Essentially means to stay attentive and focused on a task. This can be used in various ways. One example would be: “He is really on the ball since he started eating salad every day.” Another common way of using “On the ball” is to suggest that a person should “Stay on the ball.” For Example: […]

This is a relatively common English phrase used to state that something new and surprising has just been heard by a person speaking. For Example: Imagine a headline on a newspaper. The phrase is commonly stated in ways similar to this: “He moved to Hawaii?! It’s news to me!”

This is a really intriguing English phrase that likely sounds rather ridiculous when it’s first heard. The phrase is actually based on driving an automobile. The concept is that of pushing the gas pedal in an automobile to the metal floor (under the carpet), causing the automobile to go as fast as possible. The phrase […]

This English phrase may sound rather daring and it likely should. It is usually used to refer to an act of bravery on some level. The act of bravery being spoken about may be relatively small. If so, then the phrase is used somewhat humorously. For Example: “He took a leap of faith when he […]

This is an English phrase that is used to describe a person who is very open and not hiding anything. It can be used to describe a person or something about a person. For instance: “He is like an open book.” Another possibility is: “His personal affairs are like an open book.” This kind of […]

This common phrase doesn’t usually have much to do with a person physically bending over. The phrase is used to describe someone who is doing everything possible for a person or a situation. For Example: “He does everything he can for his girlfriend. He really bends over backwards for her.”

The concept is based on how someone’s stomach might feel when they are nervous. For Example: The feeling is conceptually similar to having butterflies flying around. This can be used in the following way: “She is the star of the show, so she has butterflies in her stomach.”

It is used when you want to tell someone something, but don’t want to tell them how you found out about it. For Example: Jon tells Sally that his company is doing really well. Sally tells her friend Joan to buy stock in the company. When Joan asks how Sally knows to do so, Sally […]

It is a way of saying that someone is living bravely and doing what they truly want to, sometimes indulgently. For Example: The phrase is usually used in the following manner: “He (or she) is living life in the fast lane.” This usually has little to do with driving, as it may sound. It is […]

The meaning of this English phrase is different than it may sound. The phrase is actually a way of saying that someone is content to have a lot of influence in a relatively small group of people or place. For Example: This phrase can be used to describe someone who is a mayor of a […]