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■■■■■■ Idioms in the News by Peter Bengelsdorf Copyright Peter Bengelsdorf First published: September, 2012 Updated: March, 2013; September, 2013 This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient Thank you for respecting the years of work that the author dedicated to this book ■■■■■■ Contents Introduction Why I Wrote This Book Idiomatic Phrases From A to Z Beware of Bad Advice About Using Idiomatic Phrases About the Author ■■■■■■ Introduction Americans love to use idioms, phrases that are colorful and mysterious Whether you are a native English speaker or learning the language, you will find this book useful and entertaining If you teach English, this book will be a valuable resource It explains phrases (combinations of words) that are difficult or impossible to understand based on the usual meaning of the words Knowing the usual meaning of grease and palm doesn't help us understand that greasing someone's palm can mean tipping generously or bribing Some of the phrases are considered idiomatic because they include a word that is not often used An example is hunker in hunker down In a phrasal verb, a verb gets a special meaning when combined with another word For example, act can mean "do something" or "perform in a play or movie." But act up means "behave badly," and act out means "have an emotional outburst." There are thousands of phrasal verbs The ones in this book have meanings that you would not expect based on the usual meaning of the words when used separately ■■■■■■ Why I Wrote This Book You can find definitions of many idiomatic phrases on the Internet Such definitions can be helpful But examples of the phrases, as they are used in standard language, often give us a better understanding of their meaning Explaining idioms in my English classes has made me more aware that definitions alone can be misleading Almost all the entries in this book are among the most-used expressions in American English Many of the citations are from news accounts produced by major media organizations, which generally use language considered to be "mainstream" or "standard." The examples are brief—just long enough to help us understand the phrases They will not help you understand the news If one of the citations from a news organization mentions a topic that interests you, I suggest visiting the Web site of the source ■■■■■■ Idiomatic Phrases From A to Z 15 minutes of fame There are things about me that my girls will only know from the stories told by old friends: How I earned my 15 minutes of fame as the editor of my highschool newspaper, which decided to devote most of its 28 pages to the topic of sex —Austin American-Statesman (11/18/2011) "Everything that he is saying is false and nonsense," says Kardashian's lawyer, Marty Singer "This guy is in it to promote himself for his 15 minutes of fame." —New York Post (11/14/2011) Winning bidders got their 15 minutes of fame with bit parts in movies and TV shows at auctions benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida —The Miami Herald (11/12/2011) "Today, it's all about your set five minutes of fame, and then it's over for you." —Ian Gillan, lead singer for the English rock band Deep Purple (2/19/2013) 15 minutes of fame comes from Andy Warhol's 1968 statement—as famous as his art—that "in the future everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." As in the New York Post example, the phrase is sometimes used as an insult, accusing someone of seeking publicity for a bad or selfish purpose But in most uses it is neutral, assuming there's no harm in people wanting a little bit of fame Gillan made this idiom 10 minutes shorter, or he was misquoted But that variation of the expression is common As TV commercials and movie scenes get shorter, 15 minutes seems longer than it did in 1968 ■■■■■■ 20-20 hindsight "Everybody reported to the executive director, and with 20-20 hindsight, that is not a good system." —Jack Schaffer, a member of the board directors of Metra, Chicago's commuter rail system (5/15/2010) "With 20-20 hindsight and all that has followed I would not have offered him the job and I expect he would not have taken it." —U.K Prime Minister David Cameron (7/20/2011) "In the rearview, with 20-20 hindsight, would we have changed some things? Maybe." —Kevin Hamilton, police chief in Fullerton, California (8/13/2011) "Hindsight is 20-20 I still think we made decisions that were right at the time It's really easy for someone to be an armchair quarterback." —Lindsay Vonn, talking about competing in downhill ski races (3/7/2011) "Looking back, of course with 20-20 hindsight, I wish we would have done more to encourage competition." — Jill Sommers, former member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, talking about large financial institutions that continue to dominate derivatives trading (9/4/2013) If you have 20-20 vision, you can see clearly 20-20 hindsight means seeing the past clearly A common expression, "hindsight is 20-20," means, "It's easy to see things clearly when they are in the past." In the news examples, "with 20-20 hindsight" means "knowing what we know now." Lindsay Vonn's "armchair quarterback" referred to people who are not involved in something but give their opinions about it, or make judgments long after the event is over See Monday morning quarterback 20-20 (sometimes spelled 20/20 