The Full Monty

The full monty means the complete thing without anything taken out. Maybe you could use it in a restaurant and go the full monty and order everything.

You could have some work done on your apartment and decide whether to do it partially or go for the full monty.

Regarding the origin there are different opinions. The first idea is that it goes back to the famous tailoring shop Montague Burton and that somebody ordering a complete three piece suit would be ordering the full monty.

However, it later became associated with Field Marshall Montgomery who famously defied army orders by wearing two badges on his beret. Then I've also heard that his duffle coat was called a Montgomery too. Confused?!

Ironically, it is perhaps most famous in modern times becuase of the film of the same name where redundant miners from Sheffield form a strip group and go the full monty and reveal everything. You have been warned!

Another one bites the dust!

For once, I can not confirm the origin but it sounds a lot like it's from westerns.

It simply means to be defeated or die but usually in some sort of battle or fight.

Therefore, you'd be wrong to use it to describe completed actions. It would be more appropriate to be used when beating opponents.

Maybe Freddie can explain.

While the cat's away, the mice will play

This is quite a long phrase which is probably self- explanatory. It simply means that, without some authority or control, people will take advantage of a situation.

The boss is away this week so everybody’s taking it easy but as they say, while the cat’s away, the mice will play!

Here’s an example from a popular Scottish comedy series called Still Game. You may find the accents a bit of a challenge but it’s good practice.

A landlord is the name for the person in charge of a pub. If he goes away, the brewery (beer maker) bring in a relief manager. In this scene, the locals of the pub trick the relief manager and take advantage of the manager’s absence.

The Real McCoy

The real McCoy means the original artilce, the genuine product or the 'real thing.'

There are a number of disputed theories about its origin but the one I prefer relates to the 1920's and prohibition in America. Rather than stopping people from drinking alcohol, it resulted in organised crime, illegal clubs and some rather chemical and dangerous, homemade hooch.

However, one entrpreneur by the name of Captain McCoy had a boat and smuggled in genuine rum from Canada. This was known as 'The real McCoy.'

Yeah, the real McCoy and all that jazz!

Pull out all the stops

To pull out all the stops means to do everything possible to achieve something.

‘If we’re going to win the contract, we’re going to have to pull out all the stops!’

‘To survive the crisis, we’re going to have to pull out all the stops.’

But what is a ‘stop’ and why are we pulling it out?

This is an idiom with quite a specific origin which is the organ; not the electric sort but the traditional kind pushed by air pushed through bellows,

The large organs found in churches and cathedrals have large metal pipes. On the keyboard area of the organ, there are many valves or ‘stops’ that control how much air is allowed into the pipes. As a very basic piece of science, by pulling out all the stops, you increase the volume!

So now you know!

Here’s an example.




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Keeping up with the Joneses

Keeping up the with the Joneses is a fun idiom meaning to be status conscious and insecure about your material wealth and appearance in relation to your neighbours. So, if they changed their curtains, you would do the same; if they bought a new car, yours would have to be updated and of course, it's never ending.


Unlike a lot of idioms, Keeping up with the Joneses has a clear beginning and was to my surprise, of American origin. It was the creation of cartoonist Pop Momand and first appeared in 1913. The cartoon strip ran in American newspapers until 1931. Whilst the Joneses were often referred to by the family featured in the cartoon, they were never seen.


In the same way that Walt Disney originally intended to call Mickey Mouse, Mortimer, Momand considered 'Keeping up with the Smiths'. I'm glad he changed his mind. The Joneses sound more interesting and I'm sure they are much harder to keep up with.

It has resulted in a lot of comedy programmes on the theme of stutus and snpbbery and one of the best love in Britain is keeping up appearances which some other countries broadcast as Hyacinth.




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As mad as a hatter

As you might expect, it means to be very mad but who is a hatter and why is he so mad?

Firstly, a hatter is another name for a hat maker or miliner. Many years ago, when all hats were made by hand, hats would be handstitched and held together with the aid of hat pins. These pins passed many times throughout the day from hat to hand and mouth in order to keep both hands free. Unfortunately, being made from mercury, the pins were highly toxic leading to eccentric and insane bahaviour.

Some argue that this is exaggerated but the myth became sealed and imortalised by Lewis Caroll in Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

A variation is As mad as a March hare. March being the month and a hare being something like a large rabbit. They are famous for strange behaviour in the spring.

Well, here they both are together in quite a scary adaptation of the famous Lewis Caroll story.

Don't think your English is bad because being mad, The Hatter makes no sense at all!

As mad as a Hatter!

Cat on a hot tin roof

Like a cat on a hot tin roof.

As you might guess, this means to be nervous and agitated.

The phrase was made famous by playwright Tennessee Williams with his play of the same name. His work generally showed tense, repressed relationships where the people were like cats on a hot tin roof!



How can you use it?

To describe somebody who is very anxious - often when waiting or anticipating something.

The expectant father was like a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for the birth of his daughter.