Hold onto your hats!
Hello, Ha and everyone reading! What’s up?
Ha, I’m very sorry that Panther inflicted homework on you after a busy day. What can I say? He likes everyone to do just what he says. So thanks for having a stab at it, and also for writing a couple of sentences using the present continuous tense. I’ll spill the beans now and give you the meaning of those phrases about cats.
1) to let the cat out of the bag – this means to tell a secret, usually unintentionally, e.g.
John’s going to ask Sally to marry him tonight. Oops! I’ve let the cat out of the bag! Don’t tell anyone!
2) Has the cat got your tongue? – You say this if you want someone to say something, but they are keeping silent, e.g.
What do you want for dinner? Eh? What do you want? Say something! Has the cat got your tongue?
3) to be the cat’s whiskers – to be better than everyone else, e.g.
I’ve got a gold medal for running, I can cook, I’m handsome and I’m rich. I’m the cat’s whiskers.
4) look like the cat who’s got the cream – to be very pleased with yourself about something you’ve said or done. If you say this about someone, you’re probably being slightly critical, e.g.
Lily was grinning from ear to ear because she’d won on the lottery, passed her driving test and got a new boyfriend. She looked like the cat who’d got the cream.
5) pussyfoot (it) around – to be cautious about doing or saying something, e.g.
I didn’t want to upset her feelings so I didn’t ask about her exam. I pussyfooted around instead.
Ha, your challenge, should you choose to accept, is to try to use one of these phrases in your next blog, OK? ;->
While we’re on the subject of homework, I must make a special mention of Benka, who wrote a little story to explain the meaning of those phrases, and Ahmed, who went above and beyond the call of duty by finding a whole load of extra sayings that had cats in them. Great stuff! Panther is very impressed.
Paulraj wrote to say that he was surprised that public transport is not so efficient in the UK. I’m afraid it’s true! I think part of the problem is that our infrastructure is so ancient. For example, the London Underground was built in the 1860s, and our national rail network was built even before that, by the Victorians. Now we have the problem of maintaining or replacing these old systems. Building new ones from scratch would be too expensive, so we just have to patch up what is there, and that’s why our rail system is very inefficient. Certainly, newer rail infrastructures wipe the floor with the UK system. For example, the TGV in France has a top speed of 320mph, the shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan has a top speed of 233mph and the maglev train in Shanghai has a top speed of 260mph. The fastest train in the UK has a top speed of …125mph. Hold onto your hats!
Sometimes being one of the first to do something (i.e. build railways) doesn’t always work out for the best!
OK, now let’s talk grammar. A couple of you have been asking about If- clauses. Let me see if I can explain a bit about them. Really, you could write a whole book about If clauses, but I’m going to focus on just one use today.
Clauses that come after if usually talk about uncertain events or situations, e.g.
Ask Peter if he wants to come to the cinema with us.
(we don’t know whether Peter wants to)
If I have time, I’ll go to the shops after work.
(we don’t know whether the speaker will have time)
You can use the same tense after ‘if’ as you would with other conjunctions. However, if you want to talk about unlikely, imaginary or untrue situations, you have to use special tenses. For the present tense, we use this construction:
Past tense in the if- clause (even though the meaning is present) + would + infinitive:
If I knew her telephone number, I’d call her.
If I had a million pounds, I would go on a trip around the world.
What would you all do if you had a million pounds?
Until next time,
Jo
Vocabulary
What’s up – What’s happening? How are you? (informal)
inflict – to cause something unpleasant to happen
have a stab at something – to try
to spill the beans – to reveal information
go above and beyond the call of duty – do more than is required
Great stuff! – excellent!
ancient – very old
from scratch – from the beginning
patch up – repair, in a way that probably won’t last very long
wipe the floor with someone – to beat very easily
Hold onto your hats – you can say this if something exciting or thrilling is happening. Here I’m using it ironically.
Answers to your comments
Mr Tran Minh Bon – many thanks for your comment and I’m glad you plucked up the courage to write! I noticed you use some new vocabulary to describe weather in your comment – well done!
