The chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, Stephen Hester, was forced out of his job on Wednesday with a payoff at least £1.6m as the bailed-out bank started preparations for privatisation next year. Full story >>
IDIOM If you clear the decks (informal), you prepare for an activity, event, etc. by removing anything that is not essential to it. • The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday cleared the decks for the merger of Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam. This expression originated in naval warfare, when it described preparing for battle by removing or fastening down all loose objects on the ship's decks.
Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau exchange vows in France's first same-sex wedding. Katharine Jackson reports.
TRANSCRIPT Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau are married in the southern French city of Montpellier, tying the knot on Wednesday in the country's first same-sex wedding. The men exchange vows in city hall before the mayor and nearly 500 relatives and friends.Their embrace prompts cheers inside, while outside riot police stand guard. France became the 14th country to allow same-sex marriage when it enacted the law this month, triggering protests by conservatives, Catholics and right-wingers. Near the ceremony, a police dog charges a man, forcing him to the ground before police lead him away in handcuffs. Vincent and Bruno met six years ago during an online discussion about music.
IDIOM If you say that two people tie the knot, you mean that they get married. According to The Phrase Finder, "there is a suggestion that this expression derives from the nets of knotted string which supported beds prior to the introduction of metal-sprung bedframes. The theory goes that, in order to make a marriage bed, you needed to 'tie the knot'. Like many such folk-etymological explanations, there's not a shred of evidence to support this idea."
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Plunging down a steep hill at breakneck speed, chasing a fake foam cheese. The centuries-old race is dangerous. This year one contestant reportedly broke a leg. Big cheese for the day was U.S. army veteran, Kenny Rackers, who arrived three days early to practice. KENNY RACKERS: "I came over three or four thousand miles just for this race. I put it on my bucket list and today it was to win and that's what I did." REPORTER: Rackers, who first saw the cheese-rolling race on TV, paid tribute to fellow soldiers on America's Memorial Day. KENNY RACKERS: "We're remembering all the soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice so I want to thank all the soldiers past and present for their service." REPORTER: And the runner-up didn't seem too cheesed-off about losing.
WORDPLAY 1. If you describe something as cheesy, you mean that it is not very good or original, and without style, in a way that is embarrassing but amusing. • That's the cheesiest chat-up line I've ever heard. 2. A big cheese is an important and powerful person, especially in an organization. 3. If someone is cheesed off, they are annoyed or bored. • He's cheesed off with his job.
NOTE The Cheese-Rolling at Cooper's Hill has traditionally used real Double Gloucester Cheeses, but for this year's event, the organisers replaced the 8lb piece of cheese with a lightweight foam version in order to make the downhill race safer. The world-famous competition, which sees thrill-seekers chase the cheese down a steep hill, was cancelled in 2010 due to safety fears, and last week, the 86-year-old woman who provides the showpiece cheese for the event, was warned by police that she could be held liable for any injuries. Health and Safety gone mad?
This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express relates to Prince Harry's seven-day tour of the United States. The Prince has attracted cheering crowds and huge media attention wherever he has gone, and the tour has been widely hailed as a success.
In the cartoon, Prince Harry is shown as the new face of the Statue of Liberty. Someone at the top of one of the many New York skyscrapers comments, "The Americans have really taken Prince Harry to their hearts."
IDIOM If someone takes you to their heart, they welcome you like a friend or family member. See here for more "heart" idioms and expressions.
This cartoon by Paresh Nath, chief cartoonist for India's National Herald, shows French President François Hollande in a rapidly deflating hot air balloon. The balloon, in the colours of the French national flag, is emblazoned with the words 'ANTI-AUSTERITY PLEDGE', and Hollande is saying, 'We go full steam ahead in the battle for the eurozone!'
COMMENTARY Socialist François Hollande won the French presidency just over a year ago, in large part due to his pledge to push for growth and battle the German-led austerity approach to Europe's fiscal problems. Now, one year on, economic reality has forced him to adopt the very policies he promised to eschew, and the first anniversary of his election victory was marked on Sunday by tens of thousands of leftwing demonstrators in Paris, protesting against austerity and high unemployment rates. Meanwhile, recent opinion polls show Mr Hollande's approval rating among the public has fallen to about 25%.
IDIOM If someone says full steam ahead, it means they want something to be done with as much speed or energy as possible. The expression refers to the controls of a steam engine on a ship. "Full steam" means full power, and "ahead" means in forward gear. Here, of course, the phrase is used ironically since Hollande's balloon is plunging towards the earth, a metaphor for his failing presidency.
