Hi there, everybody. This is Harry and welcome back to my advanced English lessons with Harry.
So at the end of this lesson, I'm going to give you my address and contact details should you need
them. And if you want to contact me, you can do so for extra information or indeed, if you want
to have lessons on a one-to-one basis. Okay, so enough of that. Let's get into the lesson. So what
are we going to talk about today? Well, today's advanced English lesson is relating to idioms and
their idioms related to problems and difficulties that you might have. So advanced English idioms
relating to problems and difficulties. Okay, let's go through them one by one.
The first one - at your wit's end. When you're at your wit's end, that means, really, you don't
know what to do. You've tried everything. Nothing seems to work. You're running around in circles,
you're not sure how you're going to get out of this problem? How are you going to deal with
this particular difficulty? You're literally at your wit's end. So you're talking to a friend and
you're saying, Look, I, I've tried everything, I've tried the bank, but they won't lend me any
more money. I've even asked my parents and I don't really like asking them, but you know,
they're pensioners. So they don't have a lot of free cash. I'm really at my wit's end,
I'm not sure what to do. And your friend says, Well, look, I'll help you, I'll give you a bit
of money for it, we'll help you till the end of the month, and then you get something sorted
out. Because it's really, really, I don't really like to ask them, it's not a problem,
just leave it with me. And we'll get it sorted out. So to be at your wit's end,
not knowing what to do, or who to turn to, to help you with the particular problem.
To be grasping or clutching at straws. Now, grasping and clutching really mean the same
thing to grasp something with your hand to clutch, something to grab at it. So when you're grasping,
or clutching at straws, you're really hoping anything, anything that will help you to get
through a problem. Okay, so you're you might have a particular difficulty in relation to money,
which usually is the root of all of our problems, and you're not quite sure how you're
going to resolve the issue. So you, you ask your partner, and he or she doesn't have any money,
you ask your parents and again, they don't want to or they can't lend the money to you. The bank is a
no go because you've already got a loan there. So the last thing you think of is to ask your boss,
can he advance you some money from next month's salary, and that's a real no-no, because that's a
slippery slope. So if you're at that particular situation, you're really grasping at straws,
clutching at straws, trying to think of something that will get you out of that particular problem.
So grasping, clutching at straws usually means the last thing you can think of, you know,
you've tried everything else, nothing else is working. And this is your last attempt, you're
grasping or clutching at straws. Like somebody struggling in quicksand where they're sinking,
they are grabbing onto anything that they will try and pull up but even grasp at straws, it usually
breaks in your hands. So usually grasping at straws, means that it's a futile or attempt that's
going to fail. So when you're grasping at straws, or clutching at straws, you really know that it's
really not going to work, but you've got to try something. Okay. So yeah, you could be in college,
and you've missed a couple of weeks because of illness and you haven't kept up with your course,
you've got the exam coming in, you've got to do that document that has to be submitted as
part of your assessment. You go to the teacher, and you say or the lecturer and you say, Look,
I'm really sorry, I really need a couple of more weeks to get it done. And the lecturer says,
Look, I tell you what I'll do, I'll give you an extra two days, I'll give the extra
two days to everybody. But if you don't get it done in those two days, I'm sorry,
you're going to fail that particular assignment. So you're really clutching at straws, you're
grasping at any particular opportunity to try and get yourself out of that particular difficulty.
To go south. When something goes south we usually point downwards that's it is south,
you know, wherever you happen to be on the map up there, it's going to be north and down there. It's
going to be self and when we say that things go south, it usually means that things go from bad
to worse. Everything in my life has gone south. My relationship is on the rocks. I don't enjoy
my job anymore. The money is terrible. I'm paying more rent than I really should. More difficulties
piling up on each other one after another so that it looks like everything in my life has gone south
so you're really feeling depressed really feeling a little bit sorry for yourself. And in that
situation, you can say yeah, everything's gone south, so it's gone bad or it's gone, went from
bad to worse and you can foresee the future not being such a happy place to be. Okay? Generally,
things can go south when the economy is in a bit of difficulty. And you could have a period
of high inflation, you can have a period of high interest rates, you can have a period of
high unemployment. And when generally everybody looks around, they can see,
yep, the economy looks like it's going south, we're going to be in for a difficult period,
you have to fasten your seat belts hold on tight, because it's going to be a rough ride for the next
six months or 12 months. So that's generally how it might be described in the newspapers,
or on the internet or on the TV channel. So when everything looks as if it's going south, nothing
is working out. Everything is going from bad to worse. The performance of your football team could
be going south, you know, they won a couple of games at the beginning of the season, everything
looked good. But as the weeks went by, the results got worse and worse, a couple of drawers followed
by five or six losses. The star player injured. Yeah, everything's going from bad to worse.
