Meaning of DOWN TO A FINE ART and TO GO THE EXTRA MILE - A Short English Lesson with Subtitles

So in English, when we say that someone

has something down to a fine art,

it means that we think they are really good at it.

It means that we think that they are very efficient

when they are doing it.

My wife, Jen, in the summer, makes bouquets

out of the flowers that she grows,

and she has it down to a fine art.

She goes out to the field, and she picks the flowers,

she lays all of the flowers out on her workbench,

and then she very quickly and efficiently

makes them into a nice, beautiful bouquet.

She has it down to a fine art.

You could also say this

about a really good chef at a restaurant.

A good chef has everything that they do down to a fine art.

They have become very efficient,

they have become very well organized

when they are preparing food.

So, when you say that someone has something

down to a fine art, it means that they are very organized,

very efficient, and just really good

at whatever they're doing.

Here's another phrase,

and it's not related to the first one.

It's just a second phrase for today,

and that's the phrase to go the extra mile.

When someone goes the extra mile,

it means that they do a little bit extra for you.

So imagine that you bring your car to the garage,

and the mechanic doesn't just fix it,

but he hangs a nice air freshener in the car,

and he vacuums out the interior.

This never happens, but if it did,

you would say that the mechanic was going the extra mile.

You would say that it's nice when the mechanic has time

to go the extra mile.

So when you say that somebody has something

down to a fine art, it mean they are really good at it,

and when you say that someone goes the extra mile,

it means that they do a little bit extra

when they are doing something for you.

And by the way, you don't ever say

that someone goes the extra kilometer.

It's always mile, no matter what country you live in.

Anyways, Bob the Canadian here,

and you're learning English with me.

Have a good day.