NOTE Of course, a hot air ballon does not use steam but heated air as its lifting gas. However, steam balloons do exist, and you can see an example of one here.
BACKGROUND President Barack Obama warned the Syrian regime on Friday that proof it had used chemical weapons on its civilian population would be a "game-changer", but cautioned that more evidence was required.
Speaking at the White House, Obama said that confirmation Bashar al-Assad had deployed chemical agents in the protracted Syrian civil war would alter his administration's "calculus", but stopped short of declaring that a "red line" had been crossed.
Obama's cautious comments reflected the lack of a consensus in Washington over how to respond to claims that Syria has used sarin gas in recent incidents. [Source: The Guardian]
THE CARTOON Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, armed with chemical weapons and wearing a gas mask, is shown crossing a series of red lines which carry increasingly stern warnings. Meanwhile Obama and an American general look on without intervening.
COMMENTARY The cartoonist uses a graphic representation of the idiom 'cross a red line' (see definition below) to highlight Obama's reluctance to take action over Syria. Apparently, Obama has threatened Syria a total of seven times now using the "red line" metaphor, a fact pointed out by Bob Englehart in the commentary on his cartoon, which also uses the red line idea. As does this cartoon by Marian Kamensky. And this one by Schrank from The Independent.
IDIOM A red line is an issue or a demand that one person or group refuses to change their opinion about during a disagreement or negotiations. • The issue of sovereignty is a red line that cannot be crossed.
Citing accusations of animal cruelty, a New York group seeks to replace horse-drawn carriages with replica vintage cars powered by electricity. Tara Cleary reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: It's not the first time in history that cars could be replacing horses. At least that's the wish of animal advocacy group NYCLASS - New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets. They're proposing that a fleet of replica vintage, fully electric cars replace the city's horse-drawn carriages. Spokesperson Allie Feldman says cars are a clean, economical, safe and humane alternative. ALLIE FELDMAN: "It doesn't poop, it doesn't foam at the mouth, it doesn't urinate on city streets. It has tush warmers and climate control, so you don't have to use those nasty blankets which could give you bedbugs. And it's a much better value for tourists." REPORTER: New York's horse-drawn carriages have been the subject of controversy and debate over the years, with accidents prompting accusations of animal abuse. But carriage operator, Conor McHugh says NYClass is just another group trying to steal their business. CONOR MCHUGH: "Our horses have jobs. They have health care. They have dental care, which coincidentally they got this morning. They have farrier care. They have nice, comfortable homes to live in and they earn their keep. Just like me. Just like you." REPORTER: Tourists we spoke to seem to be split in favor of cars … ERIN, TOURIST FROM AUSTRALIA: "Yeah, I think it's romantic and maybe not so clichéd as the horse and carriage, perhaps." REPORTER: … or horses and carriages. JOHN SANDERS, TOURIST FROM AUSTRALIA: "I don't think these car things will ever take off. I reckon the horses are here to stay to be quite honest." REPORTER: Perhaps the only way to get an answer is straight from the horse's mouth.
IDIOM If you hear something straight from the horse's mouth, you hear it from someone who knows that it is definitely true. See The Phrase Finder for the origin of this expression.
VOCABULARY 1. Thorns are the sharp points on some plants and trees, for example on a rose bush. 2. Your sides are the parts of your body between your front and your back, from under your arms to your hips.
IDIOM If you describe someone or something as a thorn in your side, you mean that they are a continuous problem to you or annoy you. • Money problems have been a thorn in our side since the day we got married. • Health inspectors are a thorn in the side of most restaurants.
ORIGIN This idiom is basically a metaphor. If you have a thorn in your side (or flesh), it will likely be a source of constant irritation. The expression appears in several books of the Bible; the Book of Judges refers to enemies who "shall be as thorns in your sides," and in the New Testament Paul refers to his infirmities as "given to me a thorn in the flesh".
COMMENTARY In the cartoon, the thorn represents Chávez, whose foreign policy was often a source of headaches for the US, here symbolized by Uncle Sam. Not only did Chávez refer to ex-president George W Bush as the devil and a donkey, he also often rallied behind its enemies. Read Bob's own commentary here.
This cartoon by Paul Thomas from the Daily Express relates to the controversial remarks made by double Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel about the Duchess of Cambridge, aka Kate Middleton. In a lecture at the British Museum, Ms Mantel described the Duchess as “painfully thin” and a “shop-window mannequin, with no personality of her own, entirely defined by what she wore”. Ouch!