or 20:20) refers to a measuring system in which the first number is the distance in feet from an eye-test chart, and the second is related to the size of the symbols on the chart In places where meters are used instead of feet, hindsight is 6-6 20-20 dates to the 1860's and 1870's, when Herman Snellen was developing the eye charts named after him "20-20 hindsight" did not become popular until the mid-1950's The earliest example in my searches was in a 1951 statement to a Senate committee by Secretary of State Dean Acheson: "It seems better to put these events that we have been talking about in the context of their time instead of trying to view them with the 20-20 hindsight that so many of our distinguished gentlemen seem to be gifted with." (6/8/1951) ■■■■■■ 800-pound gorilla See elephant in the room ■■■■■■ a bird in the hand Although Renaissance Learning officials are taking the [new] offer "very seriously" board members still must pursue the Permira deal, James said "It's a bird in the hand." —Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune (8/26/2011) Barnes & Noble's future remains uncertain So the board may prefer to take the bird in the hand in the form of the Liberty Media bid, particularly since the risk of Barnes & Noble's digital strategy is high —The New York Times (1/1/2011) In January, Mr Cymbal sold the land to Sweet Virginia Acquisitions LLC "My initial response was I'm not selling because this was my baby But I kept hearing my mother saying 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,'" says Mr Cymbal — The Wall Street Journal (2/1/2012) A bird in the hand is a shortened version of an old saying: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Its current meaning, usually, is having something now is more valuable than the possibility of having something greater in the future The old saying, which has been traced to the 1500's, alluded to the use of trained falcons to catch smaller birds It was better to have a falcon in one's hand than two small birds caught in the bush Few people are aware of the origin As the news examples show, the meaning of the expression has changed ■■■■■■ a far cry, far from it Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School is a far cry from the schools that today's parents attended —The Arizona Republic (3/6/2011) "I think those songs are still a far cry from the full-length [recording] that will be coming out this upcoming summer " —singer Philip Anselmo (1/7/2013) "But that doesn't mean South Florida's leadership ranks are filled Far from it." —The Miami Herald (3/7/2011) "EPA has seen one of the most productive times in the agency's history It doesn't get any better than that, but that doesn't mean these actions were without controversy; far from it." —Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (7/30/2013) A far cry, which means much different, usually is combined with "from." Far from it means not at all In the past, cry often meant shout, and a far cry was a shout over a long distance whipping boy In response, Arpaio has played the victim, saying he is being used as "a whipping boy for a national and international problem."—Boulder, Colo Daily Camera (12/27/2011) But the S.E.C has become a favorite whipping boy of those hostile to market reforms —The New York Times (7/15/2011) Ever since it became known that the plug-in hybrid car's batteries had burst into flames after government crash tests, the Volt has become the whipping boy of Republican politicians —Bloomberg News (3/6/2012) A whipping boy is someone selected for punishment, often unfairly In the Bloomberg News example, the oil industry would be a whipping boy if Congress decided to increase taxes on the companies' profits In centuries past, whipping was an accepted punishment for children but not for the king's son The job of whipping boy was taking the punishment when the prince did wrong (If the prince was sensitive, he felt the pain psychologically.) The phrase was used metaphorically in the 1800's An article in the Nov 22, 1873, Saturday Review about "The Master of Greylands" by Ellen Wood said, "All her novels have their specialized whipping-boy; and Flora Castlemaine, 'an indulged, selfish, ill-bred girl of twelve' is the whipping-boy in this." ■■■■■■ whistle past the graveyard, whistle in the dark He dismissed the idea that "the tea party is a problem for Republicans" as "the left whistling past the graveyard." —Los Angeles Times (2/12/2011) "We need to have a vote to lift the debt ceiling, because the consequences of not doing so would be quite serious indeed," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday "And those who suggest otherwise are whistling past the graveyard." —Philadelphia Inquirer (5/17/2011) Those who say that taxing "the rich" will pay for generous advantages for public employees are whistling in the dark, for the wealthy can move out of state and don't have to face public wrath — Barstow, Calif., Desert Dispatch (2/22/2011) Western talk of success in building up the Afghan state seems little more than whistling in the dark Not only is that state incorrigibly corrupt, in much of the country it barely exists —The New York Times (3/14/2012) To whistle past the graveyard is to pretend to be happy or unconcerned when you are worried or should be worried The meaning of whistle in the dark is similar: pretend to be brave when you are afraid Whistling sometimes