Happy as a clam

The term clam is applied to bivalve mollusks, organisms that have a soft body protected by two hard shells. There are thousands of types of clams. Some are as small as a grain of sand, while the giant clam can grow to over four feet across and weigh over five hundred pounds! To the delight of shell collectors, clam shells also vary in color. As well as having diverse characteristics, clams are susceptible to a diverse array of predators, including eels, starfish, sea snails, and humans. Not contented with a simple bowl of clam chowder, New Englanders invented the clam bake. They bake dozens of clams and other morsels from the sea in a pit of hot stones and seaweed. The clams are then devoured along with potatoes and sweet corn. You would think that with so many creatures trying to eat them, clams would be associated with fear or danger rather than happiness!

The key to understanding the expression happy as a clam lies in their habitat. Clams live in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. They spend most of their time burrowed under the sand or mud. At low tide, it’s relatively easy to dig clams from their hiding places. When the water is high, it’s more difficult to find them. Therefore, clams are “happiest” when they’re least likely to be dug up and turned into a pasta dish. In fact, the full expression, published in an 1841 edition of Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, was “happy as a clam at high tide.”

A dead ringer

If you saw a dead ringer for Brad Pitt at the mall, how would you react? Don’t run over for an autograph. A dead ringer is a person who closely resembles someone else—so a dead ringer for Brad Pitt is a lookalike, not the genuine article. How did this expression get its start? Well, ringer is a horse racing term. Bookies took bets on whether horses would win or lose a race based on their reputation. By replacing a frequent winner with a slower stand-in, the owners of the horses could defraud the bettors. In time, the term ringer came to represent anything closely resembling something else.

What about the dead part of the phrase? Don’t worry; no horses have to be killed to explain this expression. Dead, in this case, means precise or exact. For example, you can hit a target dead centre if you are a dead shot. So dead ringers are simply very close matches of the original. In an early reference, the Oshkosh Weekly Times quoted an alleged drunk in June 1888, who used the phrase to describe a photograph of himself: “Dat ar is a markable semlance be shoo. Dat’s a dead ringer fo’ me. I nebber done see such a semblence.”

Bite the bullet

Though no source seems perfectly certain about the origin of this idiom, the consensus points to wartime medical treatment. Before anesthesia was invented, surgery was performed on conscious patients. An amputation or a removal of a bullet from the body caused extreme pain for the patient. To ease the discomfort as much as possible, patients would drink whiskey and bite down on a lead bullet. Though this did not diminish the pain much, it did cut down on screaming and gave patients something to do while the surgeon did his cutting. Why bullets? For one thing, they were readily available. For another, they were made of lead, a soft metal that was unlikely to break the patient’s teeth. Now, English speakers bite the proverbial bullet whenever they confront an undesirable situation but press on and endure it.

Heard it through the grapevine

“I bet you’re wonderin’ how I knew ’bout your plans to make me blue… Don’t you know that I heard it through the grapevine…” In this famous song, Marvin Gaye credits the grapevine as the source of his information. Though the Motown tune was released in the 1960s, the expression heard it through the grapevine originated in the 1800s. Grapevines have tendrils that dangle in coils, entwined with other grapevines in a large network. Therefore, spreading gossip through a network of individuals, person to person, was using the grapevine telegraph. Although the telegraph is virtually extinct as a means of popular communication, the gossip grapevine is as alive and well as it ever was.

Kick the bucket

This idiom is quite old. It appears in Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, published in 1785. Kick the bucket means to die. If you have ever literally kicked a bucket and survived, you may wonder how this expression became associated with death. One explanation, though not supported by much evidence, seems plausible. To commit suicide, a person who stood on a bucket while wearing a noose could then kick the bucket away in order to fall and die.

Consider another theory. In the sixteenth century, a bucket referred to a wooden yoke used to carry objects. In particular, dying pigs were suspended from buckets, or beams, when they were to be slaughtered. The expression could come from their kicking and squealing attempts to escape death. If that explanation doesn’t seem to hold water, perhaps finding more evidence is a task for your bucket list!

source: grammarly.com

Can you match the idioms and their synonyms?

Key

1. c.

2. a.

3. e.

4. b.

5. d.

Visitors can coast down the SkySlide, achute made of glass and affixed to the outside of the building, going from the 70th floor to the 69th.

Terrifying. Thrilling. Not for the faint of heart. Above all, it’s a way for daredevils to put their tolerance of extreme heights to the test.

SkySlide will be the main draw at the new OUE SkySpace LA observation deck atop L.A.’s landmark skyscraper, the tallest building west of Chicago.

It’s 45 feet long and hovers 1,000 feet above the pavement, inviting incredulous stares and gasps from people on the street below.