In the cartoon, Mantel is shown at a book signing in a bookshop (do they still exist?). The Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince Harry are standing next to the table where she is signing copies of her latest novel, "Bring Up The Bodies". She asks them, "What shall I put in it?" (i.e., what message should I write). The Queen and Prince Charles reply, "A sock!" Clearly, they are not amused by Ms Mantel's attack on William's wife.
EXPLANATION If you tell someone to put a sock in it, you want them to shut up and be quiet because they are annoying you. The Phrase Finder has this to say about the origin of the expression: "The imagery behind the phrase is that putting a sock in whatever was causing the noise would quieten it down. What that thing was isn't known. There are suggestions that this may have been the horn of an early gramophone or, more straightforwardly, the raucous person's mouth".
Here is a fun graphic for Valentine’s Day from ESLlibrary.com. You can use it to explain a few “love idioms” to your students. Click on the image for a full-size PDF version of the infographic. You may also want to check out ESL-Library’s new collection of ESL Lesson Plans and Resources on Love and Relationships.
VOCABULARY Your resignation is a formal statement of your intention to leave a job or position. • He announced his resignation as the PM's senior adviser.
IDIOM If you describe something as a bolt from the blue, you mean that it is a complete surprise. The expression is a metaphor. The 'bolt' is a lightning bolt (as in the photo on The Guardian's front page), and 'the blue' is the sky. In fact, just hours after the surprise news that Pope Benedict XVI is to quit the papacy, a lightning bolt struck St Peter's Basilica. A message from above?
If someone closes the stable door after the horse has bolted, they are so late in taking action to prevent something bad happening that the bad event has already happened. Here the word 'bolt' means to run away. • Improving security after a major theft is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
NOTE On his blog, Adams says this about the cartoon:
I originally drew the FSA chap in farmer's outfit, thinking that he owned and (should have) controlled the horse. But then I realised you really need an authority figure to be clear about the negligence – hence the change of plan and him being clearly dressed as someone from the government.
This cartoon by Chappatte from the International Herald Tribune relates to the French military mission to drive Islamist militants out of its former colony of Mali.
The cartoon shows French President François Hollande, who is due to visit Mali today, drawing a line in the desert sand with a stick. A French armoured vehicle is parked behind him. A truckload of al-Qaeda jihadists has just made a U-turn, and is heading off in the opposite direction, angrily brandishing their weapons.
EXPLANATION The cartoon is a visual representation of an English idiom. If you draw a line in the sand, you establish a limit beyond which things will be unacceptable.
President Francois Hollande drew a line in the sand Friday against al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali who have been advancing toward its capital: France will be ready to intervene to stop any further advance. —The Seattle Times, 11 January 2013
According to Wikipedia, the origin of the phrase is unknown, but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests a transitional use from 1950, and a figurative use only as late as 1978:
Notwithstanding the supposed public revulsion toward more federal spending, waste and bureaucracy-building, Congress seems to have gone out of its way to draw a wide line in the sand in front of Carter.
This cartoon by Kipper Williams from The Guardian is a comment on the fiscal cliff deal, which the US Congress approved late Tuesday night. Although the deal has prevented the sharp tax increases and big spending cuts which could have sent the US economy into recession and led to an increase in unemployment, some commentators have accused the US of 'kicking the can down the road' (see here and here, for example), since "the deal puts off the toughest decisions about spending cuts for military and domestic programs, and does nothing to mitigate the looming partisan showdown on the debt ceiling, which must rise soon to avoid default on U.S. loans" (source: The State).
The cartoon shows Uncle Sam literally kicking a can down the road. If you kick the can down the road, you delay a decision in hopes that the problem or issue will go away or somebody else will make the decision later.
Life-jacketed Prime Minister David Cameron (in the guise of Britannia), Chancellor George Osborne, and Work and Pensions minister Iain Duncan Smith are drinking champagne in an inflatable dinghy. They are paddling the boat with silver spoons, a symbol of inherited wealth and privilege. In the boat with them is a giant (capitalist?) pig (or piggy bank) dressed in a pin-striped suit, stuffed with bank notes, and smoking a cigar.
The title of the cartoon - "Forecast—a right pig's ear" - uses an English idiom to describe the country's economic prospects (though the word 'forecast' can also refer to the weather). If you describe something as a pig's ear, you mean that it is a complete mess or muddle (see The Phrase Finder for the origin of this expression). Right can be used, as here, to emphasize a noun, usually a noun referring to something bad. • He gave them a right telling off.
The message of the cartoon seems to be that the UK is run by a government of the rich, for the rich. Cameron's "Happy 2013!" is, of course, ironic, and all around the boat (common) people wearing the face of the figure from Edvard Munch's The Scream are drowning—a symbol of their economic and social plight.
