THE KEY TO FLUENT ENGLISH | 10 DAILY Expressions for Pro-Level SPEAKING 🤓 💬🗣️

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. And  

in this particular lesson, we're looking  at celebration. Celebrate. Come on, go on,  

as the song says, celebrate. So we're looking  at idioms connected or used in relation to  

celebrations. I've got 10 of them, I'll go through  them. And I'll give you an example of each.

Okay, here we go to push the boat  out. Well, when we push the boat out,  

we go a little bit further than we usually do.  So perhaps you got that all important promotion,  

perhaps you won a little bit of money on the  lotto, perhaps somebody paid you a fee that you  

weren't expecting whatever happens, you have  an extra little bit of money in your pocket,  

or you got an extra reason for celebrating.  So you decide to push the boat out. Okay,  

look, instead of going for our usual pizza on  a Friday, why don't we go to that really nice  

restaurant in the centre of town, it got  a great review. It's that little bit more  

expensive than your typical pizza. But you know,  this is a special celebration after all. Okay,  

so you push the boat as you go a little bit  further than what you might normally do. So let's  

push the boat out. Or you're really pushing the  boat, aren't you? So somebody might see you doing  

something a little bit different than you usually  do, when you celebrate, to push the boat out.

A good time was had by all but this is the  expression we would use after the event. Okay,  

so you've celebrated, and perhaps people  are sending photographs around as they do  

now on WhatsApp to show your their photographs  that they took on the particular night. And,  

and then somebody might use that expression. A  good time was had by all. I recently had the good  

fortune of celebrating my sister's 70th birthday,  yes, 70 years. And so all the family of many  

of the families possible got together with her  friends, we had a little bit of a party. Somebody,  

her husband, in fact, put together in a collage of  photographs. And it was quite funny and enjoyable.  

And we had lots of chat and catch up. So we  could say after that that a good time was had  

by all everybody enjoyed themselves as they  did and as I did. A good time was had by all.

To go out on the tiles or to have a night out on  the tiles. To have a night out on the tiles means  

to go out and perhaps sing and dance and really  have a good time. Yeah. So you wake up on the  

Saturday morning, you're not feeling 100% And you  go downstairs and it's one o'clock at lunchtime,  

and the kids are looking at you and thinking what  happened to you. And so Oh, yeah, we had a night  

out on the tiles. There's a bit of a celebration  in the office, because we want a big contract,  

somebody bought another bottle of wine and  one thing led to another. So please be quiet  

today. I don't feel 100%. So we had a night out  on the tiles. So when we really really went out  

and just celebrated without any care or without a  care in the world. Have a night out on the tiles.

Now the next one is you can use it at any  particular time of the day to make a day of it,  

to make a night of it to make an evening of it  to make a weekend of it. So when we make that  

time of it, it means to really enjoy yourself.  Yeah, so let's go to the park or let's go to the  

beach or let's go to the the nature reserve. And  we'll make a day of it. So we'll put together a  

picnic or we'll invite the grandkids and we  make a day of it. Or why don't we go to that  

nice place down the country that they're always  advertising as a swimming pool indoors as a spa  

for you so we could make a weekend of it. So  we haven't been away for quite some time. So  

when you do something a little bit special,  you don't worry about how long it's going to  

take. So you make a day of it. Make a night of  it, make a weekend of it, but you really just  

want to celebrate. Or your friend rings you  up and said we're going to have some people  

over to the house for a few drinks just close  friends we're hoping that you two could come  

along and let's make a night of it. Let's really  really celebrate. It's the middle of summer so we  

could use it as an excuse to celebrate the longest  day. So to make a night of that, make a day of it,  

make a weekend of it. Whatever you want to do  something where you just spend that extra bit  

of time you go to an extra bit of trouble just to  make sure that the enjoyment is even more special.

Paint the town red. Well, something similar to  when you go out on the tiles you paint the town  

red. You really really had a good time. Oh, I  don't know what the girls got up to last night  

but they really painted the town red. That...  they came in really, really late at sort of four  

or five in the morning and made lots of noise  that door was banging somebody was looking for  

water or coffee or something but lots of fun and  laughter so I woke up when they when they came in,  

so I think I leave them sleep today because  they, they were really painting the town  

red. So they really went out and had a good  time. They obviously went to the nightclub,  

they went dancing and the looks of the floor with  all the coats and everything laying on the floor.  

I think they had a little bit extra wine or few  beers, so they they really painted the town red.

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To kill the fatted calf. A little bit  old-fashioned. A calf is a baby cow.  

