was just the calm before the storm. As soon as the doors open, there will be hundreds of customers rushing in to try to grab the best merchandise.

Example 2: The sky was dark full of clouds. The weather report said there was a big rainstorm on its way. The calm before the storm lasted only a short while. In just a few minutes, thunder, lightning, and strong winds began to rattle the small village. 

Meaning: The calm before the storm can be used figuratively (as in Example 1) or literally (as in Example 2). This expression describes a period of quiet and calmness before an anticipated period of exciting or chaos. 

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To be a cheapskate

Idiom: To be a cheapskate

Example:

Marc: OMG! Eric is such a cheapskate! He brought a tiny bag of candies for Peter’s kids on their birthday!

Anne: Really? I can’t believe it. I know he likes to save money, but they are his nephews!

Marc: Not only that, Peter always makes really nice gifts on his birthday! Remember last year’s?

Anne: Oh yeah, Peter got him an iPad Air 2!!

Meaning:

The expression “to be a cheapskate” means to be unwilling to give or spend money, to be miserly or stingy.

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Personality Conflict

Idiom: Personality Conflict

Example:

Tom: Have you seen Kevin and Peter these days? They are constantly arguing!

Kelsey: I know! They used to get along so well. Do you think they are stressed out with the new project?

Tom: I don’t know... I think it is more like a personality conflict. Kevin always submits the reports by the deadline, whereas Peter is always late.

Kelsey: Oh, I see.

Meaning: The expression “personality conflict” means a disagreement or opposing ideas that lead to verbal or physical fighting in a variety of situations. A conflict is created when what one person wants differs from what another wants. In the example above, one of the coworkers didn’t feel like submitting the report by the deadline, and that created a conflict both with the other coworker and with the boss.

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To imbue with

Idiom: To imbue with

Example #1:

Saul: What should we teach during summer camp this year?

Jay: I’m not sure, but remember last year’s camp? Our teachers really imbued us with a positive attitude.

Saul: That’s because we had a mature leadership crew last year.

Jay: I’m sure they imbued us with good values so we could have a positive influence on new camp members.

Example #2:

Leslie: Our mother really imbued us with good values, don’t you think?

Michael: She sure did.

Leslie: She really made an effort to influence us in a good way.

Michael: That’s why mom is the best.

  

Meaning: The expression "imbued with" means to influence or inspire someone to be filled with a feeling/custom. 

In the first example above, Leslie mentions that her mom "imbued her" with good values. That means her mother taught her how to be a good person.

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