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Money Idioms💰
🔶Spending Too Much or High Prices
🔹Break the bank → Spend so much money that it causes financial problems.
Example:
“We wanted to go on a luxury vacation, but it would break the bank.”
✍️Note: Often used in the negative:
“It won’t break the bank” = it won’t cost too much.
🔹Cost a fortune → Be extremely expensive.
Example:
“A new smartphone costs a fortune these days.”
🔹Pay through the nose → Pay far more than something is worth (overpay).
Example:
“I paid through the nose for that concert ticket.”
🔹Rip-off → Something that is unfairly expensive or poor quality for the price.
Example:
“That souvenir shop is a total rip-off.”
🔶Saving and Being Careful with Money
🔹A penny saved → Saving even small amounts is important. (Short for “A penny saved is a penny earned.”)
Example:
“A penny saved is a penny earned, so I always compare prices.”
🔹Save for a rainy day → Put money aside for future problems or emergencies.
Example:
“My parents always told me to save for a rainy day.”
🔹Nest egg → Money saved for the future (especially retirement or big goals).
Example:
“She has a nice nest egg for her retirement.”
🔹Cut costs → Reduce spending.
Example:
“The company needs to cut costs to stay profitable.”
🔹Tighten your belt → Spend less money; live more simply because money is tight.
Example:
“After losing his job, he had to tighten his belt.”
🔶Having Little or No Money
🔹Make ends meet → Earn just enough money to pay for basic needs.
Example:
“It’s hard to make ends meet on a part-time salary.”
🔹Live hand to mouth → Spend all your money as soon as you get it; have no savings.
Example:
“Many freelancers live hand to mouth.”
🔹Strapped for cash → Not having enough money right now.
Example:
“I’m strapped for cash until payday.”
🔹Cheap Things and Good Value
A bargain → Something that is a good price for its quality (cheap for its value).
Example:
“These shoes were a real bargain.”
🔹Dirt cheap → Extremely inexpensive.
Example:
“Street food in that city is dirt cheap.”
🔶Earning Money and Being Rich
🔹Bring home the bacon → Earn the money that supports the household.
Example:
“She brings home the bacon while her partner stays home with the kids.”
🔹Cash cow → A business, product, or investment that reliably makes a lot of money.
Example:
“Their online course is a real cash cow.”
🔹Rolling in it → Very rich (informal).
Example:
“After selling his company, he’s rolling in it.”
🔶Sharing Costs
🔹Go Dutch → Split the bill equally (each person pays for themselves).
Example: “Let’s go Dutch on dinner so no one feels awkward.”
✍️Extra Tips✍️
✏️Many of these idioms are informal and common in everyday conversation. “Rolling in it” and “go Dutch” are more casual than “make ends meet.”
✏️Some can be used as nouns (“a cash cow,” “a rip-off,” “a nest egg”) or in longer phrases.
✏️Related useful expressions:
on a shoestring budget (very little money),
money doesn’t grow on trees (money is limited),
a pretty penny (a large amount of money).
✏️Practice tip: Try using one or two of these in sentences about your own life or a story. For example: “I need to tighten my belt this month because I’m saving for a rainy day.”
Weather
🔹Overcast (OH-ver-kast)
= The sky is completely covered by thick clouds. You cannot see the sun, and the light is grey and flat.
Example:
“It’s overcast today, so it feels a bit gloomy outside.”
✍️Tip: Overcast is stronger than “cloudy.” A cloudy day can still have some blue sky; an overcast day does not.
🔹Muggy (MUG-ee)
= Warm and humid at the same time. The air feels heavy, sticky, and uncomfortable. You may sweat even when you’re not moving.
Example:
“The weather is so muggy that I need a fan just to sit still.”
✍️Tip: People often say “It’s muggy out” or “a muggy summer night.” It is more negative than simply “humid.”
🔹Sleet (SLEET)
= A mix of rain and ice. It falls as small ice pellets or as rain that freezes on the way down. It is cold and can make roads slippery.
Example:
“Drive carefully; there’s sleet falling, and the roads are icy.”
✍️Tip: Sleet is different from snow (soft flakes) and hail (hard ice balls from thunderstorms).
🔹Damp (DAMP)
= Slightly wet or moist, but not soaking wet. It can describe the air, the ground, clothes, or a room.