“The slide actually transports people from the inside of the 70th floor to the outside of the 69th floor. So you’re standing in the open air by the time you’re done with your ride,” said OUE Americas senior vice president John Gamboa. “We don’t know of anything else like it.”

SkySlide is made of three-ply glass, 1.25 inches thick, made to withstand hurricane-force winds of up to 110 miles per hour. Steel outriggers hold it all together.

The slide is strong enough that it could hang “two blue whales from the slide, and it won’t budge,” Gamboa said.

Inside the launch area towering over Hope Street, riders climb onto a mat and an attendant helps them inch forward to the mouth of slide. The view? Helipads atop some of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, the mountains of San Gabriel Valley and taxi cabs barely visible on the street below.

“We explored a number of different concepts, like an elevator, a zip line, a cable car,” Gamboa said. “There were so many different concepts we played with, and the slide ticked off the most boxes.”

Installing the slide onto the side of the building was a mammoth undertaking. Angelenos could see the project unfolding before their eyes, when the slide was airlifted to the 69th-floor terrace in March.

A fire department helicopter that could carry the slide’s weight and size was hired to do the job.

“From there, the process got even more complicated,” said Gamboa. “It entailed a lot of geometry and manual manipulation.”

No machines were used to attach the slide to the side of the building. Construction crews used a complex pulley system to inch the slide into the correct position.

Months of testing at each stage ensured the slide was safe for use. One crucial test involved loading the slide full of sandbags to demonstrate a maximum stress level, Gamboa said.

OUE is opening SkySpace LA as part of an effort to bring new visitors into Los Angeles’ resurgent downtown community. The observation deck is the tallest in California, and it includes an interactive portion featuring a digital topography wall of the city’s beacons.

“If you want to see Disneyland, you can go to any other country, but you cannot go anywhere to find SkySlide,” said OUE Americas President and Chief Executive Lucy Rumantir.

“It’s not for everybody,” said Gamboa. “But I think you’ll regret it if you don’t go down the slide when you come to L.A. … When people sit out on the ledge before they go down, some hesitate. It takes a while for people to warm up, but when they go down — they want to do it again.”

source: CNN

Can you match the words and their synonyms?

Key:

1. b.

2. g.

3. j.

4. a.

5. c.

6. h.

7.  d.

8. f.

9. i.

10. e.

Blockhead – tökfej

A block is a solid piece of wood often used as a base for chopping things. A man with a similarly dense head would thus be known as a blockhead.

-What a blockhead! – Micsoda tökfej!

Bonkers – bolond, furcsa, lökött

Bonkers means not right in the head.

-With all the medical evidence against it, anyone who smokes must be completely bonkers! – Ha valaki annak ellenére is dohányzik, hogy ismeri az ellene szóló bizonyított egészségügyi kockázatokat, az teljesen lökött.

Clod – ostoba, nehézkes

A clod is a dense and heavy lump of earth. A stupid person might be considered to have a similar dense lump instead of a brain.

-The man’s a clod! – A fickó teljesen ostoba!

Clot – ostoba, hülye

A clot is a variation on the word clod. Blood will form a blood clot. Anyone who has a brain similar to a blood clot is going to be stupid.

-You clot! – Te hülye!

Crackers – (tiszta) hülye

-You just know by looking at what some people do that they are completely crackers. – Ha megnézed, hogy emberek mi mindent csinálnak, egyértelmű, hogy tiszta hülyék.

-I love white water but most people think I’m crackers. – Imádom a vadvízi evezést, de a legtöbb ember hülyének néz ezért.

Cretin – kretén, őrült

Whenever you cross the road, know that behind the steering wheel of every car there lurks a cretin whose sole purpose in life is to end yours.

-Only a complete cretin drives a car while drunk. – Csak komplett őrültek vezetnek részegen!

Daft – ostoba

A person who is daft is thought to be wanting in intellect.

-You must be daft standing on the edge of that cliff. – Ostoba vagy, hogy ott állsz a szikla peremén.

Dolt – buta, mafla, nehézfejű, ostoba

Dolt derives from the word dull, which means not bright. A dolt is thus a dull or stupid person.

-He fell for it? He actually believed me? What a dolt! – Bevette? Tényleg hitt nekem? Milyen ostoba!

Duffer – lúzer

A duffer is a person who lacks ability or efficiency in business or occupation. It also refers generally to stupid or foolish people.

-I’ve just lost millions because I’m a complete and utter duffer! – Milliókat veszítettem, mert egy javíthatatlan lúzer vagyok!

Dullard – tökfej

Derived from the word dull, which means not bright, a dullard is a dull or stupid person.

