Cocktail

Cock - adult male bird/chicken
tail - the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body.
Cocktail - any of various short mixed drinks, consisting typically of gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, or brandy, with different admixtures, as vermouth, fruit juices, or flavorings, usually chilled and frequently sweetened.

Do you want a doggy bag to take the rest of your pizza home?

Keychains

The Devil's Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared mysteriously. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal or activity by extraterrestrial beings.[1] Documented evidence indicates that a significant percentage of the incidents were inaccurately reported or embellished by later authors, and numerous official agencies have stated that the number and nature of disappearances in the region is similar to that in any other area of ocean.
Source: Wikipedia

Overconfidence as a rule of thumb

Handkerchief

A handkerchief is a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory

Gavel

A gavel is a small mallet used by a presiding officer or a judge

A rule of thumb is simply a principle which you base one of your actions on.

Let the cat out of the bag

You let the cat out of the bag when you tell a big secret. Example: "Bob didn't want anyone to know he was sick, but his wife let the cat out of the bag."

A secret is like a cat that has been kept a bag. Once you let the cat out of the bag, it goes wherever it wants. Example: "We were going to keep our plans to get married a family secret, but my mother let the cat out of the bag."

The person who told the secret is the one who let the cat out of the bag. Example: "Hey! Who let the cat out of the bag?" Example: "Oops. It looks like I let the cat out of the bag

Cry over spilled milk

Crying Over Spilled Milk (complaining about some past loss)

To cry over spilled milk is to remain upset about a past loss. Example: "We came so close. Really. We almost won that game!" Reply: "There's no use crying over spilled milk."

When milk has been spilled, it is wasted and cannot be used. There is no reason to keep complaining over the loss. Note that either of the words spilled or spilt can be used. Example: "Well, the car is ruined and that's too bad, but there's no use crying over spilt milk. We're just going to have to get a new car."

Crying over spilled milk is not useful because the thing is already lost. Parents often tell their children to stop crying over spilt milk. Example: "I can't believe we lost my favorite toy!" Reply: "Oh, stop crying over spilled milk. You have other toys to play with."

REVIEW OF VERB TENSES

PRESENT PERFECT
When we talk about something that happened in the past, but we don´t specify precisely when it happened( perhaps we don´t know, or it is not important to say when it happened), we use the present perfect:
I have already traveled to Japan.
Mom has already done three surgeries.
My boyfriend has already had three car accidents.

PAST SIMPLE
When we want to indicate that something happened at a specific time in the past, we use the past simple. We can either say when it happened, using a time adverb, or assume that the listener knows when it happened or can understand this from the context:
I arrived late for the meeting yesterday.
I went to the movies alone last weekend.
Mom gave me two gifts on my last birthday.

We use the present perfect when we talk about something that happened in a period of time up to the present. We use the past simple to talk about something that happened at a particular, finished time in the past.
Science has made many advances this century.
Scientists made some fundamental discoveries in the 18th century.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
We use the present perfect continuous to talk about a situation or activity that started in the past and has been in progress for a period until now. Sometimes we use the present perfect continuous with expresssions that indicate the time period (with since and for):
Jane has been living in New York for over a year now.
I have been working as a teacher since last year.
John has been exercising a lot because he needs to loose weight.

PAST PERFECT
We use the past perfect to talk about a situation or activity that happened before another past situation or activity, or before a particular time in the past:
Jo discovered that Leslie had lied to her.
________________________________
Leslie lied Jo discovered }past now

We use the past simple rather than the past perfect when we simply talk about a single activity or event in the past:
I handed the letter to him.
I´m late because I took the wrong bus.

Notice the difference in meaning of these sentences with the past perfect and past simple:
When he stopped laughing, everyone left. (they left after he stopped laughing)
When he stopped laughing, everyone had left. (they left before he stopped laughing)
I got up when the phone rang. (the phone rang and then I got up)
I had gone to bed when the phone rang. (I went to bed and then the phone rang)

Wrong again

I might’ve, but I didn’t
Perhaps I could’ve, but I didn’t
Perhaps I should’ve, but I didn’t
Perhaps you would’ve, but I didn’t
Perhaps I would’ve, if I could’ve, but I didn’t
Somebody should’ve, you probably would’ve, but I didn’t
I thought about it, but I didn’t do it

Wrong again

YOU SHOULD HAVE COME

YOU SHOULD HAVE
You’d love it
You’d have loved it. You should have come

You’d like him
You’d have liked him. You should have come

You’d enjoy it
You’d have enjoyed it. You should have come

You’d get a lot out of it.
You’d have got a lot out of it. You should have come.

