Idioms Used in the Story

at the drop of a hat = immediately

by leaps and bounds = very quickly (used with improvement)
copycat = someone or a company who tries to do things like another person
or company
dog eat dog = very competitive
drive a hard bargain = to make a business deal that is very advantageous
for you
early bird = someone who takes early advantage of a situation
fit the bill = to have the right characteristics for something
full steam ahead = to continue with full commitment
get the jump on someone = to get the advantage over someone by starting
early
have one's ears to the ground = to pay attention to rumors, news, and
industry insiders
know something inside out = to have expert knowledge about something
pie in the sky = something very hard to achieve, a dream
play something by ear = to improvise in a situation, react to a situation as
it occurs
put one's nose to the grindstone = to work hard and put in many hours
sink or swim = succeed or fail
start from scratch = to start from the beginning
startup = a small company that begins to do business, usually in technology
strike it rich = to become rich, often by creating a new product or service
 successfully
stumbling block = a difficulty or hurdle that stands in the way of success
take the bull by the horns = to confront a problem and deal with it

SELF-HELP IS THE BEST HELP

Every person wishes to lead a happy life. Some people work very hard and
earn a living. As a result they prosper in life and become happy.  They
helped themselves to prosper by their hard work. But there are certain
people who are lazy and do not want to work hard. At the same time, these
people also want to be prosperous and happy. These people want others to
work for them. If we are hard-working, others will help us in our needs.
They will be only happy to help us and we don’t have to be ashamed of
asking help from others too. But if we are lazy, others will never care for us.
They will blame us and laugh at us for being lazy. The question here is
whether we are ready to help ourselves before trying to get help from
others. If we are ready, we will win the love and sympathy of others. We will
become prosperous and happy then. So, work hard, do our duties and
thus   help ourselves. Thus, it can be correctly said that self-help is the best
help.

 Smooth sailing: An easy life with no problems.

 Know which side your bread is buttered on: Understand what is most
important to you.
 Ride the gravy train: Make money by doing something that has already
proved to be successful.
Odd Man Out
I recently watched a documentary called Odd Man Out. It was about a man
named Bob who decided to live out of his suitcase. Bob had a little money
socked away, so he didn't have to live from hand to mouth. I found the reasons
for his decision to throw in the towel and become free as a bird compelling. In
any case, Bob had been working for over twenty years for a corporation. While
he had been successful at his job, and had made plenty of hay while the sun
was shining, he still felt he was tilting at windmills. "I mean," he said to
himself "how hard can it be to strike out on your own and live off the fat of the
land?" The more he pondered the idea the more he came to realize that he
wasn't able to see the forest for the trees. Certainly, he never questioned the
powers that be, but he did wonder if things might be a bit more interesting if
he gave living by the seat of his pants a go.

Bob was very careful not to let on what he was thinking to anyone until he got
all his ducks in a row. He knew that such a decision couldn't be made on the
spur of a moment. Things could go terribly wrong in the twinkling of an eye.
"No," he thought to himself "I need a plan." It was then he remembered his
grandfather Bill. Bill was salt of the earth. He never cared too much for the
"finer things in life", as he liked to call them. Bill repeatedly told Bob that
tagging along with everyone else would eventually get boring. Bill made his
living as a jack-of-all-trades. Sure, he never had money to burn, but he
managed to get by. More importantly, Bill was content, and never worried
about what others were saying or who he had to impress to get promoted. In
any case, these memories of Bill came flooding back as Bob began to to
prepare to get a new lease on life.

Finally, the big day arrived and Bob announced that he was stepping down as
manager. His colleagues were incredulous: "How can you throw all you've
worked for down the drain?" they commented. "He's lost his marbles"
commented others. However, Bob was in the the prime of life and he was
ready for adventure. He walked out the door and never looked back. Who
knows where he is and what he's doing today, but my guess is that he's happy -
if not wealthy.

