Tag: utmost
Name of the Game
Phrase: Name of the Game For English language learners, the language is full of phrases and idioms that make absolutely no sense at all. The thing is that if you are working to improve your English, then learning these phrases and idioms is the name of the game. See, here’s another one for you. The…
Witching hour
WotD: Witching hour As the clock strikes twelve, the air around us becomes charged with magic. This is the witching hour, the time when witches and other magical creatures come out to play. It’s a time of mystery, mischief, and mayhem and is treated with the utmost sanctity by those who adhere to witchcraft. But…
Tight-lipped
WotD: Tight-lipped Wow! For the first time since the Second World War, a significant land war is occurring in Europe. Before an attack, all countries are usually tight-lipped about what is happening. In any conflict, information is as valuable as weapons. Being tight-lipped means being very careful not to allow yourself to forget and discuss…
Take at face value
Phrase: Take (something) at face value With the Social media and fake news environment we live in today, it’s tough for us to take things at face value. When we take something at face value, we accept it as it is, are not skeptical about it and don’t look for an ulterior motive. As I…
Fair enough
Phrase: Fair enough Fair enough is a phrase that pops up in my class materials from time to time. Some students have a hard time understanding its usage, and to tell the truth, I had a hard time finding a picture to depict fair enough. My students always give their studies their utmost effort, and that’s what I’ll do…
Pull out all the stops
English Idiom: Pull out all the stops When you pull out all the stops, you do your utmost to accomplish a task and be successful. The people in the picture are all from the same company. They are on a corporate team-building retreat to help strengthen teamwork in the office. One of the team-building exercises…
Keep under wraps
English Idiom: Keep under wraps If you keep something under wraps, you are keeping it hush-hush. For example, whenever a tech company is going to release a new device, such as a new smartphone, whenever an auto racing team designs a new aero package for their car or whenever a car manufacturer is developing a…
Utmost
Word of the Day: Utmost In my personal opinion, we should all do our utmost every day to be the best that we, personally, can be. Utmost means the greatest or highest amount. Therefore, if we put our utmost effort into what we do, then we will do our best. Society spends a lot of…
Firing on all cylinders
English Idiom: Firing on all cylinders If you hear the idiom firing on all cylinders at your workplace, it means people are doing their best work. This phrase refers to a part of an engine. The cylinder is where fuel is burned. Usually, engines have more than one cylinder, and if they are all operating correctly, the…
Hand in hand
Phrase: Hand in hand After being an English teacher for many years, I’ve learned that many things must go hand in hand to acquire a second language. When things go hand in hand, they are often found together or are good together. I’ve also heard almost every excuse for not being able to speak a second language…
