Idiom Chat and The Joy of English with guest, Michelle Coulter!
“Break a leg”
In today’s video, we use the idiom, “break a leg”. This idiom is widely used and means “good luck”. So, instead of wishing someone good luck on their endeavour, you may instead choose to say “break a leg!”
The etymology of this idiom has many theories. Some say the phrase originated from theatre makers’ superstition that evil spirits inside the theatre may be outwitted by wishing the opposite of good luck to actors about to step on stage by wishing something bad like breaking a leg. Another possible origin of the phrase might be that of the actor breaking the leg line of the stage when they performed in order to get paid. More information on this can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gSMPvmum
And, here is a dialogue to help you:
Person A: “I’m going to give my presentation on idioms in 10 minutes.”
Person B: “Break a leg!!”
We also use the term “hot potato” which means something that is hard to handle or a topic that raises contentious feelings.
For example, for some, vaccination injections is a hot potato issue.
More on the idiom “hot potato” here: https://lnkd.in/g76DbqKR
Today, I speak to Michelle Coulter. She is a dear friend, a community activist, an Oxford alumnus, a prolific traveller…just a few of her many accomplishments. Most impressively, Michelle is one of the kindest people I know! Here we discuss her daughter’s first stage performance and the usefulness of idioms in everyday conversation.