Learning English

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Learn more English in a Minute

• Phrases with 'baby'
• Phrases with 'foot'
• Phrases with 'stop'

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Introduction

We all know what grass is – it's the green plant that covers the ground in fields, gardens and football pitches! But did you know that there are some English phrases which use the word 'grass'? Learn some of them here with Phil.

Phrases with 'grass'

grassroots
at the lowest or most basic level of a structure or organisation

• My mother has set up a local group to campaign for better school meals – she is a great beliver in grassroots political action.

the grass is always greener on the other side
(idiom) other people's lives or situations always look better than your own

• Sometimes I look at the social media accounts of my colleagues and I get jealous of their lives... but I have to remember that the grass is always greener on the other side.

snake in the grass
someone you cannot trust

• I complained about my boss to Charlie at the Christmas party. The next day, he told her what I had said – what a snake in the grass!

kick something into the long grass
delay something difficult or unpleasant with the hope that it is forgotten

• We really need to upgrade our computer systems, but management always kicks it into the long grass.

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TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
This is grass! Let's learn four phrases with 'grass'.
 
Grassroots describes the basic things that are at the bottom of a structure or organisation.

Grassroots sport is important to me so I help run a local football team.
 
People think the grass is always greener on the other side when they think that someone else has something better. Usually, it isn't true!

I wanted my boss's job but, now I've got it, I hate it. The grass is always greener on the other side.

A snake in the grass is someone that you can't trust.

Mario's a real snake in the grass. Don't expect him to keep a secret.

Kick something into the long grass means delay something difficult or unpleasant. Often you hope everyone forgets about it.

My neighbour keeps asking to come over for dinner and I keep kicking it into the long grass.
 
Don't kick your English learning into the long grass – learn these phrases!

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