is associated with pretending not to be frightened The first song in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I (1951), begins: Whenever I feel afraid I hold my head erect And whistle a happy tune So no one will suspect I'm afraid The earliest example in my searches is from the 18th Century: fellows who bluster and vapour to hide the trembling limb as children whistle in the dark to brave the ghosts they dread! —"A Journey Over Land to India" by Donald Campbell (London, 1796) ■■■■■■ white collar, blue collar Mark Bradford said he'd like to see "taller buildings downtown," attracting more white-collar jobs to the area —Bowling Green Daily News (10/21/2011) The union representing municipal blue-collar workers has sued its employer, saying City Council had no right to alter the pension program —The Philadelphia Inquirer (9/30/2011) The blue collar worker versus the white collar worker What's the difference? Is there a real difference or just perception? —Naples Daily News (10/18/2011) "So what's been happening to blue collar jobs automation, outsourcing and digitization, is now coming after white collar jobs as well." —Tom Friedman, opinion columnist and commentator (6/2/2013) White collar work is non-manual, referring to jobs that require the mind more than the hands The phrase is often used in white collar crime and white collar criminal, referring to non-violent (such as financial) crime or to crime committed by white collar employees Blue collar refers to manual or industrial work or workers, but rarely to crime The phrases are based on the colors of typical shirts and uniforms worn in offices and factories in the first half of the 1900's, but the phrase white collar was popular decades before blue collar An early example of white collar Manufacturers of all kinds of merchandise which requires a high grade of mechanical skill to produce have been wondering for some time how, in the face of the desire of the average American boy to do only "white collar" work, they are going to keep their shop organizations complete without drawing too heavily upon the skilled labor of Europe —The New York Times (8/8/1920) and the earliest example I could find of blue collar: Blacks are slowly but determinedly moving into white and blue collar jobs in the United States, and at the same time, efforts are emanating from the black community to encourage that movement —Baltimore Afro-American (1/16/1943) ■■■■■■ white elephant Critics counter that the effort to clean Fukushima Prefecture could end up as perhaps the biggest of Japan's whiteelephant public works projects—and yet another example of post-disaster Japan reverting to the wasteful ways that have crippled economic growth for two decades —The New York Times (12/6/2011) "Although some projects are white elephant buildings without any cash flow, China has a very healthy fiscal position and is able to address the risks," the official said —Reuters (6/13/2011) " when the baby boomers vacate their homes in the suburbs there's not going to be a market " The answer for some subdivisions—especially white elephant bank owned properties—has already been the bulldozer —The Sag Harbor Express (8/30/2013) Rocha said she received the hat recently at a white elephant party, and her husband dared her to put it on —Contra Costa Times (12/18/2011) A white elephant may be: —Something that is costly but not productive, like the project in the New York Times example; —An unprofitable commercial building (as in the Reuters example) or a house that is hard to sell or costly to maintain (as in the Sag Harbor Express example); —An unwanted gift At a white elephant party, people bring objects they don't want and exchange them as gifts, as in the Contra Costa Times example White elephant comes from popular stories about kings of Thailand who took revenge on people they didn't like by giving them albino (white) elephants, which were expensive to keep Examples of the phrase used figuratively have been found as early as the 1850's In recent years white elephant sometimes has been confused with another expression and written as "the white elephant in the room." But I have found one case in which that phrase made sense: It referred to an unprofitable building that no one wanted to talk about: "What to do with that building, it's still a white elephant in the room," said Council Chairman Edward Pocock III — Southington (Conn.) Patch (12/13/2011) See also, elephant in the room ■■■■■■ whittle away The scope of Moammar Gadhafi's control was whittled away Wednesday as major Libyan cities and towns closer to the capital fell to the rebellion against his rule —Associated Press (2/24/2011) Americans simply can't respond to higher gas prices by reducing the amount of gasoline they use, and are caught in an energy trap as gasoline whittles away disposable income —The New York Times (11/6/2011) U.S gross domestic product grew 2.9 percent, the biggest gain since 2005 but an advance too weak to whittle away at the unemployment rate —Reuters (1/28/2011) Lee school officials are working to whittle down the 3.9 percent proposed budget increase to 3 percent in an effort to ease the burden on taxpayers —The Berkshire Eagle (3/19/2012) Whittle away and whittle down mean reduce slowly, one piece or small amount at a time The phrases are used as metaphors for whittling, shaping something solid such as wood or soap by cutting off small