In hot water, well, hot water is not something you want to stand in, because you'll burn your feet,
quite literally. So when you're in hot water, it means you're in some difficulty. And usually
we can be in hot water, because let's say we forgot our wife or our husband's birthday. Now
you're going to be in hot water. When you get home, and you don't have the flowers,
you don't have the chocolate or there's no present on the tables. Yeah, you're really going to be
in hot water. You could be in hot water with your boss, because you forgot to complete that account
that he was looking for. And the customer has been aren't complaining. And your boss is really on the
warpath. And you're going to be in hot water when you get into the office on Monday. But what can
you do about it now it's Saturday. And you're just going to have to face the music as they
say. And when you go in and Monday yet, you know you're going to be in hot water, you're going to
be in hot water with your left lecture because you forgot to put in the paper on time. And you've got
to ask him for a couple of extra days in order to complete it. So you're in hot water with him.
So generally, when you're in hot water, you're in some difficulty because something has gone wrong,
and somebody is going to be a little bit annoyed with you. So in hot water with the wife because
you forgot the birthday in hot water with the past because you forgot to finish that account for the
customer. And then hot water with your lecture because you forgot to complete the assignment
and you needed an extra couple of days, hot water burns your feet. So be really, really careful.
To have your back to the wall. Well, when you have your back to the wall,
there's no further place you can go because you're you're in retreat and and yet you come up against
a wall. And when your backs to the wall, what can you do? Yeah, you got to face the problems
that you have. It could be any situation, you know, it's a metaphorical situation. Of course,
you know, you don't literally have your back to the war. But it's as if you have no escape,
you've you've forgotten to do something, you kept putting it on the long finger,
you've procrastinated. And now, when you look at the calendar and see that well, actually,
this is the end of the month, it's the last day, your backs to the wall, because if you don't get
it completed, now, well, then you're not going to be able to send out the invoice. And of course,
you're not going to be able to get the fees. And then of course the boss will want to know
why the account hasn't been completed. Okay, so yeah, you're back to the wall. So you ask your
colleagues, can they help you. And luckily, one or two of them, we're able to stay behind help you to
finish it. But that's the last time so you got to make sure in future that you get everything
done on time or in a timely fashion. So you don't have your back to the wall. So anytime you have
your back is to the wall, it means you're in a difficult situation, there's no you can't
go back any further. You have to go forward and to go forward and you have to complete the task
that you have. So when our back's to the wall, we find out what we're made of we find out are
we able to deal with problems, are we able to deal with difficult situations, and you really
know how good you are. When your back's to the wall, you really know who which friends you have.
When your back's to the wall, you really know how people support you. When your back's to the wall.
So catch 22 It really means you're a bit like your back's to the wall or there's another expression
here between a rock and a hard place. And when you're in between a rock and a hard place. It
looks as if you've got nowhere to turn or if you do turn the situation is as bad as the
previous situation. So in a catch 22 It's really really difficult. For example, you can't get a
job because you don't have experience. Okay? And if you don't have experience,
you can't get a job. So what happens okay, I need a job to get experience, but they won't
give it to you and without experience, I can't get the job. So it's a real catch 22 situation,
particularly for people leaving university, they've had all of the academic experience.
But when it comes to practical experience, they have very, very little of it perhaps a few summer
jobs or some work experiences a week here a week there, which really, really doesn't help. Well,
we're looking for somebody with a little bit of practical experience. Okay, well,
how can I get practical experience? If you won't give me the job? Okay, well,
we can't give you the job without some experience. So you go round in circles.
Okay. So that's a classic example of a catch 22 situation. In fact, catch 22 is a really,
really good book. And it was a really good movie, as far as I remember, it goes back a long way,
but worth getting hold of the book and reading it, because it's a very, very good story. Catch 22.
