Idioms
You're pulling my leg
Teasing someone
Carly and Jill are working on their homework at the dining room table. Carly got stuck on a problem and has been sitting for a while.
"I wonder if a break right now would help you feel better," Jill says to her.
What is Carly feeling?
What does Jill mean?
Anxious, frustrated, confused, tired
Jill wants Carly to take a break from that questions
While running around the house, you bump into the dining room table and knock papers all over the floor!
"Nice going," your brother says.
What does he mean?
You made a mistake
Your brother didn't get any sleep last night and he has a lot of schoolwork to get done this morning.
How might your brother be feeling?
What could you do?
Your brother might be agitated, angry, exhausted, and upset.
You could give your brother space to focus and help both him and mom by quietly getting your work done.
What are you feeling?
What do you need?
You might feel cold which might make you feel uncomfortable and upset.
You need to ask mom for the keys to go grab your jacket
He has a heart of gold!
He is kind or generous
Timmy and Will are playing outside. Timmy decides he wants to draw with chalk on the street. When he's done, he runs inside to go eat lunch. Will looks at Timmy with a puzzled look.
"Washing your hands could take that chalk off your hands," Will says to him.
What did Will mean?
Will wants Timmy to go wash his hands
"Well, that went perfectly!" your brother says.
What does he mean?
Something went wrong
Mom has a lot to get done today and she is allowing you and your brother to have a screen day.
What might mom be feeling?
What could you do to help mom?
Mom might be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, nervous, tired, or focused.
While participating in screen day, you could try to be quiet to allow mom to focus, you could offer to make your own lunch, you could take turns playing to not fight about the screens with your brother.
The topic for discussion at youth group is dating.
What are you feeling?
What could you say?
You might be feeling uncomfortable, anxious, annoyed, or calm
"I do not have anything to add to this discussion."
"I do not want to talk about this, so I will sit out today."
Once in a blue moon
Every once in a while; not very often
You wake up tired, grumpy, and frustrated. You have a lot of homeschool and tutoring to get done.
"A checklist can make mornings feel smoother," mom says.
What does mom mean?
Mom wants you to make a checklist so you can cross things off as you go, which may make you feel better.
Your brother keeps stealing your tablet because he can't find his. You leave it on the table so you can see if he tries to grab it from you. Mom says, “Yeah, because that’s definitely going to work.”
What does mom mean?
You are playing outside, in the neighborhood, when your friend gets yelled at by an adult to stay out of the street.
How might your friend be feeling?
What could you do?
Embarrassed, scared, upset, nervous
You could go play with your friend in another area. You could give them a hug and tell them it's okay
A friend comes over to play and wants to play the Switch. He grabs your controllers, drops them on the ground, throws the other one on the couch, sits on another one, and smacks one to turn it on.
What could you say to your friend?
Please be careful with my controllers.
Do you mind being gentle with my controllers?
Take it with a grain of salt
You should be skeptical of something because it may not be entirely true or accurate
"It looks like the dog wants to go play outside," dad says.
What does dad mean?
Dad wants you to go throw the ball for the dog outside please!
You are talking about a new pokemon game that is coming out at youth group. One of your friends at youth group says, “Sure, I’d love to hear more about that.”
What does he mean?
Your friend might be bored or annoyed and does not want to talk about that game
Your friend is missing their favorite toy. They were last playing with you in your backyard.
What might your friend be feeling?
What could you do?
Your friend might feel sad, anxious, or disappointed
You could offer to help them look for their toy. You could offer them one of your toys to borrow.
It was very cold in your room last night and you couldn't fall asleep. You tossed and turned all night and now you have to finish your paper today.
What might you be feeling?
What do you need to feel better?
You might be exhausted, irritated, upset, grumpy
You might need more breaks while working on your paper. You might need a nap or some alone time. You might need to work on your paper another day (after asking mom).
He was green with envy!
To be extremely jealous of someone else's possessions or advantages
You and your brother are about to go play outside. "It looks a little chilly outside," mom says.
What does mom mean?
She wants you to grab a jacket before you go outside.
Your brother has finished all of his work for the day and is going to play outside. You still have tutoring to do.
“I’m so sorry you have to do your homework,” he says.
What does he mean?
Your brother is teasing you that you have work left to do and he does not.
You are at youth group. You notice that one of the students starts crying and walks off by themselves?
What might they be feeling?
What could you do?
You could offer to play a different game with them. You could give them a hug and point them to a leader.
Your brother became frustrated and came into your room and stole your pokemon cards without asking. He won't give them back and he's hiding in his room.
What might you be feeling?
What do you need to feel better?
You might feel very angry, irritated, or annoyed.
You might need to ask mom to help you talk to your brother. You might need to take space from him after you get your cards back.