Hey, RealLifers! So, many of my students ask me "Where's the best place to start
learning new vocabulary?" My answer? Probably right at home.
So today I'm going to teach you some important vocabulary around the home
as well as some interesting idiomatic expressions related to
objects in the home. For example, do you know the difference between a photograph and a portrait?
Well, a photograph can be an image of absolutely anything, while a portrait, on the other hand,
is usually an image of a person or animal through sculpture, photograph or painting
or even other artistic media. But before we get started with today's lesson, if this is
your first time joining us, welcome. Each week we create lessons to help English learners go from
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All right. So the vocabulary we're going to learn today is quite important because
you're going to encounter these objects at some point. For example, this is a sofa or a couch
and a great expression with the word couch is to be a couch potato,
which means to lazily watch tv all day instead of going out and getting exercise.
For example, he had a busy week at work, so this weekend he'll stay home and be a couch potato.
So this is a coffee table and you'll usually find it in the middle of a lounge or living room area.
And a great expression you can use related to tables is to bring something to the table,
which means to benefit or contribute to a group. For example, during the meeting,
he was nervous because he wasn't sure if he could bring something valuable to the table.
So down here we have a rug and you might be wondering "What's the difference between a
carpet and a rug?" Well, a carpet is similar, but it covers the entire floor of a room while
a rug is much smaller and it only covers a certain area. A great expression you can learn related to
rugs is to sweep something under the rug. Which means to hide or ignore something.
A similar expression might be "to cover something up". For example, during the job interview,
he tried to sweep his past mistakes under the rug. Over here we have the piano. And these black and
white things right here are known as the piano keys. So the black ones would be the ebony and
the white ones would be ivory, like the famous song by Stevie Wonder and Sir Paul McCartney.
A great expression you could use related to a piano is to tickle the ivories. Which
means to play the piano. So I know not everyone has a piano at home,
but why not let me know down in the comments what are some uncommon household items that
you have in your home? And why not also add an encouraging message to the rest of the community?
So over here we have an easel, which is what holds a canvas while you're painting. And, in this case,
the easel is holding this beautiful painting right here. A great expression you can learn
related to paint is that "something is as exciting as watching paint dry", which means that that
activity is quite boring or dull. Another great expression related to paint is that "a picture
paints a thousand words", which means that a picture can express something way more clearly
than words can. For example, his boss told him that a good presentation should contain
more graphics and less text, since the picture paints a thousand words.
So, over here we have a dining table and it's where you would commonly have meals.
Another great expression you can use related to tables is "to turn the tables",
which means to reverse the situation to your benefit. For example, she played badly at first,
but then she turned the tables on her opponent. So another great expression related to tables is
"to do something under the table", which doesn't literally mean to do an activity under the table,
but it does mean to do something in secret or to do something unofficially. For example, the man
might be arrested because he accepted payments under the table. So I mentioned a couch earlier,
but over here we have a chair and a nice expression you could use related to a chair
is "to nearly fall off your chair", which means to react to something with great surprise
or shock. So something that nearly always makes me fall of my chair is how expensive it is to
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So this is a hand basin and this is the tap or faucet.
So an expression you could use is to "turn on the waterworks", which means to start crying.
For example, little kids often turn on the waterworks whenever they want attention.
Another cool expression is "to wash your hands clean of something or someone", which means to no
longer be involved with that person or that thing, or to no longer want to take responsibility for it
or them. For example, my neighbors are really mean and I cannot wait to move to a new city
so I can wash my hands clean of them. So here is the bathtub and a nice idiomatic expression that
you could use is "to throw the baby out with the bath water", which means to get rid of something
good or valuable along with something bad or something that you no longer want or need.
For example, just because you don't get what you want from people, does not mean you should
end communication with them, because that would just be throwing the baby out with the bathtub".
This right here is the toilet and of course you guys know what this is used for, but this pot
up here is used to flush the toilet, which means to get rid of what is inside the toilet. So the
expression I want to teach you today is "to watch something go down the toilet", which means to
watch that thing be wasted, spoiled or ruined. And this expression is quite similar to another one
which is "to watch something go down the drain" it has exactly the same meaning. And for those of you
who don't know what a drain is, it's the part of a shower, bathtub or basin where the water
is removed. For example, since the new CEO took over, the company is going down the toilet.
So, over here we have the shower. And a great expression you could use related to showering
is "to shower someone with something." So, you could shower someone with praise or with gifts
and this means to give that person a lot of that particular thing.
So now we're in the bedroom and an expression with the word bed would be "to make your bed",
which literally means to tidy your bed after you've been sleeping in it, but "to make your bed
and lie in it" means to accept the consequences of your actions. "He chose not to stop and ask
for directions and now he's lost. He made his bed and now he must lie in it." Another cool
expression would be "to wake up on the wrong side of the bed". Now, this doesn't literally mean to
wake up on either side of the bed, it means to wake up feeling grumpy and not really positive
or yourself. For example, "You'd better avoid the boss today, she got up on the wrong side of the
bed this morning." So, these are blinds and they control how light or dark it is in a room. And
these are curtains, which basically do the same thing. A nice expression to know about curtains is
"to bring the curtain down", which means to bring something to an end. For example, "After they
had a fight, the couple decided to bring down the curtain on their argument and go to bed instead."
So, right now I'm in the kitchen and a common expression you might hear
related to the kitchen is "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
And what this means is that if you cannot handle the pressure and difficulties of a situation,
it's probably better to leave it to someone who can.
So over here we have the kitchen sink. And a common expression you might hear is "to use
everything but the kitchen sink", which means to use everything imaginable. You could also say
"to bring everything but the kitchen sink", which means to bring a lot of things or to bring
everything that you possibly can. For example, they went away for only a few days, but they
packed everything but the kitchen sink. And over here we have water, which I will use to do the
dishes and this water is called dishwater. Another cool expression you could use is to say that
"someone or something is as dull as dishwater", which means that they are very boring or dull.
So this part over here is called the stove and we use it for cooking and this part right here is the
oven and we usually use it for baking or roasting. And a common expression you will hear for the
oven is to have a bun in the oven, which means that someone is pregnant or expecting a baby.
So right here we have a kettle and then we have a pot. And an expression that combines these two
items is "the pot calling the kettle black" and what that means is someone criticizing someone
else for something they themselves are guilty of. For example, "I can't believe that you are
upset because I was late, when you were late last night! That is the pot calling the kettle black".
And then an expression related to the pot is to "stir the pot", which means to cause trouble.
So there you have it. Useful expressions related to items in the home. Do you remember all of the
expressions we went through today? Well, not to worry, because we put together a free downloadable
pdf worksheet that you can access by clicking on the link in the description below. I hope that you
learned something new today. And if you enjoyed this lesson, then why not watch this one next: