In this Idioms Online video, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to react
to images and video clips that I come across in a natural way using English Idioms. As
I was making idioms videos for you, I was thinking about the process I use. Usually,
I write up what I'm going to say in the video and then I find images and clips to go with
the video. Hopefully, the visuals support what I'm saying or are at least fun or interesting.
Then it occurred to me that I should do a new kind of video. I should reverse the process.
Instead of deciding what I will say in the video in advance, and what examples I'm gonna
use for an idiom, I should look at images and video clips and then react to them using
idioms. So, that's what I'm going to do in this Idioms Online video. I'm going to look
at images or video clips and react as naturally as possible to them using real English idioms
and natural language. This way, you will hear English idioms being used by a native speaker
of English in a real way, and you can experience these images and clips with me as I go. After
I use an idiom, of course, I'll explain briefly about the idiom and what it means and why
I used it. I've never tried anything like this before so it will be a new experience
for me but hopefully, you like it and it helps you understand some English idioms used naturally
and off the cuff by a native speaker. 'Off the cuff' is an idiom that means saying
something without having prepared it in advance or without having memorized anything. So what
do you think? You think it's worth giving a try? I think it might be fun. So, with that
in mind, here's the first image. You know, there are a lot of people today just wrapping
themselves in the flag. When I saw the flag I couldn't help but think about what is going
on in America right now. To wrap yourself in the flag means to make an excessive show
of your patriotism, you know, especially for political ends. This is definitely an American
idiom. Oh yeah. A pile of tacos. And lots of cilantro. I am all about that. You know,
I love tacos and, unlike a lot of people, I love fresh cilantro. When we say, "I'm all
about that" or "I'm all about something" we mean that we really like it, we're enthusiastic
about it, or very interested in it, etc. I could have also said "I'm all about tacos"
or "I'm all about cilantro." This would be considered slang but it is also an idiom.
Is that phone even turned on? All I do is make phone calls and text. All those apps
on my phone are just bells and whistles. I do, admittedly, use the music app on my phone
but I have no interest in all the other stuff besides the basic functions. So, I called
all the extra apps bells and whistles. Bells and whistles are additional features that
are added to a product that are not essential to its basic function. Iused the idiom in
a slightly negative way but it can be positive or negative, I guess, depending on the context.
You might say something like "my new car is great. It has all the latest bells and whistles,"
and you mean this in a positive way. Or, you might say, "they haven't changed the product
at all. That's just a bunch of bells and whistles." You mean the product just has a bunch of useless
features meant to make it look more attractive or useful. Okay,, this burger is just ridiculous.
You can't even take a bite. That's really just beyond the pale. Not to give too much
away about myself but I have to admit that gluttony is something I can't abide very easily.
So, I called this giant burger, uh, 'beyond the pale.' Beyond the pale just means, unnacceptable,
indecent, or uncivilized. You're saying something is outside the bounds of acceptable behavior
and that probably is judgemental on my part but I'm just trying to react naturally to
these images. Also, what's with the whole tomatoes? I snuck another idiom in there.
What's with the whole tomatoes. I've never seen a cheeseburger served with whole tomatoes
on the side. Seems a bit odd as a garnish. So, when I said "what's with the tomatoes"
I meant basically, I don't understand it and it seems a little strange to me. I'm not necessarily
asking for an explanation. Um, I don't expect you to explain to me why people are putting
whole tomatoes beside hamburgers. Um, but if someone were to have one, well that would
be fine too. I wouldn't that would be fine, too. What's going on here? Oh, she's getting
a new tattoo. I'm not into tattoos for myself but I do appreciate them when they are good.
So I never got a tattoo because I'm not 'into' tattoos. To be into something means to be
interested in it and actively involved in it. You might be into snowboarding or horseback
riding. I'm into idioms and music and strength training. Really? He's just banging and flipping.
Did you hear the idiom? It was the word really. This is a quite new idiom, actually. If you
ever watch Saturday Night Live Seth Meyers had a segment on Weekend Update called 'Really?'
He was using the idiom. This one is hard to explain. It basically means "are you serious?
