Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to my advanced English lessons where I try to
help you to get a better understanding of the English language.
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So today's lesson is about advanced English Idioms to describe a person or to describe
people.
So I'll go through them as I always do in the line.
I have 15 of them today.
And I'll come back and I'll give you some examples of them and hopefully, then you'l
l be able to understand exactly what they mean and who they might apply to.
As these are all about people, you might know people in your life to whom these expressions
apply.
Okay, so let's start pain in the neck.
A party animal, a big mouth, a happy camper, jack of all trades, slave driver, down to
earth, bossy boots, smart cookie, eager beaver, cheapskate, party pooper, couch potato, somebody
I think most people know but that couch potato, wet blanket, cool as a cucumber.
Cu... cool as a cucumber.
Okay, let me go through them with you and give you some examples.
So when somebody is a pain in the neck, it means they really annoy us.
Now, we can be a little more rude about it and say he's a pain in the arse or pain in
the neck.
But it's just somebody who aggravates or annoys us.
Oh, he's such a pain in the neck!
Always just when I'm going home, he gives me some extra work to do and I'm always late
for my bus.
He's a real pain in the neck.
A party animal while a party animal is somebody who likes to party.
Oh, yeah, that guy he's out every Friday, Saturday.
If he could, if there was party on, he'd be out on a Sunday as well.
He always comes in to work on a Monday completely wrecked.
Always tired.
He's a real party animal, he... he lives for his parties.
I'm jealous actually.
Party animal.
Big Mouth.
Well, it can be physical, yeah, a big mouth.
But a big mouth as somebody who cannot keep his mouth shut.
He likes to talk.
And particularly if he's got secrets.
Or what he thinks the secrets, he likes to tell everybody.
Don't tell Jack mean...
Jack will tell everybody, he's such a big mouth.
Nothing I tell him is going to be a secret.
Believe me.
You tell him, it will be all around the office, all around the university before you know
it.
He's such a big mouth.
Oh, you, you use such a big mouth!
Why couldn't you keep it to yourself?
I told you not to tell anybody.
Big mouth.
Happy camper.
Well, a happy camper would be somebody who can go and camp when it's not raining.
So yeah, if you've ever been camping, and it rains, you'll know what that means.
So when the sun shines, you're a happy camper.
But in reality, a happy camper is an expression we use when somebody is just happy because
something is gone right.
His team won at the weekend, he is a real happy camper today.
Or he gets his bonus or he gets his promotion.
Or he's on holidays.
Huh, you're a real happy camper!
Yeah, I can see it in your face.
You're jumping with joy.
Happy camper, somebody who's happy about anything, any particular good news that he gets.
He doesn't have to work.
He got the bonus.
His wife had the baby, whatever it might be.
Yep, he's a happy camper.
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Jack of all trades.
Well, we use this expression to describe somebody who's particularly good with the hands and
can do almost anything and everything.
Ah, he's a jack of all trades.
You wait until he gets that house ready.
He'll do all the wiring for the electricity himself.
He'll put up shelves, he'll instal the burglar alarms.
He'll hang the lights, the new light shades.
He can do absolutely anything.
If you ever have a problem.
Just give him a call.
He loves doing it.
So that will never be a problem.
He's a real jack of all trades.
He's an electrician.
He's a carpenter.
He's a plumber.
Yeah.
And he's an all round good guy.
A jack of all trades.
Slave driver.
Well, this is a real negative word here slave driver.
Slave driver is somebody who pushes people all the time.
He never gives them a moment when they finish one job, he wants to do another one.
When they're halfway through a job, he's standing behind them, ask them, have they finished
yet?
Have they finished yet?
When somebody goes to lunch, and even if they're five minutes late, he's checking up as to
where they've been.
So he's a real slave driver.
So it's a very negative way to be described.
Now, down to earth, the next one.
When we describe somebody as down to earth, it means they've got no airs and graces about
them.
What you see is what you get, they don't try to be something that they're not, they don't
pretend to be somebody different.
Okay?
He's a real down to earth guy, he'll tell you right to your face, what he thinks about
it.
You might not like to hear it, you're but he will always give you his opinion.
And it will be an honest opinion.
He's a real down to earth guy.
Now, this could be either positive or negative.
Depends on what you think.
If you don't like hearing the truth, well, then you might regard it as being a little
bit negative.
But if you don't mind and you've liked the honesty that people shown us, it's not always
that that we get well then yes, it would be positive.
So perhaps it's probably more neutral.
So a real down to earth guy.
Bossy boots.
Well, this is definitely negative.
Bossy boots.
Is somebody who likes telling people what to do.
Oh, you're such a bossy boots.
You're my little sister.
But you know, why do you keep telling me what to do?
I should be telling you what to do.
Don't you be telling me to do this and do that, or you will tell Mum, I will tell Dad.
You're a real little bossy boots.
My daughter she was a bossy boots when she was young.
She used to give my two sons a terrible time.
Yeah, a real bossy boots.
So really negative.
A smart cookie.
Okay, when somebody is a smart cookie, it means they're intelligent.
They're bright.
They're alert.
Yeah, he's a smart cookie, he is going to go far.
I mean, just give him any particular problem to do with it.
And he has it sorted out in no time at all.
He's a real smart cookie.
So very positive aspect of it... somebody's personality.
An eager beaver.
Another way of describing somebody in a positive way an eager beaver is somebody who's always
willing, or always able to do something.
He gets into work at 7:30.
He can't wait to start.
He's a real eager beaver.
When he was at school, he used to get home, run home, get his homework done.
Get his football kit, get out and train.
A real eager beaver, always on the go.
Eager beaver.
Eager to help, eager to please, eager to get things done.
Lots and lots of energy, couldn't sit still for a moment.
Eager beaver.
A cheapskate.
