Idioms are a great way to add some color to your English! So let's learn some! My name is Toby,
this is SMASH English and here are five fantastic idioms for your B2 First Cambridge exam!
If you "cut to the chase" you say the most important thing that you want to say
without adding unnecessary detail. Oh, uh, Toby, mate? Uh yeah... I was just wondering... I was
just thinking about whether.... It would be possible ,um, if you could maybe...
Uh... Bruce, shut up! Cut to the chase. Okay. I've run out of money and I've run out of
beer so can you please give me some money to buy a beer? Jesus! No. Oh well thanks a lot!
Remember this is quite informal. If you tell someone to cut to the chase it's rude. However you
could say "I will cut to the chase" before making your point. And this isn't rude. In fact you are
trying to save the time of the person you are speaking to. And that's a very nice thing to do.
I have never seen a blue moon because everybody knows that the moon is white and not blue. So
the idiom once in a blue moon means "never". NO! "Once in a blue moon" means very rarely.
Why? I don't know. How often do you have your hair cut? Once in a blue moon. Yeah that's obvious. I
mean, look at that! That is disgusting! Use this idiom in your informal writing
or in conversation. Use "once in a blue moon" to replace "rarely". Yes.
It is impossible to be in two minds because every human being only has one mind. And each human
being cannot enter the mind of another. And that is science. Oh thanks, Science! I love Science!
But if you are in two minds it means you are undecided,
you do not know what to do. Toby! Wow! You look so good today! What are you going to do this weekend?
I don't know. I am in two minds. I might stay at home on my own
or I might go for a walk on my own. Yeah, I have no friends and uh I wish I were joking.
Yeah honestly I have no idea where this idiom comes from. But "in a nutshell" is an idiomatic
way to say "in a few words". We use it when we want to summarize something. So, in a nutshell,
you should use "in a nutshell" when you want to summarize what you have already said
or when you want to say something in as few words as possible. But remember we do not use idioms in
formal writing so do not use "in a nutshell" to introduce your conclusion when writing your essay.
Do not use in a nutshell when writing a report or a formal letter. However "in a nutshell" is
a great idiom to use when writing an article or a review or an informal letter or in conversation!
Yes! So remember "in a nutshell" is another way to say "to summarize".
The noun "a clue" means the same thing as "a hint". It is a small
piece of information to help you understand the answer to something. For example I
am thinking of a word. What is it? Uh, no idea, Toby. Give me a clue. It begins with an "S".
SMASH? Yes, Bruce you got it all thanks to my great clue!
Thank you, Toby for the clue. It was very helpful. If you don't have a clue or haven't got a clue
it means you have no idea. You don't know. Oh hi, Bruce. Can you guess who is my favorite person in
the world? Uh... me? No. Okay... Monica, I don't have a clue. It's me obviously! Marvellous! And
there we have it! Those were five idioms for you to use in your B2 First Cambridge exam!
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