Why didn’t you come?
Why didn’t you come? You should have come.

Now it’s too late.
You’ve missed your chance. You should have come.

Quiz

How do you call the light meal
Americans have at 10:00 A.M.?
Dinner
Lunch
Brunch

An Idiomatic Expression that is the same of “I don’t know”.
God Bless you!
Beats me!
Gesundheit!

If you are footlose you are;
Free to da wathever you want.
Very angry.
Recovered from a disease

False Cognates

Spot the mistakes (false cognates) in the sentences below and replace them with an appropriate word.

a) “Make sure you wear preservatives to avoid veneral diseases.”, the doctor advised Joey.
false cognate : …………………….. appropriate word : ……………………..

b) “Hey , stop snooping. This is a particular conversation !” , Lenny told Jay.
false cognate : …………………….. appropriate word : ……………………..

c) The flood has caused great prejudice to the eastern part of the city.
false cognate : …………………….. appropriate word : ……………………..

d) As part of the company´s marketing campaign they are planning to mail out prospects to advertise their products.
false cognate : …………………….. appropriate word : ……………………..

e) The survey realized last month found that 40% of the voters have changed their minds.
false cognate : …………………….. appropriate word : ……………………..

Key to the exercises

a) false cognate : preservatives appropriate word : condoms
b) false cognate : particular appropriate word : private
c) false cognate : prejudice appropriate word : damage
d) false cognate : prospects appropriate word : flyers
e) false cognate : realized appropriate word : carried out

IDIOMS

A bad excuse is better than none.
A bad penny always turns up.
A bad workman always blames his tools.
A barking dog never bites.
A bellowing cow soon forgets her calf.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A bird never flew on one wing.
A bleating sheep loses a bite.
A blind man`s wife needs no paint.
A bully is always a coward.
A burnt child dreads the fire.
A carpenter is known by his chips.
A cat in gloves catches no mice.
A cat may look at a king.
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
A change is as good as a rest.
A cherry year, a merry year; a plum year, a dumb year.
A civil question deserves a civil answer.
A creaking door hangs longest.
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.
A dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone.
A door must be either shut or open.
A dripping June sets all in tune.
A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
A fair exchange is no robbery.
A false confessed is half redressed.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
A fool at forty is a fool indeed.
A fool may give a wise man counsel.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A golden key can open any door.
A good beginning makes a good ending.
A good horse cannot be of a bad color.
A good surgeon must have an eagle's eye, a lion's heart, and a lady's hand.
A great book is a great evil.
A green Yule makes a fat churchyard.
A grey mare is the better horse.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
A house divided cannot stand.
A hungry man is an angry man.
A king’s chaff is worth more than other men’s corn.
A liar ought to have a good memory.
A lie has no legs.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
A little pot is soon hot.
A live dog is better than a dead lion.
A man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks.
A man is known by the company he keeps.
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client.
A miss is as good as a mile.
All roads lead to Rome.
All that glitters is not gold.
All things are possible with God.
All things come to those who wait.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All's fair in love and war.
All's well that ends well.

Idioms

Choosers/off my shoulders/me/see/devil/present/for the wicked/me mad/joking
Long time no ......................!
Talk of the...........................!
Beggars can’t be..................!
Rather you than...................!
There’s no time like the.......!
You must be........................!
No rest for the.....................!
It’d drive.............................!
It’s a real weight ................

So, do you know the answers?

Who are you?

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Explain.
Are you a messy person or a neat person?
Are you a morning person or an afternoon person?
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What is your favorite color to wear?
What is one skill you wish you had?
Do you like to go barefoot?
Do you cry in movies?
Do you wear perfume or cologne?
Do you prefer to live in the country or the city?
Are you always on time? Or are you often late? How late?
What is the most beautiful sight in the world?
What is one thing you own that you will never throw away or sell?
What is the best advice anybody ever gave you?
If you had to be an animal, which one would you be? Why?
If you could choose anywhere in the world to live, where would you live and why?
If you could only travel to one more place in your life, where would you go? Why?
Have you ever been onstage in front of an audience? Explain.
What two items would you take to a desert island? Why?

