Speak Like a Pro! | 10 Advanced English Idioms You MUST KNOW

Hi there. This is Harry. And welcome back  to advanced English lessons with Harry,  

where we try to help you to get a better  understanding of the English language,  

improve the use of vocabulary, improve your  pronunciation, use of expressions and phrasal  

verbs. Everything that we believe can be  of help to you when you're practising and  

learning your English. Particularly,  we're getting ready for some exams.

So what are we going to look at today?  Well, in today's advanced lesson we're  

going to look at idioms relating to happiness  and sadness. So we'll split it into two parts  

one part and about happiness, the other word  sadness. And as always try to practice them.  

And if you don't understand them, come back to  me. We'll try to give you a few more examples.

Okay, so what have we got? We've got five  particular idioms relating to happiness. And  

we've got another five relating to sadness. So  I'll look at happiness first of all. Come back,  

give you some examples and then do the same  with sadness. Okay. So let's get going.

Let's give the first one. So on cloud nine,  while the clouds are high in the sky. So when  

you're on cloud nine, you're really, really  happy. Oh, he's on cloud nine. He got the  

highest marks he's ever got in his exams.  He's going to be able to go to university.  

And what's more important is going to be able to  do that engineering course that he hoped to do.

Oh, she's on cloud nine. She's had a  great review at work. She's going to get  

a promotion. Everything she wanted. Okay, so to be  on cloud nine means you're really, really happy.

Walking on air. Well, to walk on  air or when you're walking on air,  

you feel as if you're as light as a feather.  And it's usually because you've got something  

that is good has happened to you, something  that you weren't expecting. And you just got  

that feeling of of happiness the first time  you're a parent. Perhaps you are walking on  

air because it's really a joyful experience  and you don't care what else is happening.

In the world. Okay.

Her boyfriend proposed to her  last week and presented her  

with a beautiful diamond ring. She's been  walking on air ever since. I don't think  

we'll ever get her down. She's walking  around with a big smile on her face.

Or you're walking on air. When  it just really, genuinely happy  

about everything. But it's usually some  occasion that makes you feel that way,  

and you can forget about what's happening and the  rest of the world. Okay, so to be walking on air.

Thrilled to bits. Well, we can be thrilled to  bits for lots of things. When somebody remembers  

our birthday and we weren't expecting it and you  get a phone call from the grandkids or knock on  

the door and they the bought your favourite sweets  and they give you a big hugs and throw their arms  

around you. We're thrilled to bits or one of your  friends invites you to share the summer holidays  

with them, to go away with their family they're  going to Guadeloupe or wherever they happen to  

be going. You're absolutely thrilled to bits that  you don't have to hang around the city like you  

did last year. You're going to be able to spend  the summer on a beach with your friends. Okay,  

so you're thrilled to bits or to be  thrilled to bits means very, very excited.

Over the moon. Well, of course you know  how high the moon is in the sky. To be  

over the moon means to be really full of  joy. He's over the moon. He scored a hat  

trick last week. He's the leading scorer on  the team. He's really so excited. It looks  

like they're going to win the league. And  if they win the league, they get promoted.

And that would make him very very happy. So  at the moment he's over the moon. He's just  

finished his exams and he's over the  moon because the summer holidays are  

starting next week. And really the next  few days they won't be doing much work  

at school. So he's really over the moon  about that. Okay. Oh, I'm over the moon.

I got that new job. We're going to be able to to  move to a bigger house. The kids will have their  

own rooms. We'll have a garden. It's really good.  I'm over the moon. Okay, so really, really happy.

And then finally tickled pink. Okay,  well, if, you know, if you remember  

when it happened to you or when you had  your you had your children were young,  

used to tickle them under the arms. And they  used to giggle and laugh, and they would giggle  

and laugh so much that the face or the body  would turn a little shade of red or pink.

So when you're tickled pink, you're really  excited. Okay, so I'm tickled pink that  

people remember me. So when it came to your  50th or 60th birthday, you didn't realise I  

didn't know or didn't expect that anybody would  remember. And then you walked into your office and  

there were your colleagues with a surprise happy  birthday. And you were absolutely tickled pink.

You might have felt you a little bit  embarrassed, but deep down you were  

tickled pink that your colleagues remembered  that it was an important birthday for you.  

50th or 60th or whatever it might be. So tickled  pink. Really, really happy. Very excited.

Okay, well, let's look at the opposite now,  because occasionally it's not all about happiness.  

Sometimes people are sad. So what idioms can  we use referring to sadness? Five of them.

So the first one out of sorts. Well, when  we're out of sorts, we're not quite sure  

what's wrong. why we're feeling the way we're  feeling, but we know we're not feeling 100%.

So your mother or father comes up to you and said,  

what's what's wrong with you? You've been out  of sorts for the last couple of days. You know,  

when people talk to you, you don't really  hear them. Yeah. Lost your appetite. You  

don't seem to be interested in anything. Is that  something happened? no. I just don't feel 100%.

