What did you say? What do you mean?

[{"id"=>"msg_6869b498aea481929858af02e958761f08766ea9e95278ac", "type"=>"message", "status"=>"completed", "content"=>[{"type"=>"output_text", "annotations"=>[], "logprobs"=>[], "text"=>"This flashcard deck, titled \"What did you say? What do you mean?\" explores common English metaphors and idiomatic expressions. Each card explains the meaning of a phrase, the origin or reasoning behind it, and provides an example sentence to illustrate its use. Covered metaphors include phrases related to time and urgency (\"Get your skates on\"), affection (\"The apple of your eye\"), effort (\"Bend over backwards\"), enjoyment (\"Have a ball\"), awareness (\"On the ball\"), responsibility (\"The ball is in your court\"), beginnings (\"Start the ball rolling\"), scarcity (\"Scrape the bottom of the barrel\"), energy (\"Full of beans\"), secrets (\"Spill the beans\"), mood (\"Get out of the wrong side of the bed\"), familiarity (\"Rings a bell\"), annoyance (\"Drive someone round the bend\"), missed opportunities (\"Miss the boat\"), disruption (\"Rock the boat\"), grievances (\"A bone to pick with you\"), and caution in judgment (\"Don’t judge a book by its cover\"). The deck offers learners insight into English figurative language by linking phrases to their metaphorical origins and practical usage."}], "role"=>"assistant"}]

Learn using these flashcards. Click a card to start.

• Skates means hurry faster wearing ice roller we’d
• Eye apple means love describe parent feels child
• Backwards bend people means hard possibly lean careful
• Ball means enjoy good time old-fashioned word dance
• Ball means understand deal things refers football player
• Court ball turn made telling decide progress expression
• Start ball rolling means activity people join let’s
• Bottom barrel scrape forced choose idea person thing
• Full beans tired means energy active describing horses
• Beans spill jar means give information meant secret
• Wrong side bed bad mood means obvious reason
• Rings bell can’t remember sounds familiar mrs grant
• Round bend drive means annoy bore feel lose
• Miss boat means fail opportunity i meant enter
• Boat rock things shouldn’t i disrupting stable settled
• Bone pick means annoyed talk refer dogs squabbling
• Judge book cover can’t she’s don’t decide unfriendly
• Big boots criticizing behaving important i won prize
• Cross bridge time means don’t intend waste worrying
• Bull horns deal tricky situation direct determined knew
• Butterflies tummy means feeling nervous jittery stomach fluttery
• Carry tom means blame responsible military expression originally
• Worms complicated opening leave open situation lead sorts
• Candle ends burn staying late early exhausted she’d
• Cards lay table hide put means feel plan
• Cat bag trick traders means give secret meaning
• Raining cats dogs heavily old-fashioned expression read metaphor
• Big cheese important powerful person expression chiz cheez
• Don’t count chickens eggs i s hatched means
• Chip shoulder piece resentful benefits people means wood
• That’s cookie crumbles accept things happened haven’t worked
• Handle fly suddenly angry control refers axe head
• Spoil broth cooks people involved means activity plan
• Coventry send sending unkind showing disapproval ignoring speaking
• Cup tea it’s don’t taste i listened band’s
• Call day means stop tired bored realize continuing
• Put eggs don’t basket risk putting effort money
• Eggshells walking upset you’re i’m walk treading careful
• Deep end thrown job means difficult task preparation
• Make ends meet can’t money find difficult means
• Feet find found means feel confident unfamiliar situation
• Land feet live fall means good situation luck
• Top world happy similar meaning moon she’d good
• Hat asked told i’m job i don’t boss
• Fence sit side wanted means give definite opinion
• Fingers crossed cross luck means wishing success good
• Put finger can’t couldn’t means identify reason realize
• Wrap finger means persuade people verb twist parents
• Fire play playing means trouble dangerous you’re involved
• Small big fish pond means important position group
• Plenty fish sea i people sad relationship girlfriend
• Throat frog middle water means can’t speak dry
• Goalposts move don’t means change aims limits rules
• Grandmother suck eggs teach corner teaching telling necessarily
• Hand lend give means examples shopping bags heavy
• Hatchet bury means make friends argument native american
• Head clouds things means spend time imagining happen
• Standing head means easily effort suggests find easy
• Top head speaking speak thinking carefully correct lambs
• Head bite speak angry snappy bad-tempered annoyed worried
• Head sand bury don’t deal means pretend unpleasant
• Straight horse’s mouth information means learn directly person
• Ice break met means helps people relax feel
• Book leaf someone’s page finds things copy behave
• Leaf turn start behaving someone’s book means page
• Leg pull pulled i someone’s means isn’t true
• Line draw means put bad situation past stop
• Square meal good filling wooden plates sailors eat
• Change mind i means it’s changing plan previously
• Moon happy it’s similar top world suggests i
• Face music means responsibility wrong prepare criticism punishment
• Hit nail head means describe situation precisely give
• Pie sky plan describe idea happen live london
• Eat humble pie umbles wrong ate means admit
• Lot plate work problems deal means thing i
• Sack job means dismissed told lost workers carry
• Shell shy means start sociable shellfish snails frightened
• Skeleton cupboard secret embarrass scandal newspapers wonderful determined
• Sleeve i’ve plan secret idea achieve cheating card
• Snake grass pretending friendly intending harm he’s real
• Pull socks means harder improve behaviour jane clever
• Straw final thing series difficulties made feel situation
• Straw short draw means chosen task expression drawing
• Straw camel’s back broke makes she’s breaks similar
• Swings roundabouts it’s walk quicker situation decision advantages
• Tongue hold means bite silent similar quiet moment
• Tip tongue can’t i remember answer question what’s
• Long tooth means people’s teeth longer older gums
• Wrong tree bark didn’t barking idea misunderstand situation
• Change tune means attitude opinion bit mind describe
• Wall drive means annoy greatly similar meaning driving
• Water duck’s back criticism telling-off insult effect ducks
• Water bridge it’s happened lot that’s past worth
• Weather feeling bit feel means people fancy coming
• Weight pull hard means work involved task negative
• Wolf sheep’s clothing pretending nice harmless nastier dangerous
• Woods problems difficult situation i hear alan ill
• Pull wool eyes someone’s i means deceive make
• Word edgeways can’t means talking opportunity speak excited
• Words mouth someone’s means people leave it’s sunny

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Previous deck: Effortless English. Original course. AJ Hoge level 1&2

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