5 of the strangest English phrases explained

Steffanie Zazulak
A woman with glasses thinking with her hand to her mouth, stood in front of a pink background

Here, we look at what some of the strangest English phrases mean ¨C and reveal their origins¡­

Bite the bullet

Biting a bullet? What a strange thing to do! This phrase means you¡¯re going to force yourself to do something unpleasant or deal with a difficult situation. Historically, it derives from the 19th century when a patient or soldier would clench a bullet between their teeth to cope with the extreme pain of surgery without anesthetic. A similar phrase with a similar meaning, ¡°chew a bullet¡±, dates to the late 18th century.

Use it:?¡°I don¡¯t really want to exercise today, but I¡¯ll bite the bullet and go for a run.¡±

Pigs might fly

We all know that pigs can¡¯t fly, so people use this expression to describe something that is almost certain never to happen. It is said that this phrase has been in use since the 1600s, but why pigs? An early version of the succinct ¡°pigs might fly¡± was ¡°pigs fly with their tails forward¡±, which is first found in a list of proverbs in the 1616 edition of John Withals¡¯s English-Latin dictionary,?A Shorte Dictionarie for Yonge Begynners: ¡°Pigs fly in the ayre with their tayles forward.¡± Other creatures have been previously cited in similar phrases ¨C ¡°snails may fly¡±, ¡°cows might fly¡±, etc, but it is pigs that have stood the test of time as the favored image of an animal that is particularly unsuited to flight! This phrase is also often used as a sarcastic response to mock someone¡¯s credulity.

Use it:?¡°I might clean my bedroom tomorrow.¡± ¨C ¡°Yes, and pigs might fly.¡±

Bob¡¯s your uncle

Even if you don¡¯t have an uncle called Bob, you might still hear this idiom! Its origin comes from when Arthur Balfour was unexpectedly promoted to Chief Secretary for Ireland by the Prime Minister of Britain, Lord Salisbury, in 1900. Salisbury was Arthur Balfour¡¯s uncle (possibly his reason for getting the job!) ¨C and his first name was Robert. This?phrase is used when something is accomplished or successful ¨C an alternative to ¡°¡­and that¡¯s that¡±.

Use it:?¡°You¡¯re looking for the station? Take a left, then the first right and Bob¡¯s your uncle ¨C you¡¯re there!¡±

Dead ringer

This phrase commonly refers to something that seems to be a copy of something ¨C mainly if someone looks like another person. The often-repeated story about the origin of this phrase is that many years ago, people were sometimes buried alive because they were presumed dead ¨C when actually they were still alive. To prevent deaths by premature burial, a piece of string would supposedly be tied to the finger of someone being buried ¨C and the other end would be attached to a bell above ground. If the person woke up, they would ring the bell ¨C and the ¡°dead¡± ringer would emerge looking exactly like someone buried only a few hours ago! Other stories point to the practice of replacing slower horses with faster horses ¨C ¡°ringers¡±. In this case, ¡°dead¡± means ¡°exact¡±.

Use it:?¡°That guy over there is a dead ringer for my ex-boyfriend.¡±

Off the back of a lorry

This is a way of saying that something was acquired that is probably stolen, or someone is selling something that¡¯s stolen or illegitimate. It can also be used humorously to emphasize that something you bought was so cheap that it must have been stolen! ¡°Lorry¡± is the British version ¨C in the US, things fall off the back of ¡°trucks¡±. An early printed version of this saying came surprisingly late in?The Times in?1968. However, there are many anecdotal reports of the phrase in the UK from much earlier than that, and it is likely to date back to at least World War II. It¡¯s just the sort of language that those who peddled illegal goods during and after WWII would have used.

Use it:?¡°I can¡¯t believe these shoes were so cheap ¨C they must have fallen off the back of a lorry.¡±

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    Four motivating activities to teach core values through reading

    By Nicola Schofield
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Teaching our?children core?values is so important in helping them to become?happy,?well-balanced?citizens who will make a positive contribution?to?our future society.?