Wisarut – Good luck with your presentation. I would say talk very slowly, very clearly, and have some notes on cards that you can refer to. It’s not really necessary to memorize every single word. Try to make eye contact with the audience. And good luck!
Qinping – you can say ‘who cooks food in your house’ or ‘who cooks food at home’ (meaning ‘your home’). Hmm, in London, you could go for a ride on the London Eye, go on a boat down the river Thames and visit the Tate Gallery. Have fun!
Lauren – Welcome, and thanks for your comment! I look forward to reading more from you.
Ana Paula – Your story about your sister made me laugh out loud. So funny! Thanks for the laughs. The poor girl – don’t worry, I won’t let the cat out of the bag by telling her you wrote about her.
Kyar Nyo – I can rephrase that sentence as: ‘7 million people live in London, and 60 million people live in the UK’. In the second example you give, you need to read back to the sentence before. This is what ‘Not because our roads are so good’ is referring to.
Ruth – ‘cost-effective’ means that you get the most profit or service in exchange for your money.
Mellisa – Have you tried pilates or yoga? I find it’s great for backache.
Fulvio – I think most people are far too lazy to use bicycles!
Jai – Thank you for your kind comment. I’m glad you’re reading!
Sanja – Panther hasn’t yet found a girl who is pretty or clever enough for him.
Benka – ‘who’d got the cream’ is short for ‘who had got the cream’.
Muhammad – Panther says he thinks it’s disgusting that humans don’t wash their whiskers after they eat.
Sarah – Hmm, if you only have a short period of time to brush up your English, your best bet would probably be to live in an English-speaking country. If that’s not possible, are there any language-exchange or language-immersion programmes near to you?
Sherzod – Yes, I’ve heard of Tajikistan, though I’m afraid I don’t know much about it. Maybe you can write and tell me more? No, there are no real regulations about owning pets in the UK. There are some so-called ‘dangerous dogs’ that were bred for fighting that you’re not allowed to keep, but that’s about it.
Harry – please could you give me an example of the sentence containing ‘rather’ that you find confusing? You see, there are several different ways to use ‘rather’ and it would help me to know which one you’re talking about. Thanks!
Paulraj – ‘pay extra’ (no ‘an’) is a phrase that means ‘pay more’.
Comments
Hi Jo! So would I ( Is correct the form?)...I would definitely make a journey around the world. Plus, I would buy my own house and of course, I would do good. Anyway, it is such a big amount of money. It is very easy to fritter it, if you are not an investor. It is always a pleasure to hear your blog. All the best, your Italian reader Filippo
Hi Jo, It's good write to your blog. I just discovered the BBC- learning english and I'm reading it every day. I was afraid about writing because my english is not so good. I read books and in the Net, but I don' have the habit of writing and nobody to talk with. But this blog is making me happy because now I have a new channel to improve my english. congratulations to everybody in BBC and specially for you. Jorge Schmidt
Good night Jo!!! I´m glad to know that you like my sister story, and thank you for don´t let the cat out of the bag, because definitely, she will want a revenge on me, and probably she will tell you one of my gaffes. Gaffes? Which gaffe? Well, I don´t know why I´m worried about that, once I´ve never made a gaffe! Haha! Of course you believe in me Jo, do you? ;-) Hmmm... If I had a million pounds...oh, this is a huge amount of money! Well, before I go to university, I would travel around the world, visiting all the places that I´ve read and dreamt about. I would brush up on my English doing an English course in the UK, and oh... there´s one thing that I really would like to do, which is going to New Zealand and do bugge jump. Wow! I think would be an amazing experience. Well, I think it´s your turn now Jo, what would you do if you had a million pounds? Best wishes, Ana Paula.
Bonjour,Jo.Thanks for all the new language points.I have learnt that you studied French and German at college.So i wonder how did you learn a new language from scratch? I hope you can spill the beans.Cheers!