-What kind of dullard forgets to book the return flights? – Ki olyan tökfej, hogy visszaútra nem foglal repülőjegyet?

Dunce – begyepesedett, ostoba

This word derives from the name of John Duns Scotus, a theologian of the 12th century. When his ideas were rejected in the 16th century, his supporters refused to accept the “new learning”. They became known as Dun’s men, or Dunses.

So the word dunce which means a person too stupid to learn anything new.

-Come on, John, you’re not a dunce. – Gyerünk, John, nem lehetsz ennyire begyepesedett!

Imbecile – gyengeelméjű

A person judged to be mentally weak or feeble minded, basically stupid, can be called an imbecile.

-Come on Susan, you’re better off without that imbecile! – Ugyan már, Susan, jobban jársz anélkül a gyengeelméjű nélkül!

Moron – idióta, hülye

The word moron was used in the early 20th century to describe an adult with a mental age between eight and twelve. Taken from the Greek word meaning stupid, it is now used to describe stupid people.

-How could you throw out my handbags, you moron? – Hogy dobhattad ki a táskáimat, te idióta?

Nincompoop – együgyű, szamár

This fun word dates back at least to the 17th century and means a fool, blockhead or simpleton.

-What kind of nincompoop wrote this report? – Miféle együgyű írta ezt a jelentést?

Ninny – bárgyú, mulya, ostoba

Another word with a long history, since the 16th century, ninny has meant a simpleton or fool.

-Don’t be such a ninny. Just do it again. – Ne légy már olyan mulya! Kezdd el újra!

Nitwit – tökfilkó, hólyag, hülye

A nitwit is a stupid person, or a person of little intellect.

-Watch that glass! Oh, you nitwit! – Vigyázz azzal a pohárra! Ó, te tökfilkó!

Numskull – ütődött

Numb means without sensation and skull is the bone surrounding your brain. It’s easy to see where this word originated. As the word numb has a silent letter b, so the word numskull lost the b in spelling.

-I’m telling you, numskull, you’re digging up the wrong street. – Mondom neked, te ütődött, hogy rossz utcában ásol!

Pudding-head – üresfejű, tökfej

A pudding is a thick and dense mixture of ingredients. Thick and dense are adjectives used to denote stupidity and you can see that a head filled with pudding would be somewhat intellectually challenged.

-Listen, you pudding-head, I told you to sell not buy! – Figyelj csak, te tökfej, azt mondtam neked, hogy adj el, nem pedig azt, hogy vásárolj!

Simpleton – együgyű, buta, korlátolt

Simple means not very complicated, and a simple person is one incapable of understanding complex things. Thus simpleton means a stupid person.

-I’m not the simpleton, you are. When I said meet me at eight, I meant in the evening not the morning. – Nem én vagyok a korlátolt, hanem te! Este nyolcra gondoltam, amikor azt mondtam, hogy nyolckor találkozzunk, nem pedig reggel nyolcra!

Thickie – nehézfejű, ostoba

The adjective thick is used to mean stupid. A thickie is therefore a stupid person.

-Listen, you thickie! If you don’t sort this out, you’re fired. – Figyelj, te ostoba! Ha nem bogozod ki ezt a problémát, ki foglak rúgni!

Twit – béna, balfék, seggfej

Birds twitter incessantly, but their song makes no sense to our ears. Thus a stupid person who talks nonsensically but constantly is deemed to be a twit.

-Many twits have twittered on Twitter twitterings which even twits wouldn’t fain to tweet. – Sokan olyasmit irkálnak a Twitteren, amit még egy abszolút seggfej se rakna ki szívesen.

source: Linguaspectrum

Some schools have been eager to remind pupils that there is a lot more to a person than their grades with an inspirational letter that has been moving parents to tears. The letters have been sent by numerous schools in the country to Year 6 pupils ahead of the latest round of examinations.

The positive message is very similar and in some cases identical but each school has said they agree with the sentiment exactly.

Pupils are reminded that they are ‘special and unique’ and that examiners don’t know them like their teachers or parents do.

Silverdale Primary Academy first sent letters like this two years ago. The Independent claimed in an article two years ago that the idea originated in the United States and has since been adapted.

But Liz Miles, the head teacher of Silverdale, said it is not something that schools have discussed.

She said: ‘It is something that is very reflective of how our school feels about the children.

‘We love our children and we want to do the best they can.’

She added: ‘We have a huge culture of positivity at Silverdale and we really believe that positivity is infectious.

One parent wrote on Facebook that she was saving the letter so she ‘could tell her daughter when she has tests next year’.

