Winning English - Mastering Idioms, Slang, and References

08/27/2021

Hello, everyone! An announcement today - this will be the last Winning English for a while. I've decided to stop publishing for the foreseeable future. I want to thank all of you for being part of Winning English. And many thanks, as well, to Substack, the newsletter publishing platform I've used, which gave me a special shout-out a few weeks ago.

[Photo by Christophe Hautier on Unsplash.com]

Even though this is my final post for now, I couldn't resist giving you some sayings, vocabulary, and some other special items! The theme, naturally enough, for this post, was "ending". This time:

• Going on hiatus
• Winding down
• Dead end
• Odds and ends
• Twist ending
• Loose ends
• Worcestershire sauce 😄

Again, thanks for being part of Winning English. Keep learning, have fun with English idioms and sayings, and talk soon!

Bill
Your writer & host

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-c6e

Going on hiatus • Winding down • Dead end • Odds and ends • Paraprosdokians • Twist ending • Oleaginous • Mysophobia • Worcestershire sauce • Loose ends

08/20/2021

With heat waves happening across the world, I started thinking about vocabulary and sayings related to summertime and storms. In the latest Winning English learn:

• Heat wave and cold wave
• The Dog Days of Summer
• Hurricane vs. Typhoon vs. Cyclone
• A storm is brewing
• To weather the storm
• The calm before the storm
• The eye of the storm

However, I always try to end on a happier phrase, so one more!

• Make hay while the sun shines

[Image by WikiImages from Pixabay]

Also, I have a special challenge for you in the newsletter. I have a list of sentences, and each one has a pair of words that are spelled the same but pronounced very differently. Give it a try, and I'll record the answers in a future edition!

Thanks for being part of Winning English! If you like it, please tell a friend. I'm trying to grow this completely free service, and I need your help to do it. Also, make sure to subscribe to the newsletter:

https://winningenglish.substack.com/

Please consider following me here and on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

And if you have a topic you'd like me to cover, let me know in the comments.

Take care, and talk soon!

Bill
Your author & host

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-b8e

08/13/2021

It's time for more English language aphorisms and adages! As I introduced in a previous post, every culture has these sayings, which are intended to teach a truth about the world or a moral lesson. In my latest edition of the Winning English newsletter and video, learn these aphorisms:

• If it ain't broke, don't fix it
• If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
• Ignorance is bliss
• No news is good news
• Rome wasn't built in a day
• When in Rome, do as the Romans do
• Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
• The ends justify the means

[Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash.com]

Plus, as always, find additional content in the newsletter. Time time I have a link to a speaker that says you should relax and enjoy speaking English by focusing on communication and not perfection. 💯

Also, see how I work in the Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars universe into my explanations! 😆

Thanks for being part of Winning English! If you like it, please tell a friend. I'm trying to grow this completely free service, and I need your help to do it. Also, make sure to subscribe to the newsletter:

https://winningenglish.substack.com/

Also please consider following me here and on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Oh, and do you have a topic you'd like me to cover? Let me know in the comments!

Take care, and talk soon!

Bill
Your author & host

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-fd7

Idioms, slang, and references to help your English shine!

07/30/2021

Okay, who needs a "vacay"? I mean, a vacation (in American English, anyway. 😁 ) Well, I do! I'm going on vacation next week. (It's called a holiday in UK English.) So, the next Winning English will be in two weeks.

Going on vacation inspired me to make this latest edition about feeling tired at work and going a trip! Including:

• Running on fumes
• Get away from it all
• R&R
• Staycation
• Hit the road
• Hit the beach
• Travel on a shoe string
• Off the beaten track
• Kick back
• Catch some rays
• Home sweet home

And a lot more!

[Photo courtesy of Photo by Mohamed Ajufaan on Unsplash.com.]

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a like and a follow, sign up for the email newsletter on Substack, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and most important of all, please tell a friend.

Also, I always include additional content in the newsletter. This time I cover the number of hours people from many different countries work.