Hi Jo, Thank you for your great job! Recently I've read the following sentence in a blog, and it was the last sentence of the pharagraph: "Would that those words had come from the secretary of state. Or, better still, from the president." I might guess the meaning, but the gramatical structure of the sentence is not clear to me. In addition, I have a vague idea that it relates to if-clauses. Could you please explain it to me. Thanks again.
Hello Ha!, i am very nice to meet you. I am from Vietnam too. now, i am a economy student, i am trying to write english extractly. So i wan to joint in your blog. i hope that i will receive your help. thanks advance!
Hi!! It was great to hear from you. I will tell more about my country. Tajikistan is situated in Central Asia and in extremely mountainious area. 93% of our territory is occupied by mountains. I will take part in the blog competition next month and if i am lucky enough I will tell more about it. cheers. Sherzod
Hi Jo,What's up? If I had million pounds, I'd look forward to have billion !:)
Hi Jo, Your brits are pioneer in many things. So you should proud of that. Even our people praised the great work done by the British people when they ruled our country. They only introduced the Indian railway system in our country. Otherwise many of our villages may not get connected even now. Though the system which we are using is out dated, modernizing the infrastructure is going on in a slow phase. Even developed countries like yours concern about the expenditure cost to improve the infrastructure. How developing countries like us to think about the improvement. People don’t like the patch up of the road work by the authorities. It is not a long time solution. A stitch in time saves nine. Jo, am I using Idiom correctly.
Hi, Jo. Long time no see. I miss you. These days, I was busy with an international conference. But now I come back and I’m so glad to read your excellent essays again. Hey, I’m the one who use bicycle quite often. You know the traffic is very very horrible in Beijing especially in the rush hour. So I use bicycle instead. It takes me fortyish minutes from my home to the office. It’s a good way to keep healthy but it’s very hot now. So I bought an electric-bicycle some days ago. If it’s burning outside, I use the electric-bicycle. And if it’s a little cooler, I use bicycle. Did I use the ‘If clause’ in the correct way? I’m trying my every effort to improving my English. I want to be the cat’s whiskers. (Another try of using new phrases.) If I had a million pounds, I would… I would help all of the homeless dogs, I would, yes, like you, go on a trip around the world, I would especially go to London to visit our gorgeous teachers (Jo, Alex, Stephen, and all of the amazing BBC teachers), I would buy a house near a beautiful beach, I would… there are so many things that I wanted to do if I had a million pounds. But, oops, when could I have? Wish you a great day, Jo. See you. Jill.
Hi Jo and everyone, I have been following your teaching Jo as well as the conversation followed by us students. I know you wouldn´t know me being present, as I hardly haven taken part in the dialogue lately. For a good reason I can assure you. In fact I am totally astonished how you guys manage to surprise us month after month. Each time we think that the teacher this month is so amazing and the new one swoops up us of our feet... every time. It is a grand job you do. Thanks. Well, what would I do if you had a million pounds? First of all I would take a trip around the world while thinking about it, secondly I would invest wisely so that one could live on the interest return. After that I would do something extravagant.
Hi!Jo, I understood the meaning of all the phrases.I noted down aii the phrases,meanings examples andnew words&meanings.I am keeping a notebook for that.I must improve my english(writing&spoken). (HW):(1)Yesterday I got a call from my friend his wife had lungs cancer.I had gone there.I didn't wantto upset his feeling so I didn't ask about her disease.I pussyfooted around instead.(2)If I know english well I'd participate the competition to find August blogger.(3)If I had millions pounds I'd do many things.This blog is not enough to write all.
