Speak English Like a Native! | 10 Easy Idioms for Advanced Learners

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back  to my advanced English lessons with Harry.  

And today we're going to look at idioms. And  idioms connected with the summer. So remember,  

what we're trying to do is to help you  to get a better understanding of the  

English language. We look at vocabulary, we look  at pronunciation, phrasal verbs, expressions,  

everything that will help you to  communicate better both in your  

normal conversational English and  also in your business English.

So today, as I said, we're going to look in the  lesson at idioms and we're looking at summer  

idioms. I've got 10 of them, I've got to give  them to you, one, one after the other and go  

through them, and try and give you an explanation  at the end of this if you don't understand them,  

well, just come back to me, I'll give you the  address at the end of this particular lesson.

Okay, so as I said, 10 Summer idioms. So those  of you who are just getting into summer or have  

been through the summer, whatever you do, if  you like the summer, are these idioms are just  

for you. Number one, the calm before the storm,  the calm before the storm. An Indian Summer, dog  

days of summer, full of hot air,  under the sun, place in the sun.  

One swallow doesn't make a summer. A cold day  in July. To be in hot water. And then finally,  

to make hay while the sun shines. Okay, so  let me go through these one after the other.

Now, some of these idioms, they have literal  meanings, but they all have specific references to  

another story. And I'll give you the example of  what that means when we when we come to it. Okay,  

and quite a few of them I don't think we're...  had discovered by anybody who lived in Ireland,  

because some of the references are  to really nice times and summer,  

and sometimes in Ireland, the weather isn't  

so kind. But anyway, we'll look at those  another time. So let's go, one after another.

The first one, the calm before the  storm. Well, often in the summertime,  

we get a buildup of heat and a buildup  of humidity. And you often get really  

strong thunderstorms, particularly  in months like July and August. So  

the calm before the storm is a period of  quiet weather before the clouds buildup,  

the thunder rolls and the lightning strikes.  Okay, so the calm before the sal... the storm.

But when we use it in a metaphorical  way, the calm before the storm could be  

a time of quiet reflection in the office when  nothing's much is happening. But you know,  

at the end of the month, there's going to be  some issue because the accounts have to be done,  

or the clients get very busy or the orders start  coming in, ready for the next month. So you can  

turn around to your colleagues and say, You better  enjoy the next few days. It's the calm before the  

storm because when the boss comes back, he's going  to want action. Okay, so calm before the s torm.

Number two, an Indian summer. When we enjoy  an Indian summer, it's that period of two  

or three weeks that extends the summer into  perhaps September or even into early October.  

It happens quite a lot. And it's really nice when  the days are warm. Perhaps they're not as long  

as the previous months of the summer but they're  warm and dry. So you get that nice Indian summer.

So an Indian Summer could also be the last few  years before you retire. I'm going to enjoy  

the Indian summer of my working life. A couple  of years when I really don't have to do too much,  

just have to wait around until  I get my pension. Indian summer.

So Indian summer, the late period in your  life or the... the extended period of weeks  

during the long summer from August into  September, as I said even stretching into October.

And then dog days of summer. Now, this  is a particular American idiom is not one  

that I've used so often but the dog days  of summer it actually comes from Greek  

and Roman mythology. You know, when they...  they used to see lots of activity in the sky  

and you get really, really hot days in July  and August and often quite stormy. So they...  

these really hot times they refer to them as the  dog days. They're really tough, hard, sultry days.  

You know when there's hardly some air in the  atmosphere. It's hard to breathe, and you're  

hoping and waiting that a storm will come and  clear the atmosphere. So the dog days of summer.

Full of hot air. When somebody is full  of hot air, they usually talk a lot,  

but have very little purpose. They don't have any  

great meaning, they don't make any sense.  And they don't really contribute in any way.

Don't mind him. He's full of hot air.  He says this than that. But you know,  

he really has no power, he really has no  control, he really has no influence on  

anybody. He's just full of our hot air,  he likes to listen to his own voice.

And we take it literally hot air balloons,  they go up and they go up. When you fill  

the balloon with hot air,  they turn on that gas and  

the hot air rises inside the balloon and  the balloon goes up. So when somebody is  

full of hot air that like one of those hot air  balloons, they will rise and keep going as long  

as somebody adds some little bit of energy, but as  soon as soon as you prick, so they just disappear.