Thanks, and talk soon!

Bill
Writer & host, Winning English

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-0b7

Vacation! • Running on fumes • Get away from it all • R&R • Staycation • Hit the road • Hit the beach • Travel on a shoe string • Off the beaten track • Kick back • Catch some rays • Home sweet home

07/23/2021

Every culture has a shared wisdom. And often that wisdom is passed down through the generations using short statements. In English, these statements go by many names - aphorisms, proverbs, adages, maxims, sayings, sometimes laws, and even "old saws". Don't worry about all of those names, though. Just know that these sayings are intended to do a couple of things:

1. Communicate a fundamental truth about the world
2. Suggest proper morals or behavior

In the latest Winning English, I have several examples of common aphorisms and adages from English, including:

• Honesty is the best policy
• A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
• The best things in life are free
• Actions speak louder than words
• The early bird get the worm
• Murphy's Law
• Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
• All good things come to an end
• Practice makes perfect

There are many, many more, so I'll definitely have to return to this topic in future posts!

Also, in the newsletter I discuss how, in these covid times, a children's show from the United Kingdom called "Peppa Pig" is training American children to adopt British English. I don't know how I feel about that! 😆 🇬🇧 But my UK friends assure me that they are finally learning proper English. 😁

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-79f

[Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash.com]

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a like and a follow, sign up for the email newsletter on Substack, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and most important of all, please tell a friend.

Thanks, and talk soon!

Bill
Writer & host, Winning English

Honesty is the best policy • Bird in hand • Best things in life are free • Actions speak louder • The early bird • Murphy's Law • Hope for the best • All good things • Practice makes perfect

07/21/2021

Hello, everyone! Some special news in a special post today.

I’m proud to share that Substack chose to include Winning English among its featured newsletters this week - both on its home page and on its discovery page. I very much appreciate Substack helping me to help all of you by spreading the word!

https://substack.com/home

I want to say welcome to all of the new subscribers who have joined this week! I hope you enjoy Winning English. Please feel free to reach out with any feedback you might have.

Of course, thanks a million to all of my loyal subscribers, as well! Honestly, I wouldn’t have kept going without all of you. Your support is invaluable, and I’m anxious to hear any feedback you might have, too.

(Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash.com)

You might have noticed that I said “thanks a million” above. You know that I can never resist giving you some tips, tricks, and examples in every Winning English post. “Thanks a million” is an informal, friendly way to say thank you. Two similar phrases are “thanks a bunch” and thanks a lot”! Notice that I’m using the exclamation point (!) there. In writing, be careful finishing a thank you with a period. (.) Sometimes that can be misinterpreted as being sarcastic - that is, you are mocking what the person has done for you. If you feel an exclamation point is too much excitement, it might be best just to use no punctuation at all.

If you’re brand new to Winning English - or even relatively new - I wanted to highlight a few posts from the past. I’m up to 75 editions now. Please enjoy them all, but here are a few to get started:

Check out my series on the many significant influences upon the English language, including William Shakespeare, the Bible, the French language, and the Greek and Latin languages.

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-250
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-369
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-79c
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-efd

I also had a pair of posts on euphemisms - that is, nice ways to say impolite or mean things.

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-713
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-07c

I also like to help you better understand western, and specifically American, culture. I've had posts on President's Day and Christmas. I celebrated Chinese New Year, too!

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-ace
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-590
https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-972

Sometimes I even help with the different cultural hand signals. For example, be careful with how you count to two with your hand in the United Kingdom!

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-4c2

I also like to help you out with slang words and pronunciations.

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-0c6

Occasionally I help out with grammar, including the confusing case of the many ways the plural of you is created in American English.

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-91e

Are you curious how it all started? Check out the very first Winning English post!

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-089

You might notice that I changed how I produced Winning English back in February. Originally I published a newsletter and a podcast, both using Substack. Since then, I’ve produced a newsletter, video, and podcast. The links to the videos and podcasts are in each newsletter.

