By Robby

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12 English phrases meaning something completely different

Improve Spoken English

I often touch upon the subject of English language idiomatic expressions on this blog for the simple reason that by and large  our every-twenty-four hour period voice communication consists of such and similar  word combinations and it'due south making our voice communication then much more easier !

Just expect at the to a higher place paragraph – it's blimp with diverse idiomatic expressions and collocations, and the 1 common trait they all share is that you have to learn the Verbal way they're used and so that yous can learn them off by heart and so use them in your own conversations.

Then at that place are proper English language idioms yous can't even understand unless you actually know what they mean – such as "Information technology's no skin off my nose" or "Until the cows come home".

There are, however, sure English phrases that may at beginning sound every bit if they don't accept whatsoever double-meanings AT ALL, notwithstanding they hateful something completely different!

If you lot're an avant-garde English speaker and you've been communicating with real people in real life for years, this list will probably reveal naught new to you.

If you're someone who's just starting off in an English speaking country, for instance, the post-obit phrases might turn out to be an heart-opener for you lot! 😉

You don't want to exercise that!

If you take this phrase literally, it sounds as if someone is making a argument that you don't desire to do something (in which instance it doesn't really make an atrocious lot of sense – I mean, how can someone else possibly know what I exercise or what I don't want to do?!)

In reality though, this phrase is used when advising someone non to do something, and so the real message behind this expression is "Yous shouldn't do it!"

Why exercise English speaking people say "You don't desire to do that!" instead of simply saying that 1 SHOULDN'T do it?

Well – information technology'due south only the way conversational English goes! Don't ask WHY – just have that it's the fashion native English language speakers speak, and life is going to be a whole lot easier for you.

Another version of the same phrase – "You don't want to exist doing that!" – is used merely like the original ane, and in one case again – don't ask WHY in that location are two unlike versions of this phrase in use.

But accept information technology and use whichever one you want to use! 😀

He can't help himself

When I heard the English verb "to help" used in this context for the beginning time, I thought the person in question must be physically handicapped in one case they can't assist themselves.

I mean – the word "to help" is quite simple and straightforward, and so when someone tin't help themselves, they quite literally tin can't assist themselves with performing certain tasks, isn't that right?

Turns out information technology's not the case!

When someone says nearly another person that they can't assist themselves, it means the person in question can't RESIST doing something, they're likewise weak to say NO to themselves

Let'southward say, y'all're eating too much chocolate on a daily basis, and your work colleague asks you one day why you're eating so much chocolate every solar day. You can just respond by proverb "I just can't assistance myself!" which means that it's a habit so strong you tin can't resist it.

Close up!

When someone tells you to shut up, information technology'due south quite clear what they want to tell you lot, isn't that correct?

They're telling y'all to shut your rima oris, and needless to say, it's quite rude to exist talking to someone like that.

Sometimes, even so, the phrase "Close up!" can be used to express something completely unlike – namely, your amazement at something the other person is telling you near.

And so if you're speaking with an English speaking person and they answer to you lot by saying "Shut up! I can't believe it!", it doesn't necessarily mean they want you to close your mouth and stop talking to them. It only ways they're and so surprised at what you just said that they're using the phrase "Shut up!" as ways of expressing they disbelief or excitement.

Sure enough, you'll be able to read the true meaning of those words off the other person's face and tone of voice – the office of body linguistic communication can't be underestimated, after all.

In that location might be some occasions, withal, when you'd remember the other person is being rude to you while in reality there'southward no impairment intended, so please bear in heed that the expression "Close upwardly!" can as well have a pretty harmless meaning!

Get away!

I don't know nigh yous, but where I alive (Ireland) this phrase is used the aforementioned way as the one above ("Close upward!") when expressing your surprise at something the other person has just said.

Basically it'southward just another way of saying "Really?!", and when they say "Go away!", nobody means it literally. It' simply a way of letting the other person know that yous're shocked to hear it, and you may likewise first using this phrase in your own daily English conversations.

I run into!

This is a very, very simple English language phrase, but when an average beginner English student sees it, on 9 times out of 10 they'll think it means that someone is saying that they Encounter something.