pieces with a knife Printed examples have been found from as early as the 1700's ■■■■■■ wiggle room "Sell by" is for grocers to aid their stocking It does not mean the food is spoiled after that date "Sell by" dates contain some wiggle room on that —GateHouse News Service (4/26/2012) Minnesota Legislature's calendar as the final day Now Republican leaders are giving themselves more wiggle room House Speaker Kurt Zellers said Saturday that he's willing to hold the session open into May —KSTP-TV (4/29/2012) "The politics might be a little bit different than the last time they addressed this issue They're not facing reelection this time, which might give them a bit more wiggle room." —Sarah Kliff, news reporter, talking about the Obama administration's position on making "morning-after" birth control pills easier to buy (4/5/2013) Wiggle room means the ability to change position; to maneuver Wiggle room originally described shoes or gloves that left enough space for toes or fingers to move around inside An early example is a March 16, 1914 advertisement in the Hartford Courant: plenty of "wiggle" room for your fingers In my searches, the earliest example of wiggle room used as a metaphor was published in 1958: "Sending the marines into Lebanon was not necessarily a matter of wisdom, but of necessity," remarked Leland E Becraft, executive director of the Community Chest "As they sometimes say at business meetings, I think President Eisenhower had to have some 'wiggle room.'" —St Joseph (Missouri) Gazette (7/22/1958) ■■■■■■ wild goose chase Is he leading them truly or just on a wild-goose chase, waiting for them to drop off one by one, from hunger and thirst and the elements, as the Kansas Indians did to the Spanish conquistadors? —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7/15/2011) The announcement of the move almost a year ago underscored concerns in New Jersey about the cost of doing business there and drew criticism from public officials who said they were led on a wild-goose chase to find ways to keep Ocean Spray in the state —Associated Press (4/17/2012 House Speaker Jase Bolger sent a letter Monday to all nine judges of the Ingham County Circuit Court, telling them a proposal from Democrats to launch a grand jury investigation into the fake candidate controversy in Grand Rapids is a politically motivated "wild goose chase." —Detroit Free Press (8/28/2012 A wild goose chase is a search for something that will never be found, or a race to catch something that cannot be caught The thing may be impossible to find or catch, or, as in the Post-Gazette example, the goal is imaginary and its purpose is tricking someone The phrase has been traced back to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1597 The original meaning was an event in horseback riding, in which riders followed the leader in a V formation—similar to the pattern in which geese fly ■■■■■■ window dressing John Coyle, a Washington lawyer hired by [the City of] New Bern, dismissed the utilities' proposed fixes as a "joke" and "window dressing." —Charlotte Observer (10/18/2011) Mangano says the bill will allow him to reopen contracts so he can get millions of dollars in union concessions But the proposed legislation will do no such thing It's window dressing —Newsday (10/17/2011) Colleges should also invite speakers who reflect diverse viewpoints—and not merely as academic window dressing —Chronicle of Higher Education (10/16/2011) The main purpose of window dressing is to improve the appearance or public image of something or someone Literally, window dressing is a display that a store makes to attract customers Used figuratively, the phrase usually is a criticism for pretending to take an action rather than doing something meaningful "The Coming Democracy" by George Harwood, published in London in 1882, includes an early example of the phrase used as a metaphor: "We live in an age which understands the art of intellectual window-dressing." ■■■■■■ wishy washy "Fireflies in the Garden" is a complicated family drama that resolves in a way that's not wishy-washy, not ambiguous, not inconsistent and not in any way inartistic, and yet that strikes me as wrong, presenting defeat masquerading as victory —San Francisco Chronicle (10/14/2011) the town board's perceived wishy-washy response to calls for its commitment to public beach access is causing concern —The East Hampton Star (10/13/2011) " he really is so wishy washy on the issues that it's like trying to nail down Jell-O, getting him to commit to any one position " —Politico (10/12/2011) Wishy washy means weak or ambiguous "Swish swash," no longer in use, has been traced to the 1500's and means a poor or watery drink Wishy washy also referred to weak drinks through the 1800's ■■■■■■ witch hunt In a surprising series of events, Turkey's top commander, Gen Isik Kosaner, together with the leaders of the navy, army and air force, simultaneously resigned to protest the sweeping arrests of dozens of military generals over the past year as suspects in conspiracy investigations that many people in Turkey have come to see as a witch hunt —Seattle Times (7/29/2011) Lee County is investigating its own transportation department for payroll fraud and misuse of county vehicles Lee County Manager Karen Hawes says she's not on a witchhunt; she just wants to get to the bottom of complaints involving Lee County's Department of