Again, thank you all - new and loyal subscribers - for being part of Winning English. You make this all possible. As always, remember, if you like Winning English, please tell a friend. Talk soon!

Bill

Writer & host

Idioms, slang, and references to help your English shine!

07/16/2021

It's the 75th edition of Winning English! This time I have sayings and idioms for times in life when we're succeeding at tasks and goals and for times when that's not the case. Including:

• Above and beyond
• Go the extra mile
• Crushing it
• Kicking ass
• In a pickle
• Between a rock and a hard place
• Damned if you do, damned if you don't

And in the newsletter, I have additional content. This time I talk anniversaries. There are traditions associated with each anniversary, including particular materials for each one. Plus, there are particular - and very unusual - words for each anniversary derived for Latin. For example, this is the semisesquicentennial Winning English! 😄

Check it out at:

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-ed4

Photo by SuckerPunch Gourmet on Unsplash.com

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a like and a follow, sign up for the email newsletter, subscribe to YouTube channel, and most important of all, please tell a friend.

Thanks, and talk soon!

Bill
Writer & host, Winning English

Phrases for success and difficulties • Above and beyond • Go the extra mile • Crushing it • Kicking ass • In a pickle • Between a rock and a hard place • Damned if you do, damned if you don't

07/09/2021

As a fan of the science fiction - that is, made-up stories involving science and technology - I thought I'd focus my latest Winning English on vocabulary and sayings from that genre! (Plus I got to play with tech when making the video. 😎) This time includes:

• Cyber
• Android & robot
• Living in a parallel universe
• On the same wavelength
• It's not rocket science

And in the newsletter, I have additional content. This time I talk about one of my favorite episodes of the TV show "Star Trek", in which the humans and aliens can't communicate. The humans know the words, but the aliens only talk in idioms and cultural references. I guess Winning English could be useful with future aliens! 😁 Check it out at:

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-4b9

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a like and a follow, sign up for the email newsletter, subscribe to YouTube channel, and most important of all, please tell a friend.

Thanks, and talk soon! 🙏🏻

Bill
Writer & host, Winning English

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash.com

Science fiction and technology vocabulary and idioms • Cyber • Android • Robot • Living in a parallel universe • On the same wavelength • It's not rocket science • Darmok

07/02/2021

In the latest Winning English, I have another batch of euphemisms! Euphemisms are nice or indirect ways to be critical or to talk about uncomfortable things. We use them to be polite, to avoid hurting feelings, or sometimes to avoid telling the truth.

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

In this post/episode:

• It left a lot to be desired
• That's an interesting question
• In over your head
• Not the sharpest tool in the shed
• Blowing smoke
• Armed intervention
• Collateral damage
• Friendly fire
• Late
• Indisposed

And more!

Do you have a favorite euphemism? Let me know in the comments!

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-07c

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a like and a follow and, even more importantly, please tell a friend.

Thanks, and talk soon!
Bill
Writer & host, Winning English

More euphemisms! • A lot to be desired • Interesting question • In over your head • Not the sharpest tool • Blowing smoke • Armed intervention • Collateral damage • Friendly fire • Late • Indisposed

06/25/2021

In my latest edition of Winning English, I focus on a handful of slang words - some old ones that have lasted for decades and some new ones that might or might not last. I guess we'll all find out together!

Photo by Nigel Msipa on Unsplash.

Plus, I get to reference Batman, Aquaman, and the Justice League. Haven't been able to do that before. 😆

In this post/episode:

• Cool
• Hot
• Flex
• Cringe
• Ghost
• Epic
• Da bomb
• Bruh
• Dig it
• Spiked
• Crash
• I'm out

https://winningenglish.substack.com/.../winning-english...

Remember, if you like Winning English, please give me a follow and, even more importantly, please tell a friend.

Thanks, and talk soon!

Bill

Writer & host, Winning English

https://winningenglish.substack.com/p/winning-english-mastering-idioms-87b

Idioms, slang, and references to help your English shine!