Well, this is definitely negative, anything to do with cheap.
When somebody is a cheapskate, it means they don't like or won't spend money.
Or they... what they do spend is on something the cheapest they can get.
And of course, when you get the cheapest, usually what happens you have to repeat and
you have to spend more money later because the thing you bought doesn't last five minutes.
Oh, he's such a cheapskate when it comes to presents.
He always buys the same thing at the discount stores.
You know, you can tell by the labels that it's.... it's.... it's secondhand or it's
some disused or finished line.
He means well, but he's a real cheapskate and most of the time when he gives you a present,
it's something you don't really want.
Yeah.
So it's not something really good.
So he's a cheapskate, he doesn't like to spend money.
He is... he is a cheapskate when it comes to his clothes.
He buys a lot of his clothes in the charity shops.
I know it's okay, and the money goes to charity.
But really, I don't think he's bought a new shirt or a new pair of trousers for all the
years that I've known him.
He's a real cheapskate.
He's probably got lots and lots of money in the bank.
Cheapskate.
So a real negative meaning of negative reference.
A party pooper.
This would also be negative party.
Pooper is somebody who would be the opposite of the party animal.
Party pooper is somebody will always find an excuse not to go to a party that he's been
invited to.
Don't mind him.
He's such a party pooper.
If you're invited him, he'll stay for half an hour and then he'll make up some excuse.
And he'll go he just doesn't like parties.
He's real introvert.
So where are you going?
You've only just got here.
I...
I hate to be the party pooper but I really have to go.
I don't feel well.
Or I hate to be the party pooper, but I've got to get up for work in the morning and
I really need an early night.
So a party pooper somebody who won't stay long at the party, who after an hour or so
leaves the party or indeed will find some excuse not to go to the party party pooper.
So negative.
Now, this one most people know and most people have heard of it.
A couch potato.
The couch is the sofa The place where we sit.
And when you're a couch potato, you're... you vegetate you, you just sit on the sofa,
watching TV all day.
Oh, that husband of mine!
I joined the gym, I asked him to come with me.
No, he said he was too busy.
But every time I come home, and I know where I'll find him, he'll be sitting, or lying
on the sofa watching the TV.
And if he's not watching the TV, the TV will be on, and he'll be asleep.
He's a real couch potato.
Of course, he works hard all day.
But really, I would love it if he could come to the gym with me, or we could go cycling
together.
But he's not into sports or into activities as a real couch potato.
A wet blanket.
Well, a wet blanket is not fun.
I mean, if you want to go to sleep, and you have your sheets and your blankets, you'd
like them to be warm and cosy.
And a wet blanket is not going to make you feel warm and cosy.
When somebody is a wet blanket, they destroy everything.
So if there's a fire in the house, people will just get a wet blanket, and they will
throw it on the fire and it will kill the flames.
So that's a positive.
But if you describe somebody as a wet blanket, it means they dampen or put out the flames
in every situation.
So if the party is going really, really well, and everybody's singing and dancing, and then
along comes this guy, and he starts telling negative stories or is in a mood and suddenly,
the atmosphere just dies.
Why is such a wet blanket, come on and join, join in the fun, everybody's having a good
time.
Don't feel like it didn't have such a good day.
And yeah, that's a wet blanket.
Or you go for a picnic to the local park with your friends.
And everybody's getting up playing with the Frisbee, playing a bit of volleyball, having
a bit of fun.
This guy is sitting there.
And when they ask him, does he want to join in?
No, I'm okay, I'll just stay here.
No, I'm okay, you're fine, you go off and play.
I think I'll go in a few minutes.
A real wet blanket, somebody who kills the atmosphere, destroys the atmosphere, and it
puts everybody else in a bad mood, even though they may have been in a good mood at the beginning.
A wet blanket, so really negative.
And then finally, cool as a cucumber.
Well, you know, if you pick up a cucumber, it feels nice and cool, no matter what time
of the day or the year you you have it.
So you've either kept it in the fridge, so it's going to be really cool.
Or you pick it out of the cool part of the refrigerator in the supermarket.
So when somebody is as cool as a cucumber, they're very steady.
They don't get upset or excited or anxious very easily.
So they're a real good guy or person to have around when there's a problem.
Okay?
Don't worry Sam's there.
He's as cool as a cucumber.
He'll handle this problem, no problem at all.
Just tell him what you want.
He's get it sorted.
So Sam will go up to the hotel, and he'll explain to them why we really need to have
a room even though we haven't booked or if we're trying to get a reservation for a restaurant
and we forgot to book it, he'll go up cool as a cucumber to the person tell them look,
we meant to make a reservation, we won't be too late, but we really liked to have a table
for four.
And yet, you've guessed it, he'll always will always get that table.
So he's as cool as a cucumber.
As cool as a cucumber.
When there's a...
some stress as cool as a cucumber.
When everybody else is anxious.
As cool as a cucumber when we need a cool head in a difficult situation.
So it's very positive to be referred to us.
Cool as a cucumber.
Okay, so they're the... the idioms, the advanced idioms that we use to describe people.
Let me give them to you one more time.
As I said, some of them are positive and others are negative.
A pain in the neck - negative.
A party animal - positive.
Big mouth - negative.
Happy camper - positive.
Jack of all trades - very differently positive.
Slave driver - negative.
Down to earth - neutral.
Bossy boots - negative.
Smart cookie - positive.
Eager beaver - positive.
Cheapskate - negative.
Party pooper - negative.
Couch potato - negative.
Wet blanket - also negative.
And then cool as a cucumber will end on a positive note.
Cool as a cucumber.
Okay, I'm really happy that you've joined me.
Try and practice those, see who they relate to the people that you know in your circle.
If you need any further help, let me know.
This is Harry signing off.
See you again soon