8 English Idioms Hiding in Questions

Have you ever been in a meeting where somebody turned around, asked you a question, and you

had no idea what they were saying?

You didn't understand the question.

It can happen.

One reason why it happens is sometimes the person is asking you a question with an idiom

inside the question, okay?

So you need to understand the idiom, and otherwise you don't understand the question.

So what is an idiom?

An idiom is a group of words where the meaning of the words overall is different from the

individual words, right?

So today, we're going to look at eight common questions that have idioms in them that are

often used in business and also in personal situations.

So if someone turns around and asks you a question at a meeting, you will understand

what they mean.

Alright?

So, let's get started.

Number one.

Someone says, "What's your game plan?

What's your game plan?"

What do they mean by that?

Any idea?

Okay.

So when they say, "What's your game plan?", that's the idiom, game plan, it means what's

your plan?

What's your strategy?

What map are you following to get to the - to achieve this goal, right?

How are you planning to achieve a particular goal to get to success?

What's your plan?

What's your strategy?

What are you going to do?

That's all they're saying.

So you can actually understand this if you just take away the word "game" because it

pretty much means the same thing, okay?

What's your game plan?

Now here, you could do two things.

Of course, first of all, you want to make sure that you understand completely the meaning.

So if people are using this, this question, then you will know what to say or what they're

talking about.

And the second stage comes to when you understand the idiom so well that you could use it yourself.

Okay?

But first, make sure you understand it so if you're asked, you can answer.

Next, number two.

What's your take on this?

What's your take on this?

So what do they mean by that, your take?

Your take means your opinion.

What's your opinion on this?

What's your view?

What's your perspective?

How do you look at this?

That's what this question means.

What's your take on this means?

What's your opinion on this?

Please share your views.

Please tell us what you think, alright?

That's the second one.

Number three.

Shall we get the ball rolling?

So, shall we get the ball rolling?

What do they mean by that?

What are they talking about?

Again, it's an idiom, so don't get worried about the individual words.

You have to understand the total meaning.

So the total meaning here, to get the ball rolling, means to start, to begin.

So this is usually said by someone when they're about to start a meeting, or let's say people

have gotten together, and then they're chatting, but they want to get started.

So the person in charge, or the person who's leading the meeting says, "Alright, guys,

shall we get the ball rolling?"

Means shall we begin now?

Shall we start?

Okay?

That's what it means.

That's all.

Alright?

Say it after me.

Shall we get the ball rolling?

Okay?

Alright.

Number four.

Here's the other one with "shall".

You notice that I put them together in a certain way?

The first two started with "what's", these two start with "shall".

So somebody might also say, "Shall we call it a day?"

Shall we call it a day?

What do they mean?

What day?

Again, don't worry about the words.

Learn the expression, okay?

So shall we call it a day usually means the opposite of the first one.

Shall we call it a day means shall we end this meeting?

Shall we stop now?

Shall we finish?

Because people usually ask this for different reasons, because maybe people are tired, maybe

the meeting has gone on too long, maybe it's not productive anymore, maybe people are arguing

too much and they're not really getting anywhere, it's not being productive or useful anymore,

or they're just tired, or it's just late, okay?

So shall we call it a day means should we stop the meeting now, shall we end the meeting

or the discussion for now, okay?

Say it after me.

Shall we call it a day?

Alright?

Good.

Number five.

Here we have two more, okay.

Are we on the same page, okay?

So you have a one-on-one meeting with your manager, and then he says, "So, so John, are

we on the same page?"

What does he mean?

What page?

Where?

Where's the page?

There's no page, okay?

There's no page, don't look for the book, alright?

So what this means, to be on the same page means to be in agreement.

Are we on the same page means do we agree?

Are we thinking the same way on this?

Have we decided to do the same thing, and you're okay with it, okay?

It could be one, two people who are having a meeting, and then someone says this.

It could be a group of people, right, with a very large meeting, or an online meeting,

right?

And the person who's speaking says, "So are we all on the same page?

Have we all agreed that this is what we're going to do?"

Right?

That's what it means, alright?

So say it after me.

Are we on the same page?

Good.

Get used to saying it when you say it, when you hear it, you'll become - it'll be easier

for you to remember it.

Next, number six.

Are we on the right track?

Are we on the right track?

What does that one mean?

Do you have any idea?

Some of them you can think through a little bit, some of them not at all, okay?

So are we on the right track means are we following the right path, are we doing the

right things to achieve our goals, okay?

So let's say this is our goal, and should we be going this way?

Are we on the right track, or should we have gone the other way, or something else?

Are we on the right track?

Usually people will say that, okay?

Sometimes people say the opposite.

They say, "Are we on the wrong track?"

That means, oh no, like, are we doing all the wrong things, okay?

So it could be phrased like that also.

Are we on the right track?

Are we doing the right things to achieve our goals, or are we on the wrong track?

