Ants in your pants

If you’ve got ants in your pants, you can’t sit still and fidget a lot. It’s often said to small children.

‘What’s up, have you got ants in your pants?’

A worrying thought!

Itchy feet

If you’ve got itchy feet, it doesn’t mean you’ve got a skin disease or a bite but a strong desire to keep on the move. You can’t stay in one place for two long and you like to travel. This person is looking for change and adventure and is generally restless in nature.

Don’t confuse this condition with Ants in your pants!

Goody two shoes

Goody two shoes is a friend of teacher’s pet. He is never late, always does his homework and never breaks the rules. He’s a real goody two shoes!

Clever clogs

A clever clogs is someone who always has an answer. This could be in a classroom situation but more often, it is a negative description of someone who always has a smart remark to make - so they are quite irritating.

A clog is a shoe made of wood that was popularly worn by workers in the northern English mill towns in the 19th century. It is also a shoe synonymous with Holland, but quite why clogs and clever go together, I can’t say. Maybe I’m not clever enough.

Teacher's pet

Are you your teacher’s pet? Obviously, a pet is an animal, tame and loved. Some who is teacher’s pet is the teacher’s favourite, particularly when other children are not in favour with the teacher. Maybe you always say, "Please Sir, I know the answer to that." Maybe you are just a clever clogs or goody two shoes!

Two left feet

This is a little unkind to people who are left-footed or left handed because it describes someone with poor co-ordination, particularly in dancing.

Celebrity dance shows with two left-footed dancers have become very popular over the past few years.

What do you think?

Made of money

To be made of money means that you have an unlimited amount of money. However, it is usually used sarcastically, when somebody expects you to spend a lot of money and you don’t think it’s realistic.

It’s often used in one of the following forms.

"I’m not made of money!"

"What do you think I am; made of money?"

To open up a can of worms

To open up a can of worms is a rather strange idiom used to describe a situation where you have created a problem through statement or action.

E.g. "I wish I’d kept quiet at the meeting; now I’ve opened up a right can of worms!"

It’s usually a situation that leads to more problems by exposing some difficult issues that people were avoiding. I guess the worms come out of the can and crawl all over the place bothering people.

Well, it’s pretty odd because I’ve never seen a can of worms in a supermarket. Although, I believe worms make a very nice omelette filling. Enjoy your meal!

Better still, worms are now used as part of a bio-recycling process so that's one can-o-worms that won't get you into bother.

To get the wrong end of the stick!

A stick is usually a long, thin piece of wood like a walking stick. As a metaphoric idiom, it means to misunderstand and totally misinterpret a situation.

Two popular comedians, Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker, (The Two Ronnies) show just how easily this can happen in the English language.

I hope you can follow it and don’t get the wrong end of the stick!