Example:
“The grass is damp this morning because of the dew.”
✍️Tip: Damp is milder than “wet.” You can say “damp air,” “damp clothes,” or “a damp day.”
🔹Misty (MIS-tee)
= There is light mist (very thin fog) in the air. You can still see fairly well, but distant objects look soft and hazy.
Example:
“The hills look beautiful on a misty morning.”
✍️Tip: Mist is lighter than fog. Fog makes it hard to see; mist is more atmospheric and often looks pretty.
🔹Mild (MYLD)
= The temperature is gentle; not too hot and not too cold. It feels comfortable.
Example:
“Spring weather is usually mild, perfect for a walk.”
✍️Tip: Mild is often used for weather that is better than expected (“a mild winter”) or simply pleasant.
✍️Extra Practice Ideas✍️
✏️Compare pairs: Overcast vs. cloudy; muggy vs. humid; misty vs. foggy; mild vs. warm; damp vs. wet.
✏️Describe a day: “It’s mild and slightly misty this morning, but it might turn muggy later.”
✏️Listen and repeat the pronunciations from the image to improve your speaking.
🤖 Made with AI
"Don't be a stranger" is a simple, friendly greeting; you don't have to take it literally.
It basically just means:
-Come back again soon
-Call me again soon
-Stay in touch
-You can act like we know each other and feel comfortable.
We can say it to a family member or neighbor; it doesn't have to be a person we just met.
I think the phrase might be a reaction to how we're taught as children not to talk to "strangers."
Being a "stranger" has a somewhat negative tone because we don't know who you are, and maybe you are a bad person.
So if you are not a stranger, we know you, and we can feel comfortable around you, and you can feel comfortable around us.
I have a serious question for Americans.
When you say “Don’t be a stranger,” what exactly do you mean?
As a Japanese person, I hear that and think,
“Okay… I guess they want me to stay in touch?”
But is it actually an invitation to hang out again?
Or is it just something Americans say when saying goodbye?
Because if I take it literally and text you the next day like,
“Hey, I’m not a stranger anymore.”
I need to know if that’s normal or absolutely unhinged
Wipe 🆚 Scrub
Gentle Touch or Hard Work?
🔷Wipe
= You use little force. The goal is usually to remove dust, water, crumbs, or light dirt.
Examples:
🔸Wipe the table after dinner.
🔸Wipe your hands on a towel.
🔸Wipe the window with a cloth.
🔸Please wipe the board. (in a classroom)
🔷Scrub
= You use strong pressure because the dirt is stubborn (difficult to remove)
Examples:
🔸Scrub the dirty pan.
🔸Scrub the floor with a brush.
🔸I need to scrub the bathroom tiles.
🔸Scrub the stains off the plate.
✍️Extra tips✍️
✏️Both words are regular verbs:
wipe – wiped – wiped; scrub – scrubbed – scrubbed.
✏️You can also say “wipe something down” (clean a surface) and “scrub something off” (remove something by scrubbing).
✏️Wipe is softer and quieter; scrub is louder and more energetic (you can almost hear the difference in the image).
Common Phrasal Verbs with “Run”
🔷Run out (of)
= To use up all of something so that nothing is left.
Examples:
🔸The car ran out of gas on the highway.
🔸We’ve run out of time; we have to stop now.
🔸Don’t let the printer run out of ink.
✍️Note: We almost always say run out of + the thing that is finished.
This phrasal verb is inseparable.
🔷Run into
= To meet someone by chance (unexpectedly).
Examples:
🔸Guess who I ran into at the airport? My old classmate!
🔸I often run into my neighbors at the supermarket.
✍️Extra meaning: It can also mean “to hit something accidentally while moving”:
The boy ran into the glass door.
Note: “Run into” is inseparable.
🔷Run over
= To hit and drive over something/someone with a vehicle.
Examples:
🔸Be careful! Don’t run over the cat.
🔸A truck ran over the bicycle.
✍️Extra meaning: It can also mean “to review or explain something quickly”:
🔸Let’s run over the main points before the test.
✍️Note: When it means “hit with a vehicle,” the object can go after the verb or after “over” (run over the ball / run the ball over), but “run over” is more common.
🔷Run away
= To escape or leave a place quickly (usually because you are afraid or don’t want to stay).