Expressions to use when

To Express Opinion
I think…..
From what I can see…..
As far as I’m concerned…..
In my experience…..
What I’ve found is that….

Expressions
Let me think…..
I mean…..
Sorry, what I meant to say was…..
What I mean is….
I mean….

Ways Of Changing the…

Anyway,…..
Sorry, but…..
By the way…..
I’d just like to say something else….
Something else…..
The reminds me of…..
Another point…..
Besides that,….

Agreement and Disagreement
I doubt it.
Right.
That’s very unlikely.
Absolutely.
That’s just not the case.
I don’t agree.
Exactly.
That’s it.

FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is letting go of the pain and accepting what has happened,
Beucause it will not change.

Forgiveness is dismissing the blame.
Choices were made that caused the hurt;
We each could have chosen differently,
But we didn’t.

Forgiveness is looking at the pain,
Learning the lessons it has produced,
And understanding what we have learned.

Forgiveness allows us to move on
Towards a better understanding
Of universal love and our true purpose.

Forgiveness is knowing that love
Is the answer to all questions, and
That we all are in some way connected.

Forgiveness is starting over with the knowledge
That we have gained.
I forgive you, and I forgive myself.
I hope you can do the same.

Poem by Judith Mammay

The Olympics

Olympic Sports from A-W
Some Olympic Sports
baseball,basketball, beach volleyball, field hockey, soccer, softball, team handball, volleyball, water polo
Some sports can have solo or team events. For instance, sailing has events that involve more than one person. Tennis games are either 'singles' (one player on each side) or 'doubles' (two players on each side).
badminton, canoeing and kayaking, rowing, sailing, synchronized swimming, table tennis, tennis
These sports are usually considered individual sports. Athletes are awarded points as a team, but they compete as individuals.
archery, boxing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, mountain biking, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, track and field, trampoline, triathlon, weightlifting, wrestling.

Words,
goal the area in which a player tries to put a ball in order to win a point
paddle 1) a flat object with a handle used for hitting a ball; 2) a short pole with a wide flat end used for steering and moving a boat

racket an object made of a handle, and an oval top with woven strings, used in sports like tennis and badminton

nets a barrier made of woven threads, used in tennis, volleyball and badminton; nets are also used in goals for soccer, and in baskets for basketball

bow and arrow a weapon made of curved material, especially wood, and a tight string (bow), and a stick with a pointed end (arrow). William Tell and Robin Hood both used a bow and arrow.

target something you practice shooting at; in archery competitions targets are circular with different colored rings painted on them

court a smooth surface where you play tennis, badminton, basketball etc.

Security Deposits

Secure means "safe". Deposit means "something you put somewhere". For
example, you "deposit" money or checks into a bank. What do you think
"security deposit" means?

A security deposit is money that you pay to the owner of the apartment
to hold until you move from that apartment. The reason for the security
deposit, which is usually the amount of one month's rent, is to pay for
anything broken in the apartment at the time you move out. If you
broke a window, the owner will take money from this security deposit to
pay for the "damage" or broken things in the apartment. If you do not
have to give the owner money, you should get your money back with
interest (the amount that a bank gives you when your deposit is put into
a bank account). The security deposit helps make sure that you will
keep the property in good shape but it also is like having money in the
bank.

Do you have to pay a "security deposit" when you rent an apartment in
your country? What does an owner do if you break something in the
apartment? Does the owner have to pay or the renter? Come to the
Hosted Chat and tell us!

Tips

This isn't so much of a writing tip as it is a cultural tip! In the
U.S., you are normally expected to tip your server in a restaurant. You
should tip 15% of the bill if you are pleased with the service. If you
are very pleased, then 20%.


If you pay with a credit card, they will leave a space on the bill for
you to write your tip. Write the total of your tip, add it to your food
total, then write the new total on the bill.

Cultural Note

"All-you-can-eat" salad bars or buffets are a nice alternative to the
usual restaurant fare when you're traveling. A good salad bar will also
have several types of soup and rolls.And a really good salad bar might
even have a make-your-own sundae bar, too!
Speaking of sundaes, look for Sunday morning buffets. Many larger chain
hotels will have buffets from around 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. These
buffets are usually a little more expensive, but they offer a very nice
variety of breakfast and lunch food.