Idioms Used in the Story

 sock away = to save money

 live from hand to mouth = to live with just enough money to survive
 live off the fat of the land = to life from the products of nature
 make hay while the sun is shining = earn money and save while you
have the opportunity
 in the twinkling of an eye = instantly, immediately
 as free as a bird = completely free and without responsibilities
 get one's ducks in a row = to do all the necessary preparations in order
to do something
 salt of the earth = simple, honest person without pretensions
 on the spur of the moment = deciding something without thinking about
it
 by the seat of one's pants = improvising and learning as you go
 money to burn = money to waste
 the powers that be = phrase used to speak about those in power
 tag along = to follow or go with others
 throw in the towel = to quit
 jack-of-all-trades = person who does many different types of jobs
 not able to see the forest for the trees = become so focused on details
that you lose knowledge of the more important things in life
 tilt at windmills = to work on things or dedicate oneself to impossible
tasks
 get a new lease on life = to develop a new attitude towards life
 the prime of life = the best period of one's life
 throw something down the drain = to waste something
 lose one's marbles = to go crazy
Idioms: Ghost Stories

Look out for idioms used throughout the text highlighted in bold   
Following on from the Halloween blog earlier this week and in preparation for the SGI
Halloween party, I thought it would be interesting to start my class with a scary theme today,
so I asked my students if they had ever seen a ghost. It was certainly a far cry from what I
would usually ask e.g. “Did you have a nice evening / weekend?” and it did help break the
ice for some newer students. Unsurprisingly, not many students believe in or had seen a
ghost. However, here are a few of the stories from the ones who had: Student 1: When I was
12 years old, I went on a camping trip with my school that was in the middle of nowhere.
We were told to keep an eye out for 10 ghosts (fake ones), which the school had set up
around the area. But I counted 11. The extra one was real. I remember it clearly; it was of an
old man’s head with a long white beard, and it was on top of a hill. He was smiling at me so I
wasn’t scared, and there was a bright light coming from behind him. Nobody else saw it, but I
will always remember his kind smile. Student 2: My parents and I were driving along a
country road one night. I was in the back seat sleeping like a log when I was suddenly
awoken by my dad braking hard followed by a loud thud. He and my mother were panicking
because they said that a little girl had appeared on the road out of the blue and they had hit
her. They got out of the car but there was nothing – no child and no damage to the car. At
first I thought they were pulling my leg but I could see that they were both scared stiff. So I
never saw the ghost but I believe that they did. I later found out that a girl was run over about
10 years before and that her ghost can now be seen quite often. Student 3: I never saw one,
but did feel the presence. When I was at school I had a friend who lived in a house which was
haunted. He had a pet bird that would go crazy during the night, like someone was rattling its
cage. Also his dog would always look up at the ceiling, like it could hear someone walking in
the attic. I always took what he said with a pinch of salt until I stayed over one night. His
parents were out and we were playing computer games when his dog started barking loudly
towards the kitchen. Nobody was in there, but then all of sudden we heard footsteps coming
from above. At that point we both felt cold, like someone had walked passed us who was
made of ice. That was the one and only time I stayed at his place. Personally, I’ve never seen
a ghost and I’m a very sceptical person. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe these students, but
I do think that there’s a perfectly logical explanation for these incidents. I love horror and
ghost films, so seeing a ghost would actually make my day - as the saying goes seeing is
believing! If you've ever seen a ghost, please tell us the story in the comments section below.  

Idioms

To be a far cry from something

be completely different from something

Break the ice

make people relaxed in a new situation

In the middle of nowhere

a long way from towns, villages or houses

To keep an eye out for something/somebody

watch for someone/thing to appear

Sleep like a log

sleep very well

Out of the blue

completely unexpected
Pull someone’s leg
tell somebody something that isn’t true as a joke
To be scared stiff
so frightened that you can’t move
To take something with a pinch of salt
not believe something to be true or accurate
Make someone’s day
make somebody extremely happy