Big head

Do you have a big head?

I don't mean is it bigger than average but are you big headed!

In other words, do you have a very high opinion of yourself because a big head does.

A man famous for his high self opinion was football manager, Brian Clough. (pronounced Klaf)So much so, that his nickname was old big head.

He was a very successful manager in the 70's and 80's but because of his outspoken manner, trouble often went hand in hand with success.

He was certainly quite a character and popular with the public. Here's part of a documentary about him.

There's still life in the old dog

Or - there's life in the old dog yet.

Two years ago, my wife discovered Bruce Springsteen - not in the bedroom or in a cupboard but on Youtube. Since then, our life has never been quite the same.

He's been around for over 30 years and in our youth, we were never really interested in him as he wasn't as trendy as the punk, new wave and the alternative music of the time. Well, we're older and wiser now and can see the vast range, beauty and above all, energy of his music.

His performances have always been notable for their length and physical and emotional commitment.

Imagine my wife's delight when we found out there would be a single night screening of a recent live concert in Hyde Park, London at Zloty Tarasy.

True to form, the concert lasted three hours and 'The Boss' refused to accept that he was now sixty and was determined to prove that there's life in the old dog yet.

Respect! I hope I'm as lively at 60!

Here's a clip from the concert. (Don't worry if you can't understand all the words, nobody can, it's a New Jersey accent!

A cameleon

Are you a cameleon?

That's one of these.




This amazing reptile change change colour to camouflage itself and merge into the background.

A person who can adapt easily and play many roles can also be described as a cameleon. Some people find that they even change their accents according to who they are with. This is a very useful skill with English as it's spoken with so many accents - like this! This lady certainly is a cameleon!

A second string to your bow

I recently met a lady who was a violinist and it reminded me of the idiom, or proverb if you prefer, it's always good to have a second string to your bow.

This idiom means that it's always useful to have more than one skill so that you have some options, particularly in difficult times.

The most famous English violinist, and someone that I admire for his individuality, is Nigel Kennedy. He doesn't do part-time brick laying but he certainly applies his musical talents to many different types of music. Like me and Count Bassie, he believes that there are only two types of music; good and bad.

Here are two film clips; one when he was interviewed, still quite young and playing his signature tune, Vivaldi's Four Seasons and secondly, playing Hendrix with some Polish friends.

To be in somebody's shoes

I was once in a pub in part of England called Hereford. I did a lot of work in the town and new the local people quite well. A guy came into the pub who was a kind of homeless hippy who was one step away from being a hardcore tramp. He started bothering people a little bit but was quite harmless. I said I'd take him into the pool room, buy him a drink and keep him occupied. As we played he said -

'These shoes are killing me; they're not mine!

The irony being that it's the sort of thing you might say as a joke but in his case was true as he would have got them out of a bin.

Well, to get to the point, the idea of being in someone's shoes is about seeing something from the other person's perspective.

We can use phrases like:

If I was in your shoes or walk a mile in my shoes.

I've decided to have a proper attempt at learning Polish and came across an interesting video on Youtube. It's in Polish but with English subtitles so today, it's a bit different.

I thought it looked like a worthwhile project and might be of interest to some of you.

It's a good example of seeing how life looks in someone else's shoes.

Eyes in the back of your head

Now wynucka is getting mobile, I need eyes in the back of my head.

That's what people say when you need to look everywhere and be alert, especially with little children.

Of course, you'd look pretty strange if you did have eyes in the back of your head, like one of the creatures from The Outer Limits.

That was a incredibly silly science fiction series from the early sixties. What was really funny was that the monsters were meant to be scary. Well, judge for yourself, first with the original opening title sequence and then with a longer sequence set to the music of Tom Petty.



Scary? Then watch more here!

In at the deep end

Have you ever been thrown in at the deep end?

Well, it could be literally, like into the deep end at a swimming pool or more commonly and metaphorically, into a new situation with no preparation, particularly, a new job.

Here's the opening episode of a high quality drama series from way back in 1971.

It combines a swimming pool, called public baths at the time, and a very green, new guy on his first day at work.

Take a look too at urban England in 1971 and listen to Cat Stevens singing the title song. There's a lot to enjoy in:

The Deep End!

In the dog house

Firstly, here are the answers to yesterday's test.

1 Indian summer
2 Eyesore
3 Out of the blue
4 Anorak
5 Nip it in the bud
6 Once in a blue moon

I hope you did better than MR Bean!

OK, onto dog house.

Unless you're a dog, it's not a good place to be. It's a metaphor for being in disgrace. It particularly applies to husbands who come home late and drunk. They would definitely be in the dog house and have to clean a lot of windows to make amends!

Here's a guy who's been in the dog house in his colourful life; the man with the three string guitar, Seasick Steve. His life story is pretty interesting; if you want to read more and find out how old he is, check the Wiki link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasick_Steve

Test 1!

Ha ha - I've thought of a new cunning plan; a test to check your learning.

Complete the sentences below using recently published idioms. (answers will be published in the next blog)

1)When the singer's hits from the 80's were re-released, he had an ___________ _________ in his career.

2) That building's so ugly; it's a real ________________ !

3) My cousin from Australia turned up unexpectedly and completely ___ __ ___ ______ .

4) That guy's so boring; he's a real _______________ .

5) If a strong referee sees any trouble in a match, he should ___ ___ ___ ____ ____ .

6) I don't go to the theatre very often; only ______ __ ___ ______ ______ .



When you've done it, you can watch MR Bean taking his test!

Anorak

This is an anorak.




So is this - it's a negative term for someone who is a nerdy geek and boring.

Here's a short comedy sketch featuring a famous Welsh anorak!

Indian Summer

Do you think we'll have an Indian summer this year?

Unlikely in Poland but possible.

An Indian summer is hot weather late in the year, like the end of October or even November. Technically, there should have been a frost followed by temperatures higher than 20C.

It is also used as a metaphor to describe a late surprise. An example might be an actor's career that seemed finished when a part in a film late in his life revives his fortunes.

I have to admit, I thought it related to India and hot weather there but my research suggests that it's from North America and concerns Indian raids on settler camps. Apparently, they only raided in the summer so when the weather stayed warm later in the year, it was described as an Indian summer. Well, it's a theory.

I really planned to talk about India today so I'll do so anyway. I've been doing some work on the British Raj lately. (Raj - king or rule - Indian) The period of British occupation which led to Indians using English and playing cricket. In return, we got snooker, polo and pyjamas.

Of course, it's much more serious than that and the Indian summer marking the end of British rule and the bloody partition of India in 1947 was a traumatic, historical time.

Here's an interesting documentary clip.

Once in a blue moon

Have you ever seen a blue moon?

I haven't; I guess it's something that happens very rarely.

Like, once in a blue moon.

It's quite an old idiom as indicated by this very old song from 30's and 40's heart-throb, Bing Crosby, who you might know for his most famous song, White Christmas.

His style of singing is called crooning and that makes him a crooner. Of course, you don't hear this sort of music very often now; just once in a blue moon.

(Thanks to Dorota for giving me the idea for today's idiom)