Red, White & Blue Idioms - Happy Fourth of July! (English idioms for Independence Day)

Every country has at least one holiday

when everyone celebrates the nation

and what they share as a people.

For the United States, the most patriotic holiday

is Independence Day.

On July 4, you'll see red, white, and blue everywhere

because those are the colors of the American flag.

People, of course, fly the flag on this day,

but at backyard picnics and community events

you'll see red, white, and blue in other places,

from our clothing to the decorations

and even our food...

like a cherry or blueberry pie.

Do you know what the colors of the U.S. flag represent?

Red is for bravery,

white is for purity,

and blue is for justice and perseverance.

That's the quality of being strong and not giving up.

In honor of Independence Day,

I'd like to teach you six idioms

related to the colors red, white, and blue.

They're all about emotions.

The first idiom is "to see red."

It means to be angry.

What makes you see red?

I see red when people litter on the street

or when I hear an adult speak in a very hurtful way to a child.

These things make me angry.

What other feelings are associated with red?

Embarrassment? Shame?

"To be red-faced" is to look embarrassed or look ashamed.

We can also say that someone's face turns red

with anger, with embarrassment, or with shame.

Here's an example.

I once went to the wrong party.

I got my places mixed up.

When I realized my mistake,

my face turned rd with embarrassment.

When was the last time you were red-faced?

Our next two idioms are about the color white.

If someone turns white as a sheet,

they look pale because of their fear or shock.

Blood drained from their face.

You can turn white as a sheet.

You can be or become white as a sheet.

You can look white as a sheet.

When you ride a roller coaster,

do you smile with enjoyment

or do you turn white as a sheet?

Maybe you're the kind of person

who isn't exactly afraid of roller coasters,

but you don't really enjoy the ride.

You white knuckle the ride

because your friends want you to join them.

If you white knuckle something, you endure it.

It's tense. It's difficult.

Maybe it's even dangerous.

Somehow you get through it.

Some people use "white knuckle" as a verb.

You white knuckle something. You get through it.

Other people use "white-knuckled"

as an adjective before a noun

to describe something

that makes you feel anxious or afraid.

Have you ever experienced a white-knuckled plane ride?

The kind of flight that has you gripping the armrests

and hoping you live through the ride?

I think many of us have.

Finally, we have two idioms about the color blue.

The first is common,

so perhaps you already know

that feeling blue means feeling sad.

Sometimes we feel blue on a rainy day.

Or we feel blue for a reason we can't even explain.

The blues can refer to a general feeling of sadness.

What do you do to chase away the blues?

Do you sing? Do you watch a funny movie?

Let's review our six idioms with the help of some flashcards.

Let's try an exercise to practice the six idioms in context.

Read the text to yourself, and then I'll tell you the answers.

That's all for now.

Thanks for watching. Happy studies!

And to everyone here in the U.S. --

Happy Fourth of July!