The letter:

Dear Year 6 Pupils,

Next week you will sit your SATs tests for maths, reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation. We know how hard you have worked, but there is something very important you must know.

The SATs test does not assess all of what makes each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you the way that we do and certainly not in the way your families do.

They do not know that some of you speak two languages or that you love to sing or draw. They have not seen your natural talent for dancing or playing a musical instrument. They do not know that your friends can count on you to be there for them, that your laughter can brighten the darkest day or that your face turns red when you feel shy. They do not know that you participate in sports, wonder about the future, or sometimes help your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you are kind, trustworthy and thoughtful and that every day you try to be your very best.

The levels you will get from this test will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart. You are smart! So while you are preparing for the test andin the midst of it all, remember that there is no way to ‘test’ all of the amazing and awesome things that make you, YOU!

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle

Sleep, Rest, Believe and Sparkle!

Good Luck.’

Do you wish you received this letter at school?

Yes, it’s exactly what each pupil should hear.

source: metro.co.uk

Can you match the words and their synonyms?

Key:

1. f.

2. a.

3. e.

4. i.

5. j.

6. b.

7. d.

8. c.

9.  h.

10. g.

Children’s book illustrator and author Bob Shea met her at an elementary school reading event and was moved to action by her loss.

Shea used Twitter to call his followers to rally behind the young girl.

Fans hearing Heidi’s story of bravery started sending their love in every form: books, book shelves, pencils, letters of encouragement – even furniture. The outpouring of support came not only from Shea’s fans, but from librarians and children’s authors all over the world.

Heidi received enough books in the mail to fill a library of her own.

“It was a simple thing,” Bob Shea told MLive. “She’s a sweet little girl. She loves books and needs books. I said, ‘I can help.’”

Since her story made national news, Heidi and her family have expressed appreciation for receiving the mailed gifts and storing them at her grandmother’s house in Michigan while they take time to get back on their feet once again.

source: goodnewsnetwork.com

Can you match the words and their synonyms?

Key: 

1. c.

2. h.

3. a.

4. j.

5. b.

6. i.

7. d.

8. e.

9. g.

10. f.

Expressions for apologising:

I’m (so / very / terribly /really) sorry.

I really am sorry.

I really am most terribly sorry.

Ever so sorry.

How stupid / careless / thoughtless of me.

Pardon (me).

That’s my fault.

Sorry. It was all my fault.

Please excuse my ( ignorance / carelessness / forgetfulness etc.).

Please don’t be mad at me.

Please don’t kill me.

Please accept my (sincerest) apologies. (very formal)

I apologize.

I’d like to apologize.

I really must apologize.

I do apologize.

Please accept my apologies.

Please accept my sincere/sincerest apologies.

I apologize wholeheartedly / unreservedly.

Please forgive me.

You must forgive me.

I hope you can forgive me (one day).

I know it was very rude/ inconsiderate of me.

I know my actions hurt you.

Looking back, I (now) realise that…

Please don’t be angry.

I accept (full) responsibility for…..

I take full responsibility for…

I am/feel (so) ashamed because…

I can understand how you feel (about…) and….

I don’t know what to say…

I regret…

I would like to express my regret about ….

I take (all) the blame.

Pardon me!

Please excuse my behaviou r/ thoughtlessness …

I now realise that/I know I shouldn’t have done that.

(I’m sure) you must be (very) disappointed in me.

I accept that I am to blame / that it’s my fault.

I’m happy to take (my share of) the blame.

I am (such) an idiot.

I am sorry to have disappointed you.

I cannot say/express how sorry I am.

I have reflected on my actions and…

I know it was wrong (of me) (to…)

If I could turn back the clock,…

It was (a bit) insensitive of me (to…)

There is (really/absolutely) no excuse for my actions/behaviour/laziness.

You are right to blame me.

I know I have let you down by…

I know it was thoughtless of me to….

I can see how you might be annoyed (by…)

I can’t believe I…

I don’t know what came over me.

I don’t know what got into me.

I just want the ground to swallow me up.

I think I went a bit too far.

I am/was in the wrong.

I messed up.

If I could take it all back, I would.

It was inexcusable.

It’s unforgivable, I know.

Please don’t hold a grudge.

Don’t hold this against me.

Silly me!

What a shame that…

I am unhappy about the pain/inconvenience you’ve been caused.

And what can we say if we want to react to apologies?

It’s OK.

It doesn’t matter.

Don’t mention it.

Never mind.

No harm done.

No need to….

We have translated some of the apologies into Hungarian. Can you find the English equivalent above?

1. Jogosan hibáztatsz engem.

2. Tudom, hogy cserben hagytalak.

3. Nem tudom, mi ütött belém.

4. Szeretném, hogy elnyeljen a föld. / Szeretnék elsüllyedni.

5. Szerintem kissé túl messzire mentem el./ Szerintem kicsit elvetettem a sulykot.

6. Ha tudnám, visszacsinálnám a dolgot.

7. Remélem, egyszer majd megbocsátasz nekem.

8. Ha visszafordíthatnám az időt….

Key: 

1. You’re right to blame me.

2. I know I’ve let you down.

3. I don’t know what came over me. / I don’t know what got into me.

4. I just want the ground to swallow me up.

5. I think I went a bit too far.

6. If I could take it all back, I would.

7. I hope you can forgive me one day.

8. If I could turn back the clock….

And in the end we’ve collected some quotes just for fun:

’I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.’ (Robin Williams)

’Love means not ever having to say you’re sorry.’  (Erich Segal)

’If you’re willing to tell somebody that you love them, are you also willing to say you’re sorry? You need to, even when you think you’re in the right.’ (Kevin Costner)

’My wife heard me say I love you a thousand times, but she never once heard me say sorry.’ (Bruce Willis)

Here are 10 little-known facts about currency.

Thanks to technology, paper money may not be as popular as it once was, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less fascinating. Here are 10 lesser-known facts about world currency.

Number 10. Hasbro prints more money than the US Government. On average, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing only churns out about 974 million.

Number 9. According to the Brits, the pound as a unit of currency is the oldest still in use today, and has been for over 1200 years.

Number 8. Not all coins are pocket-sized. The largest one out there hails from Perth, Australia and measures an astonishing 31 inches across. It’s made almost entirely of pure gold and is valued at over 50 million Australian dollars.

Number 7. Some bills have a whole lot of zeros. Shortly after World War 2, Hungary printed a bank note with 20 of them. More digits don’t always mean more value, though. The 100 Million Billion Pengő bill only equated to about 20 US cents.

Number 6. Queen Elizabeth the 2nd is a money celebrity. According to Guinness World Records, her portrait has been placed on the currency of 35 countries. The likenesses, however, differ. Some show her in full regalia while others feature a more everyday sort of Queen.

Number 5. US Bills have wildly varying life expectancies. 100s live the longest, with an average circulation stretch of 15 years. Time is shortest for the 10-dollar-bill, which lasts only about 4-and-a-half years.

Number 4. Most of the world’s money isn’t entirely tangible. Of the estimated 75 trillion dollars in existence on the planet, only 5 trillion of it is in the form of bills and coins.

Number 3. America’s money is printed on really fancy paper. Forget wood pulp. The stock used by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing is comprised of 75% cotton and 25% linen. It’s manufactured by Crane & Company, who are perhaps best known for their fine stationery.

Number 2. It’s dangerous. And not just in the love of money leading to evil sort of way. Researchers at New York University found that the average $1 bill is teeming with over 3 thousand different kinds of bacteria, some of which can cause illness.

Number 1. There may soon be a woman on the 20-dollar bill. A New Hampshire Senator has proposed that a committee of citizens be convened to discuss the matter. If her measure passes, the US Treasury will be obligated to do so.

Which fact about currency do you think is most fascinating?

Can you find the synonyms of the following words or expressions?

Key:

1.d.

2. a.

3. h.

4. j.

5. c.

6. b.

7. i.

8. g.

9. e.

10. f.

I. Match the synonyms in the table.

II. Replace the adjectives in the sentences with the ones in the table.

1. People take their money to the bank to keep it secure.

2. Many clever children like reading books.

3. The new stadium was enormous, with 100,000 seats.

4. Tom was so impolite that the teacher sent him to the principal.

5. Dogs are very faithful to their owners.

6. Can you come fast? My ball has fallen in the pond.

7. My exam questions were really difficult.

8. Take care when picking mushrooms. Some of them are not eatable!

answers: 

I. 1-c 2-e 3-f 4-a 5-g 6-h 7-b 8-d
II. 1-e 2-b 3-a 4-f 5-g 6-h 7-c 8-d

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1) She is such a pretty girl.
2) He brought everyone a present.
3) That flat is too expensive.
4) You are lucky to have such a family.
5) I love walking in the meadow.
6) She was always a very headstrong person.
7) Please make up your mind.
8) I never want to speak with him again.
9) His father is a very important person.
10) He seems to be a very cheerful person.

a) decide
b) fortunate
c) beautiful
d) happy
e) stubborn
f) costly
g) talk
h) significant
i) field
j) gift

Answers: 1) c, 2) j, 3) f, 4) b, 5) i, 6) e, 7) a, 8) g, 9) h, 10) d