201 to 300 words – Ringo Lingo

The Big Cheese Is Bringing Home the Bacon?

Kate Pullen — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 16:24:36 +0000

Have you noticed how many food? related idioms there are in English?? We talk about the big cheese bringing home? the bacon and describe something as being? ‘not my cup of tea’,? but what does it all mean??

The big cheese is a boss or someone who is influential.? If we say someone is bringing home the bacon? we mean that this person is earning money.? If the person who is bringing home the bacon is also? the bread winner, then we mean that this person is? not only earning money, but they are responsible for? earning money to support their entire household? (or at least they are responsible for earning the majority? of money needed to support their household).?

When we say something is selling like hot cakes,? it means it’s selling really quickly and it’s very popular.? If something isn’t your cup of tea, it means? it’s something you don’t like and if someone says? they have bigger fish to fry, it means they have? more important things to do or to attend to.?

So, what do you think about all these food idioms?? Do they add a little extra flavour to the? English language or aren’t they your cup of tea?

Long In the Tooth Gift Horse

Kate Pullen — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 15:40:07 +0000

Have you heard the expression that someone is a bit? “long in the tooth” and wondered what it means?? Or perhaps you have heard someone say? “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? and found that a puzzling phrase.?

These two expressions or idioms both relate to horses.? An old horse often looks like it has long teeth? because its gums recede as it gets older.? Therefore, we’ll say someone is getting “long in the tooth”? as a way to say they are getting past their best and getting old.?

The expression “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” is? a phrase that means that we shouldn’t be ungrateful for gifts.? In days gone by, if someone was given the gift of a horse,? they could tell the age of the horse by looking at its teeth.? As we know, if a horse had long teeth? it would likely be an old horse.?

Therefore if someone was to receive a horse as a gift? and wanted to know the value of the gift they would? rudely look the gift horse in its mouth to see its teeth.? A bit like opening a gift today and immediately? visiting eBay to see what it’s worth!

The History of the Jack O Lantern

Kate Pullen — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:49:43 +0000

The Jack O Lantern is the traditional? Halloween decoration.? Largely due to the efforts of the Irish missionary,? legend has it that in 8th century AD Ireland,? a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunk? and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree.? Jack then carved an image of a cross in the? tree’s trunk, trapping the devil up the tree.? Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never? tempt him again, he would let him down the tree.? Jack made the devil promise not to take his soul? when he died, and to never claim his soul, either.?

When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven because of? his evil ways, and was forced to walk the earth for eternity? with only a burning coal from Hell to warm him.? As he walked, he would toss his glowing coal into? a hollowed out turnip or potato.? This was to frighten away evil spirits? that were attempting to follow him.?

The Irish began to refer to this eerie light? as a “Jack O Lantern” and eventually began? carving scary faces into their own turnips and? potatoes to frighten away their own evil spirits.?

To this day, Halloween lanterns are carved out of pumpkins? in Ireland, but the original 8th century? Jack O Lanterns were carved out of turnips.