I'm not sure if it's the weather. Or maybe I'm  coming down with something. I just. I've been  

feeling, I don't know. And your mother. Father  says you mean out of sorts? Yeah. A feeling,  

just not 100%. I think I probably need a  bit of a break. I've been working harder,  

studying hard. So I think I'll take  a couple of days off that might help  

me. So out of sorts. Not 100% the way you  normally feel and people begin to notice it

Down in the dumps. Well, down in  the dumps as a real... Sitting  

there like... What's up with you?  You've been down in the dumps for  

days! It looks as if somebody has taken  all of your toys away. And you say, Well,  

how would you feel? He hasn't called me for  days and days. We went out for a few dates.

I thought we getting out really well, but I  got nothing. I know what guys are like. If he's  

interested, he'll come back if he's not. There  are more fish in the sea. There are plenty of  

fish in the sea, so don't get so uptight about  it. that's easy for you to say. Yeah. So these  

are the conversations we have with our sons  or daughters so they can be down in the dumps.

They can be a little bit depressed, not  feeling so good so we can be down in the  

dumps because the weather is crap. We  can be down in the dumps because we  

don't really see a way out of the financial  problems we might have. So there are many,  

many ways and many, many examples when  we can be feeling down in the dumps.

Good thing is to talk about it. Good thing  is to share those problems with people. It  

might not solve the problems, but it might help  you feel a little better down in the dumps.

If you do enjoy this particular lesson. Well and  

liked the video. And if you can subscribe to  the channel because it really, really helps.

Sour grapes. Well, sometimes when you eat a  grape, it doesn't taste so sweet. More times  

than not it does. But when it doesn't taste  so sweet, it is sour. So sour grapes is when  

somebody doesn't really join in the happiness  for other people. So perhaps your friend in  

school is over the moon because he got a really  high grade in his exams and you didn't get such a  

good grade. You got a few marks less than him  and he's jumping around in arts grade. That's  

wonderful news. Go, Yeah, yeah. Well, okay.  Yeah. So what? You know, so that is a little  

bit of sour grapes. If he's your friend, then you  should be happy for him. So you should be saying,

Ah, great. Well done. That's really, really good.

I didn't do so well, but I'm really happy for  you. But when we take away some of the enjoyment,  

then it's a little bit of sour grapes.  A colleague at work gets promoted and we  

don't, and we can be feeling a  little bit unhappy about it. So  

he wants to go and celebrate in  the pub and buy people a beer.

And you say, Nah, I'm not interested in going.  Sour grapes. You're not really there to help,  

to celebrate for other people. They would do  it for you. You're just feeling a little bit  

miffed because you didn't get that promotion.  So that's a good example of sour grapes.

With a heavy heart. Well, when we do things  with a heavy heart, it means we really don't  

want to do it. But we have no choice. The  dog is 17, 18 years old and you can tell,  

you know, day by day, month by month. It's  getting a little bit more difficult for it  

to get up a little bit more difficult for walk  around and the dog is in a little bit of pain.

So when you take it to the vet for  a checkup, the vet will tell you,  

look, you know yourself. 17 she's had a great

time and but I think it's  time really to say goodbye.

we need to put her to sleep. She's not  going to get any better and she's a  

little bit of pain. So I think it  would be better to put her down.

So with a heavy heart, you agree to  what the vet has suggested. So when  

we do something with the heavy heart, we know  probably it's the right thing to do. But it's  

not something that we particularly  enjoy doing. So with a heavy heart,  

we say goodbye to the pet that we have  loved for many years. The heavy heart.

And then finally, when you're reduced to tears,  

well, there's a lot of sadness  when people are crying. Yeah. So,

But some people can be reduced to tears  for good reasons as well as bad. But if the  

boss is particularly snarky, particularly  angry, and the poor secretary or personal  

assistant has been reduced to tears many,  many times because of his sharp tongue.  

What did you do that for? Get me this.  Oh, come on, you're so stupid. You know,  

so these sort of unkind words will certainly  hurt some people who are very, very sensitive.

And they could be reduced to tears,  

meaning they've got no choice. But just.  They go into the bathroom and they burst  

into tears. Yep. So these are when people  use unkind words without thinking. Okay,  

so he was reduced to tears when he was told that  he had no future in the company. What could he do?

He's worked there for 30 years, and  now they tell him they don't need  

him. So he was speechless. He was reduced  to tears. So really, really sad situation.

So let me give them to you one more time.

Happiness. On cloud nine. To walk  or walking on air. Thrilled to  

bits over the moon and tickled pink. Tickled pink.

Out of sorts, just not feeling so good.  Down in the dumps, a bit depressed.  

Sour grapes not joining in the celebrations  because your friend did well. Because you  

didn't do so well with a heavy heart. Having  to do something you don't really want to do  

and then finally reduced to tears. Words,  unkind words or gestures by other people.

Forced you into tears because, you know, you're  just they're really hurtful and very upsetting.

Okay, so we've got... had there idioms  connected with happiness and idioms  

connected with sadness. As always, try to  practise them. You won't remember them all,  

but they're... some of them  there that you can use in very

similar situations that I've explained that you'll  

encounter or your friends will come  across. Keep practising as always.

Thank you for listening. Thank you  for watching. And join me again.