Nip it in the bud

A bud is a small, young flower, not fully formed.

To nip is a kind of pinching action with your thumb and index finger. (The finger you point with)

To nip something in the bud means to stop something in the early stages before it turns into a bigger problem.

Looking for a suitable clip, I was very tempted to go with the B52s - one of my favourite bands but sadly, nobody else's - it seems. So, here is something I didn't know existed, a comic preacher or maybe a preaching comedian. It's America, so I guess anything's possible.

Interest southern accent too. Praise the lord!!

Roll out the red carpet

You can roll out the red carpet or maybe give someone the red carpet treatment.

When Presidents and VIPs visit other countries, usually, a red carpet is laid out for them as they leave the plane. This is a sign of respect and recognition of their status.

So it's literal but also metaphoric.

Somebody used to the red carpet treatment was the man from Red Square, Boris Yeltsin.

Scary to think that this guy once held so much power - and Bush too. What a mess!

Still, you have to laugh.

An eyesore

You might think if you have an eyesore you have a problem with your eyes. You do in a way but not physically.

An eyesore is what people say to describe something that is ugly and horrible to look at.

Usually, it is something like a rubbish heap or a derelict building that clashes with its local environment whether that is in the landscape or in the town. Some people might describe the cultural palace this way.

One thing for certain is that the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth has always been an eyesore - or maybe you'll like it.

Watch this very interesting short documentary and decide for yourself.

Out of the blue

The job offer came from right out of the blue.

Where's that then?

Well, no where at all really - just totally unexpectedly.

Thanks to Ryszard for this suggestion.

I was looking for a youtube clip to go with today's idiom and this came right out of the blue.

I hadn't heard of this guy until I looked just now but right out of the blue came an interesting surprise. Actually there is no mention of out of the blue in the song but you get to see the lyrics and they are quite interesting.

Worth watching. Please note, with the word worth, it's always worth verbing not to verb. e.g worth doing, not worth to do.

Throw in the towel

I've had enough, I'm going to throw in the towel.

Oh George, please don't throw in the towel!

What are we talking about? Giving up. But why throw in the towel?

It's a boxing term. When a boxer is getting too badly beaten and his corner, they throw a towel into the ring and the referee stops the fight - true!

Here are some more boxing idioms. They guy is a bit annoying but don't throw in the towel on the video.

Swallowed the dictionary

If someone is long winded, they might speak a lot but say very little.

Someone who likes the sound of their own voice could be a windbag.

Of course, worse still is if they've swallowed the dictionary and use unnecessarily complicated words - like this!

Cheap as chips

This is a bit of a tongue twister for Polish readers.

How cheap is something if it is as cheap as chips?

Very cheap! The phrase became very popular becaused it was used in the daytime TV show Bargain Hunt by the charismatic presenter, David Dickinson.

In the programme, contestants go to antique fairs to try and pick up some cheap as chips bargains to resell at auction at a profit. So we'll all be down to Kolo market this Sunday then!

Shoot yourself in the foot

You'd have to be a silly billy to shoot yourself in the foot.

It would hurt and you would injure yourself. That's just what Gordon Brown did on a pre-election political tour. He was never the greatest at PR and this interview was perhaps the final nail in his political coffin.

Not only did he call the labour voter a bigot (which she is!) but he returned to his car and left his microphone on for the whole nation to hear. Katastrofa!

Bigot: somebody with strong nationalistic or racist opinions.

Poor Gordon, he really did shoot himself in the foot!

Cracking up

A crack is a line in a wall which is a fracture. You could have a crack in the ceiling or a crack in a mirror.

The Mirror Cracked is a book by Agatha Christie.

But what about cracking up? Now it becomes a phrasal verb meaning to lose control. It could be psychological problems or, as you will soon see, you could crack up laughing.

This is in German but it's still very funny and will have you cracking up!

Take the Micky

This blog and following video contains some rude words - not very rude but a bit.

So, if you're easily offended, look away now.

If you take the Micky you're making a joke of someone, perhaps making them look a bit stupid. Taking the Micky may also be called taking the Michael, or more crudely, taking the piss. In Scotland, sometimes pronounced pash.

One of the places you are most likely to find such humour is in bar room banter - the tit for tat joking found in a bar.

Quite possibly the best example of this can be found in the Scottish comedy series Still game. If someone is still game , they are prepared to take on a challenge regardless of age or anything else.

You may find the accent a bit tricky but if you can get through it, there is some very witty comedy to be found - with a few rude words - and I'm nae takin the pash!

Wind up

It's wind up John!

You can wind up a clock with a key at the back.

You can wind up a person - annoy them.

Or, you can do a wind up; a very popular practical joke played on somebody. British people love this and many radio programmes phone people live on air to do a wind up.

Do you know of Shaggy, the reggae artist?

Here's somebody pretending to order a taxi as him.

Honestly, it's not a wind up!

Just so you see the comparison, afterwards there's a video of the real Shaggy.



Oh Carolina!

Cowboy

Do you know what a cowboy is?

Yes, of course you do, just like in the movies.

So what about a cowboy builder? Bob the builder with a cowboy hat maybe? Well, maybe but more often it means a dishonest one. It's someone who does work that doesn't need doing, does it badly and overcharges. (Could also be a management consultant!)

Here's a cowboy builder caught on camera in the BBC series Rogue Traders. It gets quite heated towards the end; almost a battle of cowboys and Indians!

Throw your dummy out of the pram

Frustrated children who can't get their own way have temper tantrums. They scream, roll around and bang their feet on the ground. Of course, if they are younger, they can only throw their dummy out the pram. (A dummy being the thing you put in baby's mouths to keep them quiet - aptly called a Pacifier by Americans)

He's throw his dummy out of the pram

We use this phrase to describe an adult having a tantrum. I searched quite a few videos of queen bitch Elton John having tantrums and slagging off (criticising) fellow professionals and in the end, he annoyed me so much I decided not to put him on my blog!

Instead, another tantrum with an interesting ending. This won European advert of the year award. Sorry Elton, you'll just have to put your dummy back in.

A drop in the ocean

As,I'm sure you know, oceans are very big. A drop is a very small quantity of liquid.

Would you like another drink?

Just a drop then.

Liar!

Tear drops will fall and so will rain drops.

A drop in the ocean is an insignificant amount; not enough. They raised some money for the famine in Africa but it was just a drop in the ocean.

What if you literally took a drop in the ocean; what would it look like? Something like this. Thanks to my diving student Krysza for this idea.

BTW By the way, this guy's only oxygen supply is what he has in his lungs, Truly amazing - I pass out just watching.