My Top 10 Idioms in English

I had several questions about idioms from listeners, so I decided to do an episode dedicated to my favorite ones. I want to point out that these are not necessarily the most common idioms or anything, just my top 10. So let's start the show. You are listening to the 30th episode of season two of English with Dane. Hit it. An idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own.

Once again, an idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own. A piece of cake, for example. When something is easy to do, we say it's a piece of cake. We are not talking about actual cake. That said, let's look at my 10 favorite idioms in English. Number one, a pipe dream. If something is a pipe dream, it is an extremely improbable scenario or something that is practically impossible.

For example, my uncle wants to be a professional football player, but he is 50 years old. I told him I thought it was a pipe dream. It's just never going to happen. The origin of this idiom goes back to the 19th century and refers to the visions or dreams people would have when smoking an opium pipe. So a pipe dream is such an unlikely thing, scenario, or event that it is compared to hallucinating on drugs. Alright, next one. Number two, to play devil's advocate or to play the devil's advocate.

This one means to argue against an idea or attack an idea for the sake of debate, so just to debate that side. Not because you necessarily believe it. We use the verb to play here because you are playing the role or the part of Devil's Advocate. An advocate is someone who defends or promotes a cause. Here's an example with Devil's Advocate. She was upset because he played Devil's Advocate all night instead of supporting her. Number three, to lose your touch.

To lose your touch means to lose your ability to do something skillfully, right? So if you used to play ping pong a lot and