American English Grammar Review
Education:Language Learning
Idioms! Beyond The Pale and Big Shot! American English with Billgreen54
Would you like to help support better English around the world? You can support this podcast and more with a small contribution at https://ko-fi.com/billgreen54 American English grammar review with Billgreen54. Idioms! Always a fun subject! Hey, today let's start out with beyond the pale, beyond or outside the limits of morally or socially acceptable behavior. An example is Hey, that remark Jerry made wasn't simply import taste, it was beyond the pale. In other words, it wasn't very nice. Another example, Ron received an invitation to dinner and didn't have the decency to let his hosts know he wouldn't be able to attend. I think that kind of behavior is beyond the pale. In other words, it's not very nice or not very socially acceptable. The word pay all in this expression should not be confused with the adjective meaning colorless, here, pale means all regions surrounded by a paling or fence and ruled by a governing body. in British history. The Pale was the area in and around Dublin, Ireland, which was colonized and ruled by the English. beyond the pale was anything outside this area to the English This was synonymous with being outside law and order. In other words, outside civilization. Here's another fun one: big cheese, an important powerful or influential person. An example: Hey, you can tell he's the Big Cheese in this city because everyone listens to what he says. Even the mayor. Another example, she must really think she's a big cheese. She speaks to her co-workers as if they were her servants. Some synonyms to Big Cheese, his big wig, he or she is a big wig. Big Shot. She thinks she's a big shot, right? or a big wheel. Hey, he thinks he thinks he's a big wheel. Or Hey, he is the head honcho that might have a little bit of a negative meaning or connotation. Here's a fun one big fish in a small pond. It's all about a person who is considered important primarily because the place or setting is small. I accepted a teaching position in a small village overseas because I'll have responsibilities that I wouldn't be able to get for years in a big city. I like the idea of being a big fish in a small pond. Another example, Diane was a big fish in a small pond in her hometown. But when she moved to New York City, nobody knew who she was. She was a big fish in a small pond when she was in her hometown. Here's one you often hear: big shot and important, powerful or influential person. The company's big shots are getting free trips to Hawaii this year. Another example: Hey, now that you've been made a vice president, you're really a big shot, aren't you? The synonyms to that are some that I've just mentioned, big wheel. Big wig Big Cheese head honcho, another one could be heavyweight. The expression big shot is often used sarcastically or despairingly. So be careful with that if you say, hey, that person's a big shot, or that person thinks he or she is a big shot. It's normally used in a negative way. Hey, I hope you enjoyed today's lesson American English grammar review with Billgreen54. Thanks for listening! Would you like to help support better English around the world? You can support this podcast with a small contribution at https://ko-fi.com/billgreen54 ESL Teacher Billgreen54 shares American English at its best! Pronunciation, Intonation, Spelling, Grammar Rules! It's all here in this special podcast! Our English lessons are easy to understand! Our podcast is created for Native English speakers as well as ESL students! Whether you are studying English as a second language or as a refresher! Have fun with English! Would you like to help support better English around the world? You can support this podcast and more with a small contribution at https://ko-fi.com/billgreen54 Watch and learn from our channel at https://www.youtube.com/americanenglish2020 More English resources at https://www.larisaenglishclub.com/ Contact Billgreen54 at https://www.larisaweb.com/contact-larisa-web-today/
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