Hello Jo and all the readers. It's finally great to participate in your blog (Jo is my preposition used correctly - my major downfall). If I had a million pounds hmmmmm - well that would be about 10 thousand more millions in my currency (Rands). So, I'd do the usual by travelling to see the entire Europe, then i'd invest, then fund a charitable organisation. I can't think of anything else at the moment... Have a great day everyone
Heeei. Woow, I'm surprised. It's my first time I've checked this "blogger" thing out, and I have now learend many phrases... and many words. Thanks you Panther. I'va actually maked a notebook, were i write all the new words and phranses - wcich I learn here - down. I think that from now evry time i sit by the computer I'will check this out. It's very exciting and cool, and I'll also learn english more. I've always wanted to learn more english, 'cause my teacher says that my vocabulary (have learned this word here. haha )is not wide, she says tht I have to read, and listen and watch english programes were the english languag is used. BBC learning is one of the best way to learn, reading, writning & understand english. Thank you BBC <33
Dear Jo, If I had a million pounds, I'd donate some money to the poors, I'd buy a new house for my mum and I'd travel all around the world!
hello,Jo.my dear teacher.thanks for your explanation.here is my sentence that has the phrases in your blog.am i right?someone spilled the beans of our plans so my boss wasn't in a good mood today.we all pussyfooted it around in our office.best wishes.
If i had a million dollars, i think i would take a trip to UK and visit you, Jo and all the staff of BBC learning English.
Hello, Jo. Jo, from what you have written in your blogs, I can draw a cocnlusion that you are a caring person because you are a vegetarian, you love and cherish animals, because you are a nature lover so that you live in the countryside away from the congested city streets and you wrote about Druids who worshipped nature. So, you will know that it is no false modesty when I say that if I had a million pounds, I would do good, just like Fillipo from Italy. If I had the means, I would make it possible for refugees to lead their lives of dignity again.
Hi, Jo! I liked this blog from the first moment I saw it. What a great idea! I want to thank all people responsible for this. For me, this would be the most pleasant way to improve my written English and enhance my vocabulary. I know this is my first post here, but I have a question about your sentence where you say "should you choose to accept". What do you mean by this? I don't fully understand the usage of "should" there. I have to go now, I'm baking a cake 'from scratch' and it is about time to be done. :)
Hello Jo, You asked what would we do if we had a million pounds? Although it is not impossible,it seems beyond belief! It's unlikeky that one of us will have a million pounds unless there's an irish lucky one hidden among us. If ever I had the luck of the devil and hit the jackpot,it would definitely change my life, I'd play on the ground of the giants, I'd certainly never e-meet you again....!
If I had a million pounds I think I would first pay all the small accounts open here and there. Then I would take some holiday and travel for a while. Probably I would buy a second residence, not necessary an huge one, in Spain or/and in Finland. Share a part with my mother and sisters. Invest a another part and finally continue working more or less like now. A million is a good start but it is not too much to change one’s life radically.
I read a sentence in a book, 'Now that China is enjoying fast economic growth,....' First, what does 'now that' mean? Secondly, what does 'enjoy' mean? Cheers!
Hello Jo, How are you? Thanks for explaning 'if' clause, it is never enough but everything is coming into my head very good ;-) What would I do If I had a million pounds? Hmmm...well, I would invest in myself. I like learning a lot, so I would probably enroll one more faculty. One way or another I will do it, without a million pounds or with them :-) And of course, I would go around the world with my boyfriend. What else...ouh some sport's car, mansion in every big city, like London, Paris, New York...Ouh..Am I modest or what? :-)))) You are the best! See ya....
What'u up ? Teacher Kent... The question is really challenge me. If I would had a millon pounds, I traveled around the world , give some money to charity ,support the scolarship to the student and subsidize money to temple for developing religious. As well as this my passion, I would eager to have much more money like general human. I suppose that I should live on the self-sufficient life. Thus my life will happay,doesn't it ? I lead the life from the majestry king. With warm good wishes...
for example,"I would like to be alone rathar than go out with you",is it right? and what is another way to use "rather'?
for example,"I would like to be alone rathar than go out with you",is it right? and what is another way to use "rather'? and ha,I what will I do if I have a million pounds?probably give some to my parents and save it,maybe some day I can use it when I am in emergence,or for my wedding fundation,hehe
thnak you for everything but i want to know something about this word (won't) how we can telling this word because there's one word like it
Greetings!..%
I browse and saw you website and I found it very interesting.Thank you for the good work, greetingsi
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