    Values are present and visible everywhere and they are?the?foundation or starting point from where we make our decisions, which ultimately determine our futures. It is,?therefore,?important that our children learn a strong, moral set of values that will help guide them as they grow older,?inform their decisions,?help them to?know right from wrong, solve problems, assert themselves and build self-esteem and confidence.

    Values can be?built?on a?personal level or even?shared at?a group level such as a family and friendship group.?However, we often see them on a larger scale within communities, countries or even the whole world.?

    Having a shared set of values connects people?on a deeper level?and helps us to all work towards the same goals and standards ¨C they can?even encourage people to see the similarities between each other, rather than the?differences.?

    Learning values through reading

    Children learn about values through their families, friends, and teachers, through what they watch or listen to and through their life experiences. They also learn about values?through the books they read.?These lessons?can be subtle but are often?extremely powerful and?can?have a significant impact and influence.

    As an example, let¡¯s have a look at how shared values?are?explored in the?new graded readers series for young learners,?Disney Kids Readers, where special emphasis has been put on exploring values within a story.?At the end, you will find several?value-based activities?that you can download for use in the classroom or?as?an activity at home.?

    How?do Disney Kids Readers teach core values?

    1. Learning through stories that are already familiar can help children to trust in and take on board the key messages much more easily. Familiarity can break down many barriers to communication and help us understand that values are often universal.?
    2. Many children are also familiar with the Disney characters and can find inspiration from reading how they react to situations in life, make decisions and behave. Children often look up to characters and can see them as role models within their own lives. As a result, the readers can be a reference point on how to respond to key life moments and how to incorporate values into real life.
    3. Also, depending on the child's age, some values may be new and children may not yet have experience with them in the real world. Therefore, the Disney stories allow them to explore these key messages through their favorite Disney character¡¯s point of view.?

    Each Disney Kids Reader is linked to a key value?and contains a ¡®Values¡¯ page with a?short?comic?strip?that brings to life a specific value.?

    The list below details?a selection of?key values taught across the readers.?You could ask?the children?in your class?to talk about which values are most important to them and why. Ask them to give an example?of?a time when they have demonstrated this value in their own lives.?

    Friendship, positivity, curiosity, confidence, open-mindedness, courage, determination, self-belief, responsibility, resilience, respect, honesty.

    Examples of key values in?Disney stories

    In?The Jungle Book,?friendship?is a key?value,?and we learn that it is important to help our friends. Baloo helps Mowgli when he is alone in the jungle and scared. An angry tiger wants Mowgli to leave the jungle, but when Mowgli meets Baloo, he finds a friend in him. Baloo sees that Mowgli is scared and looks after him.?We learn that it is important to help our friends when they are in need.?

    Do:?Ask the children when they have helped their friends.

    In?Inside Out, we learn about?sincerity?and?how?important?it is to talk about how we are feeling. Riley is a teenager struggling with a whole range of emotions and we learn that life isn¡¯t about being happy all the time and that it is okay to be sad sometimes. The children learn that this is a normal part of life and that talking it through with a friend, a parent or a teacher can help.

    Do:?Ask the children if they share their feelings with others.

    Here are some activities for you to use with your class to help put into practice the core values from the readers. You can use these activities with any book, in and outside the classroom.

    1. My Values Road Sign (L3-4)

    This activity?is?a great way of talking?to?children?about their values. By creating a road sign poster,?it will help them to decide which values are most important to them and it is something that they can?refer?to again and again in challenging times. They can stick it on their bedroom wall, display it on the fridge or you could even make a classroom display of shared values?when children have finished?their?books!

    Download the worksheet

    ?2. Kindness Calendar (L4-6)

    This activity can be done as a family, with friends or as a class. The children fill in the calendar with kind actions they are going to do for 7 days. They can cut them out and place?them?into a jar and ask a different family member/friend/classmate to choose one a day. Do this for a week and discuss how carrying out kind actions makes them feel.?Chances are?it will make them feel good!