Okay, so to be full of hot air,  somebody that really says a lot,  

but there's no great meaning to  it, there's no great value to it.

Under the sun. When we hear, when we're using  about under the sun, we can use an expression that  

they have everything, everything under  the sun that you could possibly want. So  

if you're looking for a choice of  getaway holidays, you're looking for  

that getaway weekend or a long holiday,  and you're not quite sure where to go.

So your partner tells you, Well, just look  it up on the internet. I mean, they have  

everything under the sun, everything  you could possibly look for. We can have  

quiet holidays, we can have relaxing holidays,  we could have activity holidays, we could have  

holidays that are mixed between some relaxation  and some activity, we can have one of those  

getaway holidays, we can have an eco  holiday. So whatever you're looking for,  

you'll find it on the internet,  they have everything under the sun.

Or if you're looking to try and buy a new pair  of shoes or sneakers or something like that,  

you go to one of these open air markets, Oh,  look, you'll find everything under the sun  

that you could possibly need. It stretches for  miles and miles. It's all open air market stalls,  

there's absolutely everything. And you know,  the prices are really, really great. So yeah,  

you'll get everything under the sun that  you could possibly want. So that means  

everything and anything, everything and anything.

So remember, if you enjoy  this particular lesson, then  

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Okay, a place in the sun. Well, wouldn't we  all like a place in the sun, there used to  

be a programme on TV called place in  the sun. And what they used to do was  

find you a place that you're looking for,  for your budget. So if you're living in the  

UK and you fancy the getaway holiday home in the  south of Italy, they would go off and they find  

three or four or five properties show... show you  the ones they liked. And then fly you out there  

to have a look to see what with it... whether  you're interested in buying them. So a place  

in the sun can literally mean that getaway that  holiday home in the destination of your dreams.

Okay, but we can use it a little bit  metaphorically. Ah, yes, a place in the  

sun what we've always dreamed off. Yeah. So  it's more of a dream rather than a reality.  

It's something you can sit back and think about  and those long, long summer evenings. Wouldn't  

it be great to have a place in the sun?  Yeah, wouldn't it great to retire next year  

and buy that place in the sun. So even if you're  only halfway through your working life, you still  

have this belief that you're like, perhaps  to retire early, and find and set up for that  

place in the sun somewhere where the sun shines  9-10 months of the year, a place in the sun.

One swallow doesn't make a summer Well, at  the beginning of the summer, we often see  

swallows. These are the birds that fly around  with the little forked tails, they never land,  

there's something to do with... with the way  they fly and the way their wings are made.  

But they constantly swoop and dive and they eat  all of these little insects. And they usually  

make the nests under the eaves of the  house, and you'll see them, you know,  

at the beginning of the... the summer so they're  very interesting to watch how they make the nest  

and then make it from more than that just clings  to the underside of your the eve of your house. So  

if you see one swallow is the sign that summer  is coming but it doesn't mean that it's actually  

there because it could be the the end of spring  so you might have to wait a little bit of time.

So we use this expression when somebody has  said okay, I think everything is great. Now  

I think we've got everything sorted.  And you say, Well, hold on a minute.  

One swallow doesn't make a summer, we better  test this first of all. We'll make sure it  

works. Because if it doesn't work, we'd  have to go back and start all over again.

So when we use it, literally,  it means if we see a swallow,  

perhaps it's a sign that summer is  coming. And when we use it metaphorically,  

one swallow doesn't mean a summer means  we have to just be a little bit cautious.

Don't jump the gun, don't assume everything's  okay until you've tested and check things.

So, you know, you get one good order, it doesn't  mean that 20 orders are going to follow. If you  

get one good order, yeah, you can be happy, you  can be content that perhaps there's a sign that  

business is going to be it's going to improve, but  it doesn't mean it's going to jump dramatically.

So don't count your chickens as what we mean.  So one, swallow doesn't automatically mean  

summer is coming. Okay, so one  swallow doesn't make a summer.

A cold day in July. Well, whoever  thought of this idiom never lived in it,  

because there are plenty of cold days in  July. But what it really means is one cold  

or cold in July means that it'll be something  very rare and something very, very unlikely.