Examples:
🔸The children ran away when they saw the big dog.
🔸He ran away from home when he was 16.
🔸Don’t run away from your problems!
✍️Note: This one is usually inseparable. We often say run away from + person/place.
✍️Quick Tips✍️
🔸Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the individual words. “Run” alone means “to move quickly on foot,” but these combinations have new meanings.
🔸Pay attention to the particle (out, into, over, away). Changing the particle changes the meaning completely.
✏️Practice by making your own sentences. Try using one of these phrasal verbs every day this week.
🔸Common pattern: Many “run” phrasal verbs are related to movement, finishing something, or meeting/hitting something unexpectedly.
Evil English 😈 retweeted
Exercise
🔹PUSH UPS
Noun (usually plural)
= An exercise in which you push your body up from the floor using your arms.
Pronunciation: /pʊʃ ʌps/
Example sentences:
I did twenty push ups this morning.
Can you do ten push ups?
✍️Related language: Singular form is rare (“a push up”). Common verb phrase: “do push ups.”
🔹PULL UPS
Noun (usually plural)
= An exercise in which you pull your body up while hanging from a bar.
Pronunciation: /pʊl ʌps/
Example sentences:
He can do fifteen pull ups.
Pull ups are difficult for beginners.
✍️Related language: Also called “chin-ups” in some contexts. Verb phrase: “do pull ups.”
🔹SIT UPS
Noun (usually plural)
= An exercise in which you sit up from a lying position using your stomach muscles.
Pronunciation: /sɪt ʌps/
Example sentences:
She does fifty sit ups every day.
Sit ups are a common exercise.
✍️Related language: Verb phrase: “do sit ups.”
🔹STRETCH
Verb or noun
Meaning:
As a verb: to make a part of your body longer or straighter.
As a noun: the action of stretching.
Pronunciation: /stretʃ/
Example sentences:
Please stretch your arms. (verb)
I need a good stretch. (noun)
✍️Related language: “Stretching” is the gerund/noun form. Common phrases: “do a stretch,” “stretch out.”
🔹WEIGHTS
Noun (plural)
= Heavy objects (such as dumbbells) that people lift for exercise.
Pronunciation: /weɪts/
Example sentences:
He is lifting weights.
The gym has many different weights.
✍️Related language: “Weight training” or “lift weights.” Singular: “a weight.”
🔹JUMP ROPE
Noun (can also be used as a verb phrase)
= A rope that you swing and jump over, or the activity of doing this.
Pronunciation: /dʒʌmp roʊp/
Example sentences:
I bought a new jump rope.
Children like to jump rope.
✍️Related language: In British English, it is often called “skipping rope.” Verb phrase: “jump rope” or “skip rope.”
🔹TREADMILL
Noun
= A machine with a moving belt that you walk or run on.
Pronunciation: /ˈtred.mɪl/
Example sentences:
She is running on the treadmill.
The treadmill is broken.
✍️Related language: Common phrases: “use the treadmill,” “get on the treadmill.”
🔹SQUATS
Noun (usually plural)
= An exercise in which you bend your knees and lower your body, then stand up again.
Pronunciation: /skwɑːts/
Example sentences:
I did thirty squats.
Squats are good for the legs.
✍️Related language: Verb phrase: “do squats.” Singular: “a squat.”
🔹EXERCISE
Noun or verb
Meaning:
As a noun: physical activity that you do to stay healthy.
As a verb: to do physical activity.
Pronunciation: /ˈek.sɚ.saɪz/
Example sentences:
Exercise is important. (noun)
I exercise every morning. (verb)
✍️Related language: Common phrases: “do exercise,” “get some exercise,” “take exercise.” The plural “exercises” can mean specific types of movements.
✍️Useful Notes✍️
🔸Many of these words (push ups, pull ups, sit ups, squats) are countable nouns and usually appear in the plural when talking about the activity.
🔸Common verb used with most of them: do (do push ups, do sit ups, do squats).
🔸“Exercise” is the general word that can refer to all of the activities above.
Evil English 😈 retweeted
Damaged or Poor Physical Condition of Objects
🔹Stained
= Discolored by liquid, dirt, or marks that are hard to remove.
(Picture: coffee ring on a white countertop.)
Example:
“The white shirt is stained with coffee.”