In fact, the phrase "I see!" is used conversationally all the time when people want to say that they get information technology, that they UNDERSTAND it, and this is actually something that a lot of strange English speakers should learn pretty early on in their lives.

On way too many occasions my beau foreigners say "I understand" while the phrase they should be using is "I see"!

Y'all see, "I empathize" sounds way as well formal when used during your daily conversations, so I warmly suggest you start using the much more friendlier version of it "I see!" instead.

See where I'm coming from?

If someone asks you lot if y'all run into where they're coming from, you may assume they mean it quite literally, in which case y'all may exist thinking "How on Earth am I supposed to know where they're coming from?!"

When people enquire you this question, what they actually mean to say is "Do you lot understand the reasons why I'm maxim this?"

Basically the conversation would go something similar this:

"I think we should swap this machine for the other one considering the product output is much lower now that the decorated season is over."

Yous: ???

"You run across where I'm coming from?" (Do you understand why I'one thousand suggesting we should swap the machines on the production line?)

You: "I haven't got a clue what you're talking about! Tin can you explain everything to me stride-by-pace please?"

You may want to…

This phrase may seem a bit disruptive at get-go. You may… You lot desire… Why "You MAY Desire" then? Why are the 2 words grouped together? Does information technology mean y'all're giving the other person a permission to do something equally in "You may exercise it"?

What this phrase actually means is quite the opposite to giving someone a permission to exercise something – it's all about giving the other person a suggestion that they should probably choose to exercise whatever information technology is you're telling them to do!

Why not simply say "Yous should…" instead?

Well, you meet – "You lot may want to…" is a very polite mode of letting someone know every bit to what would be the right course of action while "You should…" might really audio similar a command rather than a suggestion!

I don't buy information technology!

This English language phrase has aught to do with buying stuff, information technology's all about Believing what you lot're told! 😉

If someone makes an empty hope to you or y'all're told some news y'all don't believe, you can answer with saying "I don't buy information technology!" in which case yous're simply making information technology clear you don't believe what you're told.

I'm looking forward to…

Every bit a beginner English student you may think this phrase means to be looking straight alee of you lot (as opposed to be looking backwards or sideways, for example).

In conversational English and also in English in general, however, this phrase has a completely different meaning – it simply means to be expecting something, to be really waiting on something to happen!

I think when I'd but started living in Ireland xi years ago, my supervisor asked me at work if I was looking frontwards to my holidays, to which I didn't really know what to say considering the sentence didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Now I know only likewise well that it means to be expecting something, and in instance y'all didn't know it – it's about time to add this English phrase onto your vocabulary!

Tell me near information technology!

"Tell me most it!" doesn't hateful "TELL me Nearly it".

It ways "Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about – I have the same experience!"

Here's a state of affairs to describe exactly what I'm talking about here:

You: "My picayune sister is real nightmare – she constantly makes demands to our mom and cries if she doesn't get what she wants!"

Your friend: "Tell me about information technology!"

What your friends is telling you lot is – "Yep, I can completely relate to that because I also have a niggling sister who'south behaving that way!"

Then now that you lot know what this phrase means, you wouldn't start telling your friend More Most it. Y'all'd just sympathize your friend is going through a similar experience!

It doesn't hurt to…

When someone tells you that it doesn't hurt to practice something, they don't literally mean that it'due south not going to be painful.

What they mean to tell you is that the activity in question is going to effect is something really beneficial to you, so it's definitely worth doing it!

How exercise y'all find this…?

I remember someone asked me how I constitute my job to which I started telling them about the recruitment agency who helped me to land my job with the company…

What that person really meant was – "What do you Call back Most your job?" – so in this case the English verb "to notice" has some other meaning on top of the most common ane which is to actually find something later on you've been looking for information technology!

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Now, did you find this article interesting?

Did you learn a few new English language phrases yous didn't know existed?

If and so – permit your friends know virtually them past using the social sharing tool beneath!

Thank you for reading,

Robby 😉

P.S. Would y'all similar to detect out why I'm highlighting some of the text in red? Read this article and you'll learn why it's then of import to learn idiomatic expressions and how it volition assistance you to improve your spoken English!

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P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English language improvement? Cheque out the English Harmony System HERE!

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