I have selected 12 english phrases for you.
If you know the first four, your english is great.
If you know the next four, your english is amazing.
But if you know the last four, your english is superb and you belong to the top one percent of the students.
Here's how we're going to do this.
I will show you the phrase with three possible meanings, will have to choose the correct meaning, and then i will explain it together with an example sentence.
Are you ready?
Let's begin.
The first phrase is play it by ear.
Play it by ear.
What does it mean?
Does it mean to do things without planning, to listen very carefully or to memorize music?
The correct answer is to do things without planning, to play it by ear.
We don't have a script for the meeting, let's just play it by ear.
Phrase number two to hit the nail on the head.
Hit the nail on the head does it mean to finish a job quickly, to be exactly right, or to hang a frame on the wall, To be exactly right?
To hit the nail on the head.
You hit the nail on the head with that analysis of the problem.
Number three, to read between the lines.
Read between the lines.
Don't read the line, read between the lines.
What does it mean?
Does it mean to find hidden meaning?
To look for typos or to speed read a book?
To find hidden meaning.
It's when you pay attention to something that is not obvious.
You try to discover something.
For example, he said he was fine, but reading between the lines, I think he's upset.
Phrase number four, to get your head around something.
Head around something?
Does it mean to change your mind?
To understand something complex? or to move your head around something.
To understand something complex, to get your head around something, to try and figure it out.
I'm trying to get my head around these new tax laws.
Okay, we finished the first four.
If you got four out of four, your English is already great.
But now we're going to the second group.
Let's see if you can face this challenge.
Ready?
To drive someone up the wall.
Drive someone up the wall?
What does it mean?
Does it mean to make someone angry?
To motivate someone?
Or to fool someone?
To make someone angry.
To drive someone up the wall.
That constant clicking sound is driving me up the wall.
Phrase number six, to jump through hoops.
Hoop, jump through hoop.
Huh, what does it mean?
Does it mean to exercise or get fit?
To follow many annoying rules?
Or to make a fast decision, follow many annoying rules.
There are a lot of things that you have to do that don't make sense.
They're making you jump through hoops.
The bank made me jump through hoops just to open a new bank account.
To weather the storm weather storm, but storm is a kind of weather, isn't it?
To weather the storm does it mean to deal with something difficult, to predict the future or to cancel a plan?
If you weather the storm, you deal with something difficult successfully.
You face a very difficult challenge.
The company is struggling, but we are confident we can weather the storm.
Sorry, I'm tightening my belt.
Tighten your belt?
What does that mean?
Does it mean to get ready for a fight?
To spend less money?
Or to eat less?
If you tighten your belt, you spend less money.
Prices are rising, so we will have to tighten our belts this month.
That was phrase number eight.
If you got four out of four, your English is amazing, but it's not superb yet.
Do you want to see if you belong to the top 1% of the students?
Then let's go for the next four.
To take a backseat.
Well, okay, you're in a car and you take a backseat.
But what does it really mean?
Does it mean to let others lead?
To quit a project or to sit at the back of a car?
If you take a backseat, you decide to give up control Lay back and let others take the lead.
I decided to take a backseat and let the junior manager lead the project.
Take a hike.
Hike?
Like mountain climbing?
Take a hike.
What does this mean?
Does it mean to climb a mountain, to go away or to travel for work?
This is actually a very rude phrase.
If you ask someone to take a hike, that means just go away, get lost.
I don't want to see you.
Take a hike.
So the correct option is to go away.
When he asked for my password, I told him to take a hike.
Are you enjoying the challenge?
Let's go to phrase number 11.
To give someone short shrift.
Does it mean to give someone a small bonus, to give little attention to someone, or to give someone a quick summary you give someone short shrift, you pay little to no attention to them, you ignore them, you give them short shrift.
She was given short shrift when she complained.
When she complained, people ignored her.
And, last but not least, let's see if you know this one to be in the offing.
To be in the offing, to be in the offing, what does it mean?
Does it mean to happen very soon, to be a total mystery or to be canceled?
If something is in the offing, it is going to happen very soon.
There are many changes in the offing for the education system.
Many changes are about to happen.
So how was it?
Is your English great, amazing, or superb?
Do you belong to the top 1%?
Let me know in the comments.
Also, I have prepared a list of 100 absolutely essential phrases for high level English, with meanings and example sentences.
If you want to have the list, simply scan the QR code or click on the link above this video to download it for free.
Go ahead and do it now.
I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.
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See ya.