My China Connection

"Don't hold your breath" is something that you say in order to tell someone that an event is not likely to happen

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If you want to say something isn’t going to happen, you can say “it isn’t going to happen”, but that can be somewhat boring and bland.  You can say this with a little more zest and emphasis. Today you’ll learn another way to say this, “don’t hold your breath“.

“A snowball’s chance in hell” or “over my dead body“, or even phrases like “when pigs fly” are all very similar to don’t hold your breath.

All these phrases mean that something isn’t going to happen, or at least it the likelihood of something is not highly probable.

Examples of don’t hold your breath

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Here the jury is in, but "the jury is still out" means that a conclusion ins pending.

In America, there are plenty of “cop” shows such as CSI and Hawaii Five-O, (they are a dime a dozen) and of course comedy shows like The Big Bang Theory, but there is room for some shows about lawyers.  These would include The Good Wife, Boston Legal, JAG, and an old classic Perry Mason.  Which one is the best?  Well, the jury is still out.

What is the meaning of the jury is still out?

It means that  a decision about something important is pending, because the decision makers don’t have enough information.

First of all, a jury is a group of people from the general populace who are called to jury duty.   They listen to the arguments from prosecution and defense lawyers concerning a legal matter.   The defense attorney’s job it to protect his client from going to prison.   The prosecution attorney’s job is to prove the guilt of the defendant. Read More→

"Food for thought" refers to something which stimulates our thinking.

Have you ever left a lecture or read a book that left you with much to ponder, with much food for thought?

What does food for thought mean?

Food for thought is anything that provides mental stimulus for thinking. It is something for someone to  ponder and consider,  to  think carefully and deeply about important issues.

If you want food for thought, I recommend that you read good books, especially the old ones.  Here’s some good advice from C.S. Lewis.  If you saw the movie “The Chronicles of Naria: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, well, he’s the author of the book on which the movie is based: Read More→

"Sticky fingers" is a tendency to steal or pilfer.

What are some things which are sticky?   Glue is on the top of my list.   Also honey, tape, and syrup.   But the worst thing that is sticky are sticky fingers.

What does sticky fingers mean?   If someone has sticky fingers, it means that they have a propensity or inclination to steal or pilfer.   This slang phrase makes it seem as if valuables items naturally adhere to a thief’s fingers.

Many stores in the United States have a problem with shoplifters.  To catch these people with sticky fingers, the stores place magnetic tags on their merchandise,  magnetic detectors at the door ways, and have undercover security on duty.

Examples of sticky fingers

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A "poison pen letter" is an anonymous malicious letter

Has anyone ever sent you a letter, which was unsigned, that said some really nasty, malicious and even false things about you which had the intent to get under your skin?   If so, you received a point pen letter.

A poison pen letter isn’t literally poisonous.  The “poison” comes from the hateful, vitriolic, and inflammatory remarks made by an author who is typically anonymous.  The anonymous author generally knows the recipient and their weaknesses and thus writes the letter to get the recipient upset.

Today poison pen letters aren’t as common as they used to because of e-mail, but there have been some instances of students creating false Facebook accounts to besmirch someone’s good name.

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Actually, there are two meanings to “under my skin”

• the primary meaning  of “under my skin” is something that annoys, irritates, or bothers.  This is typically what people mean when they say that something gets under their skin.
• a secondary meaning is quite different, it means something  affects you so strongly  that it is unforgettable.  You are attracted or drawn to something and can’t get it out of your head. Read More→

"I's dotted and t's crossed" means to be meticulous and thorough.

Details are important in so many things in life.   In English we recognize it, so we have a phrase to describe the need to be very meticulous:  “all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed”.

When people write using a pen, it is common for people to get sloppy and forget to do the letter “i” or cross the letter “t”.   If you forget to cross the “t”, it may lead to confusion because it can look like the letter “l”.   If you type, it isn’t a problem, but when you write something important, make sure that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. Read More→