So somebody could say, it'll be a cold day in  July, before I let you run this business. Yeah,  

okay. So a father might say to his son, that  he doesn't really trust his son to run the  

business. And he would say, it'll be a cold day  in July, before I let you run this business.

It will be a cold day in July, before I leave  you my love. Okay, so some man telling his wife  

that he loves her forever, and that there's  no chance that he would ever leave her.

So when we use the expression, cold in  July, it's meaning that something is  

very, very unlikely to happen. And as I said,  unlike you live in unless you live in Ireland.

To be in hot water, well, when you're in hot  water, you have to be careful because you  

burn your feet, okay. And so when you're  in hot water, it means you're in trouble.  

You're in difficulty. So if you make a mistake,  you're likely to be in hot water with your boss.

If you make a mistake at school, and  you don't hand in your work and time,  

you're going to be in hot  water with the headmaster.

If you're late home and you promised your parents  that you'll be home before midnight, it's now  

two in the morning. Guess what you're going  to be in hot water with your parents when they  

wake up in the morning. Or, as usual, they're  probably awake anyway, when you get home. And  

what time do you call this? Where have you  been? Okay, so you're really in hot water.

And if you borrow your father's car, and  you scratch it or damage it, well, actually,  

you're really going to be in hot water. So it's  like standing in boiling water without any shoes,  

or socks, you're gonna burn  your feet to be in hot water.

And then finally, to make hay while the  sun shines. Well, of course, all farmers  

love this. So at the end of August, when the sun  is shining, and the hay is yellow in the fields,  

they want to rush out with the combine harvesters  and harvest as much as possible while the sun is  

shining. Because if the wind comes and the rain  comes, well, it's going to flatten the hay. And  

they're not going to get as much yield per  acre, per hectare as they should get. So  

when this skies are blue, the clouds are high,  the sun is warm, then yeah, get those combine  

harvesters out and make hay while the sun  shines. So that's the literal meaning of it.

And the metaphorical meaning  means to take advantage  

of something while you have the opportunity.

Okay, so your boss goes away for three weeks,  every July. Okay, so absolutely certain  

certainty when it comes to the first of July, he's  gone. And he won't be returning until the 20th of  

the 22nd. So you make hay while the sun shines,  you don't work as late as often you do your work,  

but you you get home at a reasonable time, you  spend some time with the family, okay. So you make  

hay while the sun shines, so you take advantage  of something that won't always be there, okay.

Or perhaps during the summer, the roads  are really, really quiet. And there's lots  

of parking spaces. So you take the car to work,  you're able to park it near the office, there's  

no penalty of five for parking there.  But you don't have that opportunity  

for the other 11 months of the year,  because the spaces are usually occupied  

by early arrival success. So you take the  opportunity, and you take the the ticket  

advantage of the free spaces and you park your  car in these spaces for the month of July. So you  

make hay while the sun shines, so to take  advantage of something while it's there.

All right, good. Excellent. So there are examples  of these particular summer idioms. They're all  

related to heat or warmth, but they all have  a metaphorical meaning and a literal meaning.

So just run down through them once more. The  calm before the storm. So something is quiet  

before something erupts. An Indian summer.  Something that happens late like a nice  

period in your life before you retire. Dog days of  summer. The really hot, sultry days of the summer.  

Full of hot air when somebody just  talks and talks but they really have  

no substance to them. Under the sun, you can get  anything you want under the sun, just name it,  

you'll be able to get it in that market. Place  in the sun, the place to get away from it all.  

One swallow doesn't make a summer. So don't  jump to conclusions just because something  

has happened. It doesn't mean everything all  the problems are solved. So just be careful.  

A cold day in July, something that's  unlikely to happen, a cold day in July.  

To be in hot water to be in some difficulty  with somebody but something you've done  

or something you forgot to do. And then  finally to make hay while the sun shines  

to take advantage of a situation while it's  there because it won't be there forever.

Okay, so I'm glad you joined me. I hope  you've enjoyed those. Try to practice them,  

the idioms connected with summer.  Some of them a little bit advanced but  

try and see can you use one or two or even three  of those. And if you have any problems with them,  

come back to me on www.englishlessonviaskype.com.  Very, very happy to help you. I'm always glad  

that you listen. I was glad when you join  me, Harry signing off. See you very soon.