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12 English phrases meaning something completely different

Improve Spoken English

I often impact upon the subject of English idiomatic expressions on this blog for the simple reason that mostly  our every-twenty-four hours speech consists of such and like  word combinations and information technology'southward making our speech so much more than easier !

Just await at the higher up paragraph – information technology's stuffed with diverse idiomatic expressions and collocations, and the one common trait they all share is that you have to larn the Exact way they're used then that you can learn them off by heart and so apply them in your ain conversations.

Then there are proper English language idioms you lot tin't fifty-fifty empathize unless yous actually know what they hateful – such as "It's no peel off my olfactory organ" or "Until the cows come up dwelling".

There are, nevertheless, certain English phrases that may at first sound as if they don't take whatever double-meanings AT ALL, nonetheless they mean something completely different!

If you're an advanced English speaker and you lot've been communicating with real people in real life for years, this list will probably reveal nothing new to yous.

If y'all're someone who'south just starting off in an English language speaking country, for example, the following phrases might plough out to be an eye-opener for you! 😉

Y'all don't desire to do that!

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

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

Why practice English language speaking people say "You don't want to do that!" instead of simply saying that one SHOULDN'T exercise it?

Well – it's simply the manner conversational English goes! Don't ask WHY – but have that information technology's the way native English language speakers speak, and life is going to be a whole lot easier for yous.

Another version of the aforementioned phrase – "Yous don't want to exist doing that!" – is used only similar the original i, and once again – don't inquire WHY there are two different versions of this phrase in use.

But have it and use whichever ane you want to utilize! 😀

He tin can't assistance himself

When I heard the English verb "to aid" used in this context for the first time, I thought the person in question must exist physically handicapped once they can't help themselves.

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

Turns out it'due south not the case!

When someone says nearly some other person that they can't help themselves, it means the person in question can't RESIST doing something, they're too weak to say NO to themselves ❗

Let'south say, you're eating too much chocolate on a daily basis, and your work colleague asks you 1 day why you're eating so much chocolate every day. Y'all can only respond by saying "I only can't help myself!" which means that it's a habit so strong y'all can't resist it.

Shut upwards!

When someone tells you to shut upwards, information technology's quite clear what they want to tell you, isn't that right?

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

Sometimes, however, the phrase "Shut upward!" can be used to limited something completely different – namely, your amazement at something the other person is telling you near.

And so if yous're speaking with an English language speaking person and they respond to you by maxim "Shut up! I tin't believe it!", it doesn't necessarily mean they want you to close your mouth and stop talking to them. Information technology simply means they're so surprised at what you just said that they're using the phrase "Shut up!" as ways of expressing they disbelief or excitement.

Certain enough, you'll be able to read the truthful meaning of those words off the other person's face and tone of phonation – the office of body language can't be underestimated, later all.

There might be some occasions, even so, when you'd think the other person is being rude to you while in reality at that place's no damage intended, so delight bear in listen that the expression "Shut up!" can also have a pretty harmless meaning!

Get abroad!

I don't know about y'all, but where I live (Ireland) this phrase is used the aforementioned way as the one above ("Close up!") when expressing your surprise at something the other person has only said.

Basically it's just another way of saying "Really?!", and when they say "Get away!", nobody ways it literally. Information technology' just a way of letting the other person know that y'all're shocked to hear it, and you may as well kickoff using this phrase in your own daily English conversations.

I encounter!

This is a very, very simple English phrase, but when an average beginner English student sees it, on 9 times out of 10 they'll recall it ways that someone is proverb that they SEE something.

In fact, the phrase "I see!" is used conversationally all the fourth dimension when people desire to say that they get information technology, that they Sympathize information technology, and this is actually something that a lot of foreign English speakers should learn pretty early in their lives.

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

You see, "I empathize" sounds way too formal when used during your daily conversations, so I warmly suggest y'all commencement using the much more friendlier version of information technology "I see!" instead.

Come across where I'thousand coming from?

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

When people enquire you this question, what they actually mean to say is "Do yous understand the reasons why I'yard saying this?"

Basically the chat would go something like this:

"I recollect we should swap this machine for the other 1 because the production output is much lower now that the decorated season is over."

You: ???

"Yous come across where I'm coming from?" (Do you lot understand why I'm suggesting we should bandy the machines on the product line?)

Yous: "I haven't got a clue what you're talking nigh! Can you explain everything to me footstep-past-step delight?"

You lot may want to…

This phrase may seem a bit confusing at get-go. You lot may… Y'all want… Why "You MAY WANT" then? Why are the two words grouped together? Does it hateful y'all're giving the other person a permission to do something as in "You may do information technology"?

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

Why not simply say "You should…" instead?

Well, you run across – "You may desire to…" is a very polite way of letting someone know equally to what would be the correct form of action while "You should…" might really audio like a command rather than a suggestion!

I don't buy it!

This English phrase has nada to do with buying stuff, information technology's all about BELIEVING what yous're told! 😉

If someone makes an empty promise to yous or you're told some news y'all don't believe, you can respond with maxim "I don't buy it!" in which case you lot're just making it articulate you don't believe what you're told.

I'g looking forward to…

As a beginner English student you may think this phrase means to exist looking straight ahead of you (equally opposed to be looking backwards or sideways, for example).

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

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

Now I know simply also well that information technology means to be expecting something, and in case y'all didn't know it – it's well-nigh time to add this English phrase onto your vocabulary!

Tell me about information technology!

"Tell me about it!" doesn't mean "TELL me Nigh it".

Information technology means "Yes, I know exactly what you lot're talking about – I take the same experience!"

Here's a situation to describe exactly what I'grand talking virtually hither:

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

Your friend: "Tell me about it!"

What your friends is telling you lot is – "Yeah, I tin completely relate to that because I also have a little sister who'due south behaving that way!"

Then at present that you know what this phrase means, you wouldn't beginning telling your friend MORE ABOUT it. You'd only empathize 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 hateful that it's not going to exist painful.

What they mean to tell you is that the activity in question is going to consequence is something actually beneficial to you, so information technology'due south definitely worth doing information technology!

How practice yous find this…?

I remember someone asked me how I found 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 actually meant was – "What do you THINK ABOUT your job?" – so in this case the English verb "to find" has another meaning on top of the almost common i which is to actually find something subsequently you've been looking for it!

* * *

At present, did yous find this commodity interesting?

Did yous larn a few new English phrases you lot didn't know existed?

If and then – permit your friends know about them by using the social sharing tool beneath!

Thanks for reading,

Robby 😉

P.S. Would y'all similar to detect out why I'1000 highlighting some of the text in red? Read this commodity and you'll acquire why it's so of import to learn idiomatic expressions and how it will help y'all to improve your spoken English!

P.Southward.S. Are you lot serious virtually your spoken English improvement? Check out my English language Harmony Organization HERE!

English Harmony System

P.S. Are y'all serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony System HERE!

English Harmony System