Fresh Ideas School of English

Fresh Ideas School of English Fresh Ideas School of English in Novy Jicin is an English language training school focusing on conversation and business English using native speakers.

Fresh Ideas School of English is refreshingly different! We don't do most of the talking when it comes to teaching English; we encourage our students to practise speaking as much as possible. Now that's refreshingly different from other language schools! Boost your career chances or just feel confident ordering that cheese and pickle sandwich in a cafe. You choose...

15/10/2018

"I'm gonna go and see a man about a horse"

What does this mean?

Well, if you were somewhere socialising and one of the people got up to leave suddenly and said "Gotta go, i'm off to see a man about a horse" it means some 'secret' business and they don't want to tell you what exactly it is.

This is quite often said around London [Cockney English].

"Awight bruv, gotta go, gonna see a man about a horse."

I only drink on days that...
09/10/2018

I only drink on days that...

29/09/2018

Idiom - to bend over backwards [for someone]

You bend over backwards when you put yourself in an uncomfortable position in order to help another person. Example: "We bent over backwards to help him, and he never even thanked us!"

It is difficult to bend over backwards, and it feels awkward, but you are willing to do it to help certain people. Example: "My dad knows that I would bend over backwards to help him if he needed it."

At other times you are only willing to help when it is convenient for you, and you would not bend over backwards. Example: "I will help you out if you need it, but I am not bending over backwards for you."

05/09/2018

Dilly-dally and willy-nilly. What the heck do they mean?

If someone dilly-dallys then this is the action of wasting time by dawdling, or through indecision. So, you are in a hurry to get in the car and get to the train station and your brother is slowly searching for his hat, his gloves and then remembers something else he's forgotten. You might say -

"Get a move on and stop dilly-dallying. We're late!"

Willy-nilly is the action of doing something in a spontaneous or haphazard way. For instance, you might be shopping with your girlfriend and she's grabbing things randomly from the shelves without much thought and putting them in your shopping basket. This is a willy-nilly action and you might say to her -

"Stop picking things willy-nilly from the shelves and just think about what you are buying and if we really need it."

Have fun with your English until next time!

12/06/2018

To 'tickle your fancy'. Hmm, what does this mean?!

It means if something interests you. For example, you could be looking at a dessert menu and your friend asks you -
"Does anything tickle your fancy?"..and you could say...
"Yeah, the apple pie with custard tickles my fancy!"

Another example -
"Are you going to the cinema this weekend?"
"No, nothing tickles my fancy."

Good luck with your English!

06/06/2018

On a need to know basis...

When someone has some information about something and they want to share it, they might do this on a 'need to know' basis. It means lieterally what it says - some people do not need to know this info ands will therefore not be told.

"Why didn't you include me in the company financial email last week?"

"It was on a need to know basis, and you didn't;t need to know!"

28/05/2018

Soft spot and Soft touch...

When someone has a SOFT SPOT for someone else, it means they are fond of that person in a special way.

It is not necessarily connected with love but can be just affectionate feelings towards that person, or even compassion.

"I've always had a soft spot for Linda - she's always been so good to me and very patient too."

When someone is a SOFT TOUCH it often means they are gullible [they are often the victim of some scheme].

For example, you are a door-to-door salesperson and you might know that the man who lives at number 65 on your street always buys something from you, whether he needs it or not.This man would be a soft touch.

"If you want to sell your washing-up brushes go and knock on number 65. He's a soft touch."

15/05/2018

When you 'spruce up' something you make it more attractive, elegant or stylish. For example you could spruce up your house, or your garden. You can even spruce up yourself.

"I'm going upstairs to spruce myself up before going to the party."

Another idiom with a similar meaning is 'tart up' something. I'm going upstairs to tart myself up before the party. Usually women use this more than men.

03/04/2018

Irony is a technique used in English to emphasise a point using the opposite (or deeper) meaning of something. It can be used in many situations but most often it is used to be comical.

Irony is similar to sarcasm, which is saying the opposite meaning of something for effect.

For example, you gobble down a delicious muffin within a few seconds and say:

"that was quite possibly the worst-tasting muffin i've ever eaten!"

You are about to show your partner a holiday brochure of some tropical Caribbean island with golden beaches and you say:

"I think you're gonna hate this place."

Sometimes irony can be humourous or hurtful, depending on your point of view, or how it is being said. For example, with nicknames a tall person might be called "Shorty" by his friends, or someone unlucky in love "Casanova".

11/02/2018

Butter fingers - English idiom

Do you have a problem holding things sometimes? If you have a habit of dropping things you may be called "butter fingers".

Don't worry, it is a lighthearted comment about your inability to hold on to something.

"Hold this plate please while i serve you some vegetables."
Crash!! [plate falls out of the person's hand].
"Oh no!! You are such a butter fingers!"

23/01/2018

To have kittens - idiom

"Please don't tell the boss it was me who hit his car in the car park. He'll have kittens!!"

"When i told my girlfriend that I'd cancelled our weekend in Rome, she had kittens!"

To have kittens is similar to "hitting the roof" but not as strong. It is usually a bad response to some negative news or situation. Use the form "to have kittens" replacing "to" with a pronoun such as she, he, we, they.

14/11/2017

I want to let you in on a secret - it seems the office cleaner is light-fingered. I saw her pilfering some copy paper yesterday. But please don't tell anyone because she's my mother!
Mum's the word!

Light-fingered - to have a tendency to steal things
Pilfering [v] - to steal
Mum's the word [idiom] - hush hush - don't tell anyone

Adresa

Hrbitovni
Novy Jicin
74101

Otevírací doba

Pondělí 07:00 - 19:00
Úterý 07:00 - 19:00
Středa 07:00 - 19:00
Čtvrtek 07:00 - 19:00
Pátek 07:00 - 19:00

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00420773605706

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