And when people used to celebrate, they would  kill an animal and they would roast it on one  

of these spirits and open fire and it would be  something that would be fed for several weeks  

in anticipation of the celebration. So fatted  means it would be lots of feeds. So that would  

be very succulent, and therefore, lots of  people could enjoy it. So to kill the fatted  

calf is to really really celebrate it's a special  celebration, everything everybody's gone to enjoy  

themselves. So when you go that extra mile,  or you do that extra little bit of something  

to make sure everybody enjoys themselves,  you could say they killed the fatted calf  

that they love left nothing to chance, the best  food, plenty of drink plenty of sparkling wine,  

champagne, the whole works, they really killed  the fatted calf. So we really enjoyed ourselves.

To have a whale of a time. Well,  a whale is one of those big,  

big sea mammals. So the biggest. So to have a  whale of a time, is have an amazing time. Okay,  

so it's full of fun and laughter. Somebody  might ask you, how was your holiday? Oh,  

we had a whale of a time. Honestly, it was the  best place we we had full board, every everything  

you could eat and drink. There were floor shows  every night there was entertainment for the kids.  

We really enjoyed it. We had some free time.  They had a whale of a time we had a whale of  

a time. I think we'd go back there next year.  And if anybody was asking for a recommendation,  

wow, you couldn't think of a better place.  Everything you wanted at your fingertips. Room  

service. You couldn't fault it. We had a whale  of a time we had a really, really good time.

To put the flags out. Well, when you put the flags  out, literally you celebrate Yeah. So when in the  

UK, the Queen was celebrating her 75th anniversary  on the throne and ... So... 70th anniversary on  

the throne. So that a big big celebrations, so all  of the flags were out. So every flagpole on every  

building, every lamppost and every street and  every street corner, they had the Union Jack and  

other flags flying fully. And beautiful, beautiful  weather, lots of celebrations, lots of street  

parties, so they really put the flags out. So when  you put the flags out, you really make it your  

business to celebrate. So if you watched it on  the internet, or you saw it on the TV, or you were  

speaking to friends who happen to be there, they  all really enjoyed it, because in every corner,  

and over three or four days, there are special  celebrations, everywhere marches, parades, music,  

singing, dancing. So to put the flags out means  to really enjoy yourself a bit like pushing the  

boat out. But to put the flag that means to show  everybody, you're going to have a good time.

To let your hair down. Come with me,  let your hair down. Well, this is a  

metaphorical expression. So when you let your  hair down, you really go out to enjoy yourself.

So when you've had a hard couple of months,  perhaps you've been studying for an exam,  

or your final exams, and your friends have  decided, look, when these exams are over and  

Friday, we're going to let our hair down and  we're just going to go out and we're going  

to party now for one night or two nights. We're  going to party for a week. Okay, so we've really  

worked hard for this. We've been in university  and our course for four to five years. And it's  

about time we celebrated. So we're going to go to  town. let our hair down. And yep, expect us when  

you see us. Yep. So that's the expression that  you would use. So let your hair down. So really,  

really let it loose, shake it out, and  just go out and party. Let your hair down.

And then finally, to have the time of your  life. You're going to have the time in your  

life. So this is a little bit more sedate,  but it is another way of expressing how you  

celebrate. So perhaps as you're celebrating  your retirement, so you've decided to go on  

that world cruise with your partner, you're  something you've always wanted to do. And now  

the time you have the time to do it, you leave  work. You go through the different parties and  

the thanks. So it's time for you to relax. So  you get yourself ready, you pack those bags,  

you head off to the airport, you fly to the  seaport, and you get yourself on that cruise.  

And yet you have the time of your life. It's  like a floating hotel, five or six levels,  

everything you could possibly want theatres,  cinema, restaurants, bowling, swimming pool,  

and when you get out into the Mediterranean, and  you're sailing around those different cities. Wow,  

every stop is a new experience. Rome, Barcelona  must say, Palermo in Sicily, wherever it might be,  

you enjoy lots of photographs flying around on  WhatsApp. And when you come home, the only thing  

you can say to friends is yep, I had the time  of my life, it was worth waiting for. So all  

of those years of work have really finally  paid off. Now it's time to put my feet up.

Okay, so all idioms connected with celebration.  So if you want to celebrate or if you want to  

practice, how to celebrate, these are some  of the idioms that you can use. So let me go  

through them one more time. To push the boat  out to really push the boat out. A good time  

was had by all. A little bit old fashioned  but a good time was had by all. To go out to  

have a night out on the tiles. To make it  day and night and evening or a weekend of  

it. To extend the celebration. To paint the  town red to really go out and spend money,  

splash the money around. Kill the fatted  calf make sure everybody had enough to eat  

and drink. Have a whale of a time really big  really enjoyable. Put the flags out Yeah, wave  

the flags on the flag poles really celebrate. Put  the flags out. Let your hair down metaphorically,  

of course. And then finally, to have the time  of your life, to have the time of your life.

Okay, well, you won't remember them all.  Pick out one or two of them that you think  

are useful or that you can remember try  to use them. And if you have any problems,  

of course, come back to me, and I'll help you with  

them. As always. Thanks for listening.  Thanks for watching. Join me again soon.