Saturday 29 November 2014

The puzzling world of idioms - Part 4 - C1+

Are you a little bit crazy? 

I mean in a good way... 

Some idioms can be used to describe someone acting crazy or that they could be simply bonkers! You can act crazy, which is of course temporary, but you could also be a crazy person. On one hand, being a crazy person is not necessarily a bad thing, there are people out there who like to have a good time and are fun to be around.  On the other hand we do have expressions which indicate that a person's behaviour is crazy in a bad way.

Here are some examples you could use...

'to lose the plot' - if you have 'lost the plot', you can no longer act normally.  This idiom has a serious side to it, we can use it to describe our brief moments of madness.
"Oh my! For a minute there I thought I had 'lost the plot' completely!"

'off your trolley' - Mostly used in jest. "Your cousin has completely gone off his trolley."

'basket case' - Mostly used in jest, but I have heard it used as an insult. "I want nothing to do with that man, he's a complete and utter 'basket case'!"

'screw loose' - Now this is quite a comical one, as you can imagine the human head as something mechanical, and one of the screws has come loose, meaning that the rest probably cannot operate normally with out it! "Are you sure you don't have a 'screw loose'?"

'taken leave of one's senses' - This is a more polite way of saying that the guys is clearly nuts!  "Have you taken leave of your senses? How on earth are you going to climb Mount Everest with one hand?"

Vocabulary


plot; (noun) the main events of a play, novel or film or similar work, devised and presented by the writer.

jest; (noun) a thing said  or done for amusement, a joke.


Some practice

Why don't you try using these expressions this week? 

Think of a person you would like to use these expressions with. Has someone been acting a little crazy this week?

Why not look for some more crazy idioms you like and write them in the comments section.

Would you like to improve your listening and speaking skills in English? If so, I am offering online classes... Why don't you try a class? The first one is free! Please contact Lisa lis.j.grant@gmail.com.







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