Have we made a mistake?

Have we made the wrong choices, okay?

Good.

Next, oh, say that one after me.

Are we on the right track?

Good.

Number seven, can you weigh in on this, okay?

Someone turns to you, there's a lot of people at the meeting, and someone turns to you and

says, "Hey, hey, Bill.

Can you weigh in on this?"

Weigh in.

So, to weigh in on something means to share your opinion, your views, your comments, your

advice, and so on, okay?

Can you weigh in on this?

It's a little bit more than opinion.

It's basically like your opinion, but it's a little bit more.

Give us your comments, your thoughts, your ideas on this.

And this might be whatever they are discussing, okay?

The topic, the decision, etc., okay?

So, can you weigh in on this?

Could you share your thoughts, your ideas, your comments, your advice, and so on, okay?

Good.

Say it after me.

Can you weigh in on this?

Or could you weigh in on this, okay?

"Could" is a slightly more polite version, but we are focusing on the idioms.

And the last one here, can you give me a ballpark figure?

What does that mean?

Ballpark?

What's that?

So, this idiom means can you give me an estimate, okay?

A rough estimate.

A ballpark figure means not an exact number, but more or less an estimate.

So, for example, let's suppose that someone is going to have repairs...

Let's say you're going to have repairs done to your...

To your home, and the contractor comes and he says, "Well, it's going to cost you a lot

of money."

So, he's...

So, you say, "Can you give me a ballpark figure?"

Like, what are we talking about?

$20?

$200?

$50,000?

Okay?

Give me a ballpark figure.

Give me an estimate.

All right?

So, it could be usually about numbers and costs that people use this, but it could be

about all kinds of things.

For example, let's suppose you're organizing a meeting or a conference, and someone says,

again, something very general, like, "Oh, there are going to be a lot of people at this

conference."

Well, what do you mean by a lot of people?

Again, 50, 500, 5,000, what?

Give me a ballpark figure.

Give me an estimate.

Not the exact number, but an estimate, approximately.

Okay?

Say it after me.

"Can you give me a ballpark figure?"

Okay, so let's jump around a little bit, see what you remember here.

So, if I say, "Shall we call it a day?"

What's that one?

"Shall we?"

"Shall we end the meeting?"

Can you weigh in on this?

Can you share your views?

Which one of these two, the first two, means what are you planning to do?

What's your strategy?

It would be number one.

What's your game plan?

What's your strategy?

What's your path, okay?

Out of these two, which one, number three or number four, means maybe we should stop

now, maybe we should end the meeting for today?

Number four, right?

Shall we call it a day?

If you want to ask someone, like, tell me approximately how much it will cost.

Which idiom do you use?

What could you ask them?

You would say, the last one, "Could you give me a ballpark figure?", okay?

And let's take one more.

If somebody says, "So, are we all on the same page?", what do they mean?

Do we all agree?

Have we all agreed to this course of action, okay?

So, let's check again if you remember these.

So, as you might notice, now we have some blanks.

We have some words which are missing, and you're going to help me to fill in the blanks.

Let's see if you remember the entire expression or idiom, alright?

Number one, what's your something plan?

What's your...

What was that word?

What's your game plan?

Say it after me.

What's your game plan?

Great.

Number two, what's your blank on this?

What's your take on this?

Great.

Say it after me.

What's your take on this?

The more you say it and hear it, the easier it will be for your brain to remember it,

okay?

That's why I ask you to repeat.

Number three, shall we get the something rolling?

What is that?

Shall we get the...

Yeah, I heard you right.

Shall we get the ball rolling?

Good.

Number four, shall we call it a something?

What is that?

Shall we call it a day?

Say it after me.

Shall we call it a day?

Okay, good.

Number five, are we on the same blank?

What was that?

Are we on the same...?

Starts with P. Page.

Are we on the same page?

Good.

Number six, are we on the blank track?

I had said there were two possible words you could use here.

Are we on the right track or the wrong track?

Okay?

Good.

Are we on the right track?

Are we doing the right things?

Okay.

Number seven, can you blank in on this?

They're asking your opinion, asking you to share your comments.

Can you weigh, okay?

Can you weigh in on this?

Good.

And the last one, can you give me a blank figure?

Remember, they're asking for an estimate.

Can you give me a...?

Starts with B. Ballpark, one word.

Can you give me a ballpark figure?

Okay, great.

Now, if you are asked these questions in a meeting, online, a live meeting, by somebody

in a coffee shop, you'll know what to say, because the idiom is hidden inside the question,

and now you know the idiom.

All right?

So, if you'd like to make 100% sure that you're familiar with these, you can go to our website,

www.engvid.com, and there you could do a quiz on this, and also check out the thousands

of other videos that we have available for you in grammar, vocabulary, and so much more.

And also business English.

All right?

All the best with your English.

Bye for now.