New Things - Learn idioms and common sayings in English - Expressions with 'new'

Take a look.

Do you think this set of spoons is new?

Actually, it's well over 30 years old.

But the spoons look like new, right?

That's because they're in their original wrappers.

In this lesson I'd like to talk about new things

or things that look like new.

I thought it was a good time to study such expressions

since we're getting ready to start a new year.

So these spoons have been in my family for a long time,

and they were passed on to me.

I think if I hadn't told you that they were over thirty years old

and instead I said they were brand-new, you would have believed me.

We could also use this word with people.

For example:

So in that case the person is completely new and different.

Perhaps they've just introduced the coach

or just made this announcement.

And you will see this written with and without a hyphen.

Now these other spoons I got in Russia

maybe 10 years ago.

I love them.

I've used these at tea parties.

Unfortunately, one of them broke.

But with the help of some really strong glue,

I was able to fix it.

And I bet you can't tell which was the broken one.

It's as good as new.

And it looks perfect.

For example:

Do you know I did almost all of my holiday shopping online this year?

I remember as a teenager and as a young woman

I went to stores and carried large, heavy shopping bags

as I found presents for family and friends.

But today it's a whole new ballgame.

Thankfully, for busy parents

we can shop online and have everything delivered

often for free.

We can use it in a variety of situations,

from politics to business.

As long as there has been a radical change

in the way things are done

or in the circumstances,

then you can say, "It's a whole new ballgame."

And you'll see "ballgame" written as one word or two.

Here's an example.

It's a whole new ballgame is a baseball idiom.

If a team was doing badly

and then starts winning,

well, it's a whole new ballgame for the players.

Have you ever been the new person?

You may think that being new is scary or somehow stressful.

But actually being new to a group can be a good thing.

Sometimes especially in a work situation

people are looking for fresh ideas

or a new source of energy or excitement.

For that reason, companies try to attract new blood.

"New blood" refers to new people or just new members of a group.

They bring in new ideas and new energy that positively affects others.

For example:

Finally, I'd like to go over an expression

that could be confused with common greetings.

You've probably heard friends say,

"Hi. What's new?" or "Hey! What's new with you?"

It's the same as asking, "How have you been?"

or "How's it going?"

But now consider a different situation.

You and I are standing here, and we're waiting for our friend, Justin.

But Justin is late. Ah, what else is new?

Justin is always late.

Again our example:

We use this expression as a complaint

or even as a joking complaint,

so we may not be really mad when we say,

"Yeah. What else is new?"

All we're saying is that you're not telling me anything surprising

or anything I don't already know.

Let's try an exercise to review our expressions with the word "new."

First, I'll tell you a little story,

and then you'll help me complete five sentences.

Take a look and then I'll tell you the answer.

That's all for now.

Thanks for watching and happy studies.

And Happy New Year! I wish you all the best.

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