✍️Related: a stain (noun), to stain (verb). Common with clothes, carpets, walls, or tables.
🔹Frayed
= Worn so that the threads or fibers come loose and stick out.
(Picture: rope or twine starting to unravel.)
Example: “The old rope is frayed and might break.”
✍️Often used for fabric, rope, carpets, or electrical cords.
🔹Rusted (or rusty)
= Covered with rust (the reddish-brown coating that forms on iron or steel when it gets wet and reacts with air).
(Picture: an old padlock.)
Example:
“The lock is rusted and won’t open.”
✍️Note: “Rusty” is the more common everyday form. Metal tools, bikes, cars, and outdoor equipment often rust.
🔹Cracked
= Having a line or break in the surface, but the pieces are still mostly together.
(Picture: a glass flask with a star-shaped crack.)
Example:
“Be careful; the glass is cracked.”
✍️Used for glass, pottery, screens, walls, or ice. Different from “broken” (completely in pieces) or “chipped” (small piece missing).
🔹Water damaged
= Harmed by water (warped, stained, swollen, or ruined).
(Picture: old books that look wet and warped.)
Example:
“The books were water damaged in the flood.”
✍️Common with paper, wood, electronics, and furniture. You can also say “water-damaged” (with a hyphen when used before a noun).
🔹Moldy
= Covered with mold (a fuzzy fungus that grows in damp places).
(Picture: a shoe with greenish mold.)
Example:
“The bread became moldy after a week.”
✍️Related: mold (noun/verb), mildew (similar but often lighter). Appears on food, clothes, walls, and shoes in humid conditions. Pronunciation tip: “mold-ee.”
🔹Broken
= Damaged so that it no longer works or is in pieces/separated.
(Picture: eyeglasses with a broken frame/arm.)
Example:
“My glasses are broken; I need to get them fixed.”
✍️Very general word; can apply to almost anything (toys, machines, bones, hearts in a figurative sense).
🔹Faded
= Lost its original bright color because of sunlight, washing, or age.
(Picture: a green T-shirt that has become pale.)
Example:
“The curtains are faded from the sun.”
✍️Common with clothes, photos, paint, and posters. Opposite idea: vibrant or bright.
🔹Stretched
= Pulled so that it is longer, looser, or out of its original shape.
(Picture: a leather belt that looks expanded.)
Example:
“These shoes are stretched and too big for me now.”
✍️Used for elastic, leather, fabric, or muscles. Note: “stretched out” is also common.
🔹Corroded
= Eaten away or damaged by chemical reaction (often looks crusty or powdery).
(Picture: old batteries with white/green crust.)
Example:
“The batteries are corroded and leaked.”
✍️Similar to rusted but can affect other metals or materials; common with batteries, pipes, and metal parts exposed to chemicals or moisture.
🔹Frayed edge
= The edge of fabric or material that has become loose and ragged (threads sticking out).
(Picture: a scarf or cloth with messy edges.)
Example: “The blanket has a frayed edge.”
✍️This is a more specific use of “frayed.” You can also say “the edges are frayed.”
🔹Flat: (For tires or balls)
= Having no air pressure, so it is collapsed.
(Picture: a bicycle tire with no air.)
Example:
“I have a flat tire; I need to pump it up or change it.”
✍️Also used for other things that should be inflated. Different meaning from “flat” as in a level surface or an apartment.
✍️Extra helpful notes✍️
🔸Many of these words can be used before a noun (“a stained shirt”) or after a linking verb (“The shirt is stained”).
🔸You can often make the verb form: stain → stained, fray → frayed, rust → rusted, crack → cracked, break → broken, fade → faded, stretch → stretched, corrode → corroded.
🔸Related useful words: torn (ripped), dented (pushed in), scratched (surface lines), chipped (small piece missing), worn (used a lot and looking old), damaged (general word for any harm).
🔸Context matters: “flat” for a tire is different from “flat” for soda (no bubbles) or a “flat” apartment.
🔸In conversation, people often add “a bit,” “slightly,” or “badly”: “It’s a bit frayed” or “It’s badly water damaged.”
✍️Practice tip:
Look around your home or classroom and try to describe real objects using these words.
For example:
“My notebook is water damaged,”
“The old key is rusted,”
“This towel has a frayed edge.”