Is this supposed to be noteworthy or interesting? And in the case of the clip I was saying "am
I supposed to be impressed?" The person using this idiom thinks whatever they are reacting
to is absurd or silly. This is a very malleable idiom! It always has a bit of irritation and
sarcasm. Oh, hey that's Dave. He's always the life of the party that Dave. Yep. Good
old Dave. Okay, so his name is probably not Dave. But he's a wild an crazy guy you can
tell. The idiom I used to describe Dave is 'life of the party.' The life of the party
is a person who is very outgoing, uh, energetic, enthusiastic, amusing, you know, and entertaining.
It's the person who helps make the party fun and keeps the party going. And yes, that's
a pineapple party which I was not invited to. Oh, wait. Let's go back to Dave for a
moment. I used another idiom. I said "good old Dave." When we say 'good old' in front
of someone's name o in front of something we mean that they always do what you expect
and act reliably in a certain way. So, good old Dave. You can always depend on Dave to
be fun and friendly. This is a chiefly American idiom, um, as far as I know. Ah, last one
in is a rotten egg! That brings back memories. I think the idiom was easy to hear in that
one. 'Last one in is a rotten egg' This idiom is just something you blurt out to urge others
to join in and it's especially used in regards to jumping into water. It doesn't really have
any meaning. It's just a way to urge others to have fun. We used it all the time when
I was a kid when we were at the pool or swimming at the creek or a lake. You know, I thought
that would be the end of this idiom but it appears I have some bonus Idioms. I was looking
back through what I've recorded thus far, and it seems as if I used at a few idioms
without even realizing it at the time. You know, if anything, this shows how important
idioms are to our language and how important it is to understand idioms as a new English
learner. The number of idioms we use in daily conversation is staggering. Remember when
I was reacting to the tacos and I said: "Oh yeah, tacos!" Oh yeah is an idiom too. It's
often used as a question, to show doubt or surprise or interest in a conversation. "Hey,
I just got a date with a famous actress." "Oh yeah?" That would be doubt.The previous
idiom 'oh, really' can also be used to express doubt about something somebody just told you.
But it can also be used as an interjection just to show enthusiasm about something or
happy anticipation. For instance, I might say, "Oh yeah, my vacation starts tomorrow"
and I'm saying I'm really looking forward and excited about the fact that I'm going
to go on vacation tomorrow. Another variation is heck yeah or another word, h-e-l-l, but
I don't work blue. I also used the idiom 'to blurt out' in regards to 'last one in is a
rotten egg.' Blurt out is a phrasal verb and in case you have been confused about this,
yes, many, if not most, phrasal verbs are idioms. To blurt out can have several meanings.
It can me to suddenly say something without thinking, especially at the wrong time and
in front of the wrong people. It can also mean, as I used it, to say something suddenly
without much thought, which is exactly how we use last one in is a rotten egg: We just
blurt it out. It often has the sense of saying something that you probably should not say,
but, this is not always the case. My primary purpose is to do idioms so I'm not going to
analyze every single thing I said in the video. We'd be here all day. Oops, I used another
idiom! And I also said before without realizing it that I don't work blue. That was just a
joke but that's also an idiot. Anyway... I do want to point out a couple of important
moments where I used what is called a discourse marker. In particular the word okay, as in
when I said, "Okay, so his name is probably not Dave." And, I think I used it at least
one other time in the video. We use the word okay, which is also spelled just with two
letters O and K, quite often in English and it's also used in some idioms like' A-OK'
or 'give someone the OK.' Outside of idioms, the primary way it's used is to signal agreement.
If I say "Want to go out for some pizza" you might say "Okay," meaning yes. Okay can also
be used as an adjective to mean acceptable or alright. As in "What do you think we should
eat? Pizza?" "Sure, pizza's okay." However, okay is also used in a variety of other ways.
Here, I used it as a way of changing topics or moving on to a new part of a conversation.
Specifically, I used it to transition from one part of my video to the next. If I was
being formal I would have avoided this as these kinds of discourse markers should be
used sparingly in formal language. Hmm, I lost my train of thought. What was I going
to say? Well, I think that's a good place to end. I really hope you liked this idioms
reaction video and that it helped you understand some common English idioms. Please, let me
know what you think. And, as always, if you want more, please subscribe and hit the bell
notification icon. And, if you really did like the video, consider giving it a thumbs up
and sharing it with others you think may find it helpful