Idioms

This colorful expression just means that people with similar characteristics tend to spend more time together.  Football lovers like spending time with other football lovers, artists with artists, dog or cat lovers with other dog or cat lovers–people with shared interests or tastes tend to congregate. Dios los cría y el viento les amontona.  

This grammatically odd expression is more of a fossilized phrase, but it is still frequently used. It’s used when you want to make sure your listener learns a fact. I’ll have you know, I graduated from college a year early! I’ll have you know that it was Sally who broke up with Jeff, not the […]

  We use the expressions, either in negative or positive, to discuss good or bad luck caused by being somewhere at the precise moment something happens. It can be bad: She just happened to be standing right under the window when the glass broke.  A meter away, or five minutes earlier, and no problem.  But […]

I can’t tell you where this expression comes from, but it refers to someone being happy, refreshed, and ready to take on the world after a good night’s sleep. e.g. The baby finally slept through the night, and I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This expression, however, is often used ironically, particularly to refer to […]

  We use this expression to describe someone who loves gardening and has a natural talent for it. My garden looks okay, but Mary has the real green thumb–just look at how amazing her tomatoes are!    

    We use this expression to describe someone who loves anything sweet: cakes, cookies, pies, candy, etc. I put on a few kilos over Christmas, thanks to my sweet tooth and all the great Christmas treats! Text for image: Have a sweet tooth = Enjoy sweets  

Much like the idiom “get to the point”, this expression uses “point” to mean “the basic idea of a conversation, what you’re trying to show or persuade”. So, when our listener doesn’t understand, or instead focuses on something the speaker considers less important, we say that the listener missed the point, and then we try […]