Three new idioms to impress all your friends!
under the weather
you can say that again
no pain, no gain
Introduction
Let’s face it, native speakers love idioms! We use them all the time–every day, actually. Like a nice piece of chocolate or candy, they sweeten our language and make it more interesting. I am here to tell you that idioms are fun, and if you can learn some idioms yourself, you will be that much closer to sounding like a native English speaker! If you read this blog, you will find out what an idiom is and learn three new idioms, “under the weather”, “you can say that again”, and “no pain, no gain”.
What is an Idiom?
The online definition of an idiom is pretty hard to understand, so here is an easy definition: an idiom is a phrase where the words have a different meaning than their literal definitions. .
Let’s look at “under the weather”. The literal definition? Maybe you are under a rain cloud–or hiding under an umbrella under the sun? Nope, sorry! This idiom has nothing to do with actual weather. See? The meaning of this idiom cannot be understood by the literal definition of the phrase. It’s special, but most languages have their own idioms too. Here are a few cool idioms from other languages.
Chinese: 多才多藝
Translation: More ability, more skills
English: Multi-talented
German: Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.
Translation: Everything has one end, only the sausage has two.
English: Everything comes to an end.
Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる.
Translation: Even monkeys fall from trees.
English: Everyone makes mistakes.
Idiom #1 – under the weather
Okay, so now we know under the weather has nothing to do with real weather–so, what does it mean then? It actually means to be sick. If you are under the weather, you are sick. Maybe you have a cold, a fever, or just don’t feel well.
Def.
under the weather – To be sick or not feeling well.
Ex.1
I am a bit under the weather today. My throat hurts, and I am coughing.
Ex 2.
Steve: Hey man, where were you on Saturday? I thought you were going to come out for a drink?
Mike: Sorry, I was under the weather all weekend. I was too tired to get out.
Ex. 3
Tiffany: I feel under the weather. I don’t want to go to work.
Ben: You’ve been sick twice this month. You can’t take more time off.
Idiom #2 – you can say that again
This idiom is difficult to understand because it sounds like you would want somebody to say something again, but in most cases, you don’t. It just means you agree with something. Let’s take a look at the definition and examples.
Def.
you can say that again – something you completely agree with
Ex. 1
Layla: Oh my god! That test was so hard! I think I failed.
Sunny: Yeah, you can say that again. I hated that test.
Both Layla and Sunny are talking about what a hard test it was and how much they hated it. Sunny says, “you can say that again,” because she was thinking the same thing as Layla. If Sunny thought the test was easy, she wouldn’t have said this.
Ex. 2
Matt: Wow, did you see Anna today? She looked amazing!
Chris: You can say that again!” I wish she were my girlfriend.
As you can see, the agreement should be strong. If Chris thought Anna didn’t look amazing, he wouldn’t have used this idiom, but clearly, both Matt and Chris noticed that Anna looked amazing before they chatted.
Ex. 3
May: I am so sick of this rain!
Liam: You can say that again!
5 Reasons Why You Should NEVER Exercise 
Idiom #3 – no pain, no gain
If you’ve walked by a gym, there is a good chance that you saw this idiom before. A lot of gyms like to put “no pain, no gain” on their ads or somewhere on the wall. If you exercise, there is a good chance you’ve heard somebody say this in English. So what does it mean?
Def.
no pain, no gain – we need to suffer in order to accomplish something
While this saying is mostly used with exercise and sports, it can also apply to other tasks that use the brain.
Ex. 1
Amy: I want to exercise, but I hate having sore muscles. It hurts.
Michelle: “No pain, no gain. You need to feel those muscles burn to get in shape.
Ex. 2
Tom: Writing fiction is so hard. I have good ideas, but I always get lazy about writing.
Ray: No pain, no gain Tom. Writing is hard, but you need to put in the work to make a good story that people want to read.
Ex 3.
Ryan: I’m too tired to run today.
Julia: Okay, well I am going to run. No pain, no gain.
Conclusion
I hope that helps you understand these three common idioms more. There are tons of other idioms out there too, so if you’re feeling bold, please leave an example sentence with one of these idioms. You may also request other idioms for me to cover in a later blog. No pain, no gain, keep studying and impressing your friends with your awesome new idiom skills. You can say that again!
Images
Title Image: Restaurant Flirting Couple by sasint
Image 1: Cat Tiger Tigerle by photosforyou