Hey! English learners, It’s Christmas time, my favourite time of the year. Well everyone is in high sprits and so has to be your English. In this English conversation lesson which is based around the theme of Christmas, I will teach you some interesting English vocabulary and expressions that you can use all year round to sound more fluent in spoken English. I am sure you would love these English expressions as much as you love Christmas. Let me know in the comments, how was the lesson and also what would you love to learn in the New year.
This the season to be jolly!!! Falalalaala..Yeah It’s Christmas time! Now Christmas is not just a festival
but a culture in many countries. And because it is a culture, it has definitely shaped language or the
way people speak. That is why today I have got some expressions for you which are influenced by
the Christmas culture around the world. But you know what? You can use them anytime, so these
are not limited just for Christmas. So here goes:
1) The proof is in the pudding: It means you have to try something and see the results for
yourself. This idiom originated in Britain where pudding is a very common dessert, made
especially during Christmas.
Example sentence: These advertisements keep marketing their products, but let’s see if they work.
After all, the proof is in the pudding.
2) The more, the merrier: This expression is a way of saying that you would love it if more
people were part of something. So let’s say you’re throwing a party, and a friend might ask,
hey can I get my sister along? And you might say, Ofcourse, the more, the merrier!
3) To light up like a Christmas tree: A Christmas tree that is lit up with all the colourful lights
and the decoration really looks nice and beautiful. In fact, you feel like it is giving out
happiness. So if someone looks really happy, I could say “When I told my baby brother that i
got him a new puppy, he lit up like a Christmas tree.” He was soooooo sooo happy.
4) To be in the Christmas spirit- to participate in all the Christmas festivities ..like putting up the
Christmas tree, shopping, decorating, planning a Christmas party or some get together,
baking cakes, etc. So if you’re doing all the things which are very typical of the holiday
season you can say, “I am learning to bake the perfect pudding, I’m totally in the spirit of
Christmas”. Believe me, this is kind of contagious, when people see you happy, they also
become happy. That’s why i love this time of the year.
5) What are you waiting for, Christmas? -This expression is used when someone is taking their
own sweet time to get something done. I mean Christmas comes once a year, but imagine
waiting for Christmas to do something means that you’re doing it really realy slow. I
remember my mom would ask me if I had prepared for my test and I’d say, “i haven’t started
studying” and she’d reply, “What are you waiting for? Christams?” I was taking my own
sweet time to start.
6) Don’t be a scrooje-Hey scrooje is a character in a Novel called “A Christmas carol” and this
man scrooje apparently is an old man who is very mean and he hates everything about
Christmas. Can you believe it? A guy who doesn’t like the Christmas spirit that we just talked
about. So if someone’s acting really bad or not spreading the cheer during Christmas or in
general, you can simply say, “Hey don’t be a Scrooje, just be nice!!”
7) She’s a cracker-Used to say that someone looks really attractive. Christmas crackers are
festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled opened, and often
contain a small gift and a joke. I really can’t make the connection, but I think a cracker looks
really pretty which is why you probably refer to an attractive person as one. I don’t like this
expression too much, but if you hear it, you now know what it means.
8) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth- A lot of us get presents or gits during Christmas, but
some people have the bad habit of finding out the cost of the gift. Which is kind of rude. So
Don't question the value of a gift. And this expression came from a practice of evaluating
the age of a horse by looking at its teeth. So if the horse’s teeth were long, it was
supposed to be old. So don’t look a gift horse in the mouth this Christmas, just be happy
with whatever gift you get.
9) Like turkeys voting for Christmas- Because turkey is a food commonly eaten
at Christmas, turkeys voting for (an early) Christmas would be inviting people to eat them.
In other words it means that you are doing something which is self destructive, which causes
no one but you a lot of harm. Well, in a sentence you could say, “Taking a ride from
strangers is like turkeys voting for Christmas”. You remember
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