Okay, next a can of worms. Well, a can of worms is a real real problem. If you can imagine the
tin can, okay, tin can make a can of beans, but empty, okay. And then, when you open the can
and the worms in it, they get everywhere, try putting those back, it's impossible. Okay. So
if you take the lid off a can of worms, they go everywhere. So when something is a can of worms,
it's impossible to work it out, it's impossible to put it back. So you have to be really,
really careful when you get involved with a problem. That is not a can of worms,
because it is a can of worms, you're going to have a terrible, terrible job, trying to figure it out,
trying to make things work out properly. And correctly a real can of worms. So we could
use this, when we're describing. Perhaps it's a family problem. So look, I don't want to go there,
I don't want to get involved. It's a real can of worms. Once I start talking to one family member,
somebody else will get involved. And before you know it, I'm going to be in the middle of it,
I'm going to be blamed, I'm going to be expected to sort it out. So no, let them solve their own
problems out. It's a real can of worms. So if you've got friends, a couple could be a brother,
it could be a sister could be a best friend. And they got relationship problems with a partner.
Not so good to get involved because that is a real can of worms, or a particular job that
you've been asked to look. After in work, your boss gives it to you. And your colleague says,
Oh, he's given that to you! Oh, I wouldn't touch it. That's a real can of worms. That's the most
difficult customer we've had, nobody's been able to solve that everybody's had a problem with it.
So I'm not surprised has given it to you, they usually give it to the new person to see what
they can make of it. So yes, something that's a real can of worms. Once you take the lid off,
and the worms come out, you can't put them back without great, great difficulty. Can of worms.
A vicious circle. Well, we know what a circle is. A vicious vicious circle is something that
goes round and round, and no end. So one problem after another one problem leads on to the other.
And it just goes round and round and circles. And you don't see any entry because a circle has no
end. So it's a vicious circle. The boss wants this done, the customer wants it done that way
accounts don't want it done until the customer pays the outstanding fee, the customer won't
pay the outstanding fee, because he wants this work done. The boss wants you to look
after the customer. Yeah, you guessed it, it's a vicious, vicious circle, it goes round and round.
To think on your feet. Well, when you think on your feet, it's when you don't really have
things planned out. Or you're put on the spot by somebody. And you really have to come up with an
answer very quickly. So you have to literally think on your feet while you're sitting.
While while you're standing there. You have to come up with some solution. So in some cases, it's
easy to say okay, look, give me a couple of days to think about it. And I'll come back to you with
an answer. If I can help you, that would be the sensible thing to do. But sometimes somebody is
sitting there say, Well, look, we need an answer. And we need an answer now. And yourself. Well,
give me give me a minute and you have to think of something, hopefully, something comes to your
mind that will be able to solve the problem or even in a short period of time and buy you some
time to get the problem sorted out over a longer period. So for example, if you don't want to go
to somebody's wedding, because you don't really like the people or you don't want to go to the
party because you don't like them and you get an invitation. You have to think on your feet. Okay,
what can I what excuse can I make up for a reason for not going okay, you think on your feet,
you come up with an answer or an excuse really, really quickly. And that's to think on your feet.
And then finally, to have one of these lightbulb moments thing. It's almost like a light bulb goes
off on your In your head, okay, so when you're scratching your head trying to
come up with some solution to a problem, or you're trying to think of some new strategy
or to come up with some bright idea, you're just sitting there and then suddenly thing,
this little light goes off in your head. Ah, that's actually that that
would actually work. So you set out a bit of paper, you're thinking about it. And yeah,
you've got the seed of an idea. So a lightbulb moment is something that you hadn't thought of
before. And it comes to you while you're either having a shower, or having a cup of coffee or
you're sitting watching the TV in the evening. Just a little ding goes off and you have a quiet
little smile to yourself thinking, yeah, that's what we'll do. Okay, so a lightbulb moment. Okay.
So those are all idioms, they are quite difficult idioms relating to problems and difficulties in
your life in work, whatever it might be. Okay, let me go through them one more time, to be at
your wit's end. grasping at straws. Everything or something goes south to be in hot water. Have
your back to the wall, catch 22 situation. A can of worms, a vicious circle to think on your feet
or having to think on your feet. And finally to have one of those lightbulb moments, something
that we'd all like to have thing, okay. All right. So, idioms related to problems and difficulties,
advanced English idioms. Okay. As I said before, if you want to practice those, please do if you
have any difficulties with them, or you need to have more examples and you can contact me and you
can do that on www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Always happy to hear from you. If you have any
questions, any issues or concerns where you want to try and improve your English well, just drop
me a line and I'll see how I can help you as always, really, really appreciate your joining
us for watching all of these lessons. And if we can help you we will. Okay, join me again soon.