Idioms without Context
It's raining cats and dogs.
It's raining a lot.
I raised my hand to ask a question and Ms. Sam said "hit me". Hit me means...
Go ahead and ask.
A teacher passes you in the hallway and says "how are you doing?" but keeps walking. You respond by...
Saying hi, but not really answering the question.
I need to sleep it on it.
I need time to think about this.
You're talking to somebody and their arms are crossed over their chest.
It could mean a lot of things.
Shoot your shot.
Go ahead and try.
I said that school started too early. DJ said "you can say that again". You can say that again means...
I agree wholeheartedly.
Your manager texts you asking you if you're available to cover a shift later that day, but you're busy. You...
text them back:
I'm sorry, but I am currently unavailable.
Darien and I have some differences of opinions.
Usually it means that they don't like each other.
Somebody is bouncing their legs as they sit.
They have a lot of energy. They may be nervous/anxious or have had a lot of caffeine or just be an energetic person
It's up in the air.
It's uncertain.
Ms. C saw that some other adults were getting autostarts installed in their cars since winter started. She said "I'm going to jump on that bandwagon".
I'm going to join in and do the same as these other people.
Your manager, who asked you if you could cover a shift and you declined, then texts you and asks you what you're so busy with. You...
I am currently unavailable due to unavoidable personal reasons.
BONUS QUESTION - Why is it inappropriate for the manager to ask this? Why is it a bad idea to give a specific reason you can't come in (real or imaginary)?
I've had it about to "here" with this today (with a physical gesture).
I'm frustrated and tired of dealing with this.
Somebody is rubbing their temples.
They are stressed or they have a headache. It might also mean that they're frustrated with their current task.
Let the cat out the bag.
Ms. Sam started complaining about car salesmen, not realizing she was talking to a car salesman. She "put her foot in her mouth".
Said something awkward or mildly offensive.
Your significant other (romantic partner) tells you "we need to talk". You feel ______. You respond by _____.
You feel: stressed, upset, nervous.
You respond by: asking to talk right now and not waiting, asking if its serious.
They email you and say: "per my previous email..."
That's usually pretty snarky. They're trying to say they already told you, but using professional language.
A sign of a fake smile is that their _____ don't move.
Eyes
This is actually a combination of 2 idioms (a malaphor) - you burn a bridge and you cross a bridge when you get to it. Burning a bridge means severing ties and crossing a bridge when you get to it means not dealing with a problem until it's relevant. Combining the two means that you'll deal with a problem when it arises, but you'll do it poorly - usually by cutting ties or ending relationships.
Somebody told X and his little sister that there was a species of octopus that lived in trees. X told his sister to "take that with a grain of salt".
Listen to what somebody says with a healthy amount of skepticism.
Somebody keeps texting you, but you don't like talking to them. You...
(There are at least two answers).
1. Decide if the relationship is important to you. A family member or a coworker is probably important.
2. If they are important, send nice, but superficial texts back. An example would be "that sounds fun".
If they aren't important, you can just ignore them! They'll get the hint.
Define direct versus indirect language. What style do you think Americans typically use?
Direct language - You say exactly what you mean. Ex. I want you to open the window.
Indirect language - You allude (talk around) what you want. Ex. I am so warm in here!
Americans are often praised and criticized for how directly we communicate compared to other cultures. We do have exceptions to this general communication style.
You're talking with a group of people in a circle, but somebody moves so that their back is to you.
This is SUPER common and doesn't mean that they don't like you.
It means that somebody isn't physically aware of you or that they are being rude.
BONUS QUESTION: How should you respond?