    Download the worksheet

    3. Core Values Quiz (L5-6)

    Try this quiz with your class and test their values. The questions focus on the following values: sincerity, honesty, positivity, resilience and friendship. If they answer mostly As, then they already demonstrate most of the values in their lives. If they answer mostly Bs, talk to them about why it is important to be honest, positive, strong and kind. The quiz will start a meaningful conversation about their own values and how they react to common situations in life.

    Download the worksheet

    4. My future self (L1-2)

    The children?fill in the crystal ball with pictures of who they would like to be in the future. Do they want to be smart, funny, have a good job, live abroad, have a family, be rich, be a good friend or help the planet? Which of the plans make one person?(themselves)?happy?and which plans make the world better? Do they need to change any of them?

    Download the worksheet

    Read our blog posts 'Fostering self-care and wellbeing through the world of reading'?and 'The importance of teaching values to young learners'.

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    Fostering self-care and wellbeing through the world of reading

    By Nicola Schofield
    Reading time: 6 minutes

    Growing up is an exciting time. Children are curious and open-minded, and every day welcomes a new thing to learn. They are constantly exploring and discovering themselves and the world around them. But children also have to face many challenging times too as they get older. It is, therefore, important that we teach our young people to be aware of their own wellbeing and self-care, what they can do to lead a balanced and healthy life, and give them the tools they need to help them in difficult times, both mentally and physically. ?

  • A child sat on a bed reading a book

    Motivating children to read English books with fun activities

    By Nicola Schofield

    Why is reading important??

    Apart from being a?great hobby?and fun?activity, it can help children improve in many areas of their lives through developing?key transferrable skills. Reading in their native language and English can bring a whole range of benefits. To engage everyone, they must?understand the benefits themselves.? ?

    Ask your students why it's important and create a mind map of ideas. You may also?wish to use some of the points below to start the conversation. Having a common idea that everyone agrees on can help build motivation and engagement in the classroom.?

    Improves?language skills?

    Regular reading develops children¡¯s linguistic skills ¨C it helps them learn good?sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary and?improves?spelling in their own language and in the English language too. Reading aloud?also strengthens?knowledge of phonics and improves?pronunciation?and articulation.??

    Improves memory?

    It can help to develop knowledge of phonics and vocabulary?recall and improve focus and concentration?¨C all necessary skills when learning a language.?

    Cultivates curiosity?

    Books help kids¡¯ imaginations to grow?and?encourage them to be?more open-minded. They?help us to learn about other cultures and encourage us to think more creatively. Through subtle messages,?reading?builds?an?awareness of the world in which we live and?enables?children to form?their own?opinions?and ask questions.?

    Creates empathy?

    Stories help to develop children¡¯s emotional intelligence?and?empathy towards?others. Exploring?topics and characters allows them to learn about?real-world situations?and think about how they would feel?in?somebody else¡¯s shoes. It encourages?respect for others¡¯ feelings?as well as?other?cultures.??

    Reduces stress?

    It is a great way to?calm the mind and help us relax and destress. Children can learn to use it as a helpful tool in their day-to-day lives.???

    Develops key life skills?

    Children develop their confidence, communication, resilience, patience, social skills and connect?with the wider world, culture?and communities.?

    So how do we motivate our young learners?(even our most reluctant readers)?to develop a passion for reading??

    It?must?be fun,?purposeful and relevant?

    Well-known adaptations?can remove barriers, support and encourage students¡¯ imagination,?and?spark?a genuine interest. They?give purpose and relevance to the students as most students have watched a movie?at some point in their lives and most students have a?favorite movie?or character.??

    Let your young learners choose?

    There are plenty of English Readers to choose from?¨C if the students can choose their own readers, they will likely be more motivated and focused. Choice gives the students power and makes it more relevant to them. Ask your students to choose their?favorite movie?and?have a vote as a class. Get to know your students, find out what interests them, and base your?book choice around this.?

    Rewards??

    To motivate students, they?must know that they are?making progress. Reward students for their achievements ¨C for example,?create?a vocabulary wall or?a class book chart and give rewards?like?a?sticker?or?a postcard?to take?home.?