Transportation —WBBH-TV (Ft Myers, Fla., 7/26/2011) I think it's turning into a witch-hunt." —Congressman Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, referring to congressional hearings about the attack on the U.S diplomatic compound in Libya (10/14/2012) A witch hunt is persecution, a move to find and punish people who are believed to be enemies Sometimes the phrase is used to mean an unfair, or improperly motivated, accusation against an individual The metaphor refers to trials of witches, who from the 1400's to 1700's were tortured and killed because they were thought to be evil and have special powers George Orwell may have been among first to use the phrase to refer to people other than witches: And meanwhile there is no possible doubt about the hatred and dissension that the ‘Trotsky-Fascist' accusation is causing Rank-andfile Communists everywhere are led away on a senseless witch-hunt after 'Trotskyists' —Homage to Catalonia (1938) ■■■■■■ word-of-mouth Word-of-mouth has been a big source for securing early customers, which they have encouraged through the use of social media —Christian Science Monitor (2/14/2011) Young adults, in particular, said they get more information about community events from word of mouth than from any journalistic source — Albany Times Union (3/24/2011) As word of mouth grows, some readers report downloading or pre-ordering the book simply because others have - and they don't want to miss out on the phenomenon —The Boston Globe (3/28/2011) Word of mouth is person-to-person communication, the opposite of communication by mass media such as newspapers and television The phrase has been traced as far back as the 1400's Until the last century, it meant by speaking, not by writing Now, in addition to speaking, word of mouth may include activities in which the mouth stays closed, such as "texting" and other personal messages sent electronically Buzz is often synonymous with word-of-mouth Word of mouth and buzz are important to viral marketing ■■■■■■ work one's tail off (butt off, ass off) "Bethani had to work her tail off just to get a ‘B' and she did." —Chicago (DuPage) Daily Herald (10/13/2011) "I'm damn proud of our code enforcement folks because they work their butts off." —South Bend Tribune (10/10/2011) "She's worked her ass off She's been working since she was 15 When someone's a hard worker, I like and appreciate that." —Denton RecordChronicle (10/6/2011) If you work your tail off, you work very hard Tail and butt are substitutes for the mildly vulgar ass All three expressions have the same meaning Many other verbs are combined in similar slang expressions with "tail off" or "butt off" or "ass off" to mean a lot or severely For example, "I laughed my butt off" (I laughed hard or loudly), or "I froze my butt off" (I was very cold) Examples have been found as early as the 1940's, but these phrases did not appear frequently in print until the 1970's ■■■■■■ worth one's salt "No lawyer worth his salt can't fight a subpoena for a year." —Josh Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co., a New York financial research firm (2/2/2011) "You know, if you're a conservative and you haven't taken on a New York Times reporter, you're not worth your salt as far as I'm concerned." —Rick Santorum, two weeks before he withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination for President (3/27/2012) "I wouldn't be a gossip columnist worth my salt without a little red-carpet coverage, so I hopped down to South Philly on Sunday to attend the glamorous opening of the Phillie Phanatic's first film " — Molly Eichel, in a Philadelphia Inquirer blog (4/23/2013) If you are worth your salt, you are competent; worth the money you are paid The origin of the phrase may involve the ancient connection between the words salt and salary, but I could find no precise explanation Printed examples exist from the beginning of the 1800's This one is in a novel: At present she might be ornamental but she was of no use to any one in the whole wide world As a nurse she might be worth her salt and help to alleviate other people's sufferings She had an iron nerve —"Miss Balmaine's Past" by B.M Croker (1808) ■■■■■■ wring hands, hand-wringing "What was striking about what happened on Friday was how quick the leaders of Congress were out there wringing their hands These are the architects of obstruction, and now they're complaining about the pace of the recovery." — David Axelrod, campaign advisor to President Barack Obama (6/3/2012) Private investors and government wealth managers around the world wring their hands about the trajectory of deficits and debt in the United States—and then buy more of that debt —The New York Times (7/7/2011) "These public incidents—acute, dramatic—instigate and inspire people to say, look, enough with the handwringing Let's get to some public policy that can reflect our moral consciousness about what we need to do." —Michael Eric Dyson, professor of sociology at Georgetown University (12/16/2012) Let the annual hand-wringing begin, when we once again fret over what drinks to serve at Thanksgiving — The Washington post (11/18/2011) The big news in Washington last week was the failure of the congressional "supercommittee" to compromise on a plan to reduce projected deficits over the next 10 years Despite all the hand-wringing about the panel's failure, few really expected it to succeed Our hands went unwrung —Austin American-Statesman (11/27/2011) If you wring your hands over, or about, something, you worry or agonize about it Hand-wringing means excessive or unnecessary worrying or sorrowing It is usually an unfriendly, critical allusion to someone who wrings hands (holds them together, twisting and turning them) The earliest examples of people wringing their hands (as early as 1603) referred to grieving widows An early example of hand-wringing used figuratively is in a poem published in 1835: Then the weak door is barr'd, and the soul all sore, And hand-wringing helplessness paceth the floor —"Captain Sword and Captain Pen" by Leigh Hunt (London, 1835) ■■■■■■ writing on the wall, handwriting on the wall Indeed, most of the world's advanced nations—and in this category I'll include China and India—have seen the writing on the wall and have embraced policies that seek to aggressively develop and deploy solar, wind and other renewableenergy resources —The Arizona Republic (5/9/2011) "We were hoping they would come back, but that was just wishful thinking, I guess," Chandler said "We could pretty well see the handwriting on the wall." —The Asheville Citizen-Times (8/30/2012) The handwriting on the wall is clear By allowing race-day medications, North American racing is out of step with a world that no longer views our competition as the best and our horses as being the highest quality —The Lexington Herald-Leader (9/2/2012) "Well, they are clearly open to some of these reforms and that's been a shift in the military They see the writing on the wall." —Julian Barnes, news reporter (5/17/2013) Seeing the writing (or handwriting) on the wall means recognizing warnings that something is ending or will end soon The expression comes from the Book of Daniel in the Bible, in which only Daniel could recognize that words on a wall predicted the end of the rule of King Belshazzar of Babylon ■■■■■■ you bet, you betcha " when these sleaze peddlers try to make money with disgusting lies about his relationship with his child, you bet he's going to sue." —Bert Fields, attorney for Tom Cruise (10/24/2012) Was the medicine painful and politically unpopular? You bet Ford's opposition to spending and his pardon of Richard Nixon cost him reelection in 1976 —Sun Sentinel (8/6/2011) Las Vegas regularly finds itself atop various Top Ten lists, and for good reason Hottest New Year's Eve spots? Absolutely Top airport approaches? But of course Greatest late night bars? You betcha —Las Vegas Weekly (8/3/2011) You bet and you betcha are an emphatic way of saying, "Yes, that is correct" or "it is certain." Both are short versions of you can bet on it and its colloquial variations such as, you (can) bet your life, you (can) bet your bottom dollar and you (can) bet your bippy All the phrases express certainty about something They may answer a question, as in the Las Vegas Weekly example Betcha is a spelling based on informal pronunciation, like wanna (want to) and gonna (going to) Betcha was further popularized by Sarah Palin, the Republican politician, who used it frequently You bet as an expression of certainty has been traced to the 1800's; you betcha to the early 1900's ■■■■■■ zero in on Romney addressed a crowd of delegates and party officials and sought to zero in on his economic message —Bloomberg News (8/31/2012) Smart Meters are designed to help customers manage energy use and help ComEd zero in on outages —Chicago Tribune (8/31/2012) "This discussion really zeroed in on the fact that Alabama has had a long history of discrimination." —Joe Johns, television news correspondent, talking about the U.S Supreme Court (2/27/2013) Zero in on originally meant "aim a gun at a target" but now usually means, "focus attention on." The use of zero in on began during the mid-1900's ■■■■■■ Beware of Bad Advice Some language references advertise that using idiomatic phrases will make you speak or write better English This book will help you understand the phrases I do not urge you to use them Unless the speaker is very fluent, in many situations using these phrases will call attention to the speaker's non-native English (A skillful businessperson may do so deliberately, to create a moment of humor during a meeting.) Teachers of writing generally advise against using idiomatic phrases, many of which are clichés—phrases used too frequently They call attention to the writer's lack of originality or careful thought ■■■■■■ About the Author Peter Bengelsdorf is a former newspaper executive He began this project in 2010, after 40 years working for newspapers and three years teaching English to immigrants ... Strout, novelist (3/23/2013) Against the grain is opposing a force or tendency The idea is consistent with cutting or sanding wood, which is easier in the direction of the grain (lines in the wood) than against it But the idiom is... making a payment to participate in something Upping the ante means raising the required payment Ante up, based on the Latin word ante, meaning before, has been in use in poker games at least since the 1830's Using the phrase outside of poker began in the. .. an old saying: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Its current meaning, usually, is having something now is more valuable than the possibility of having something greater in the future The old saying, which has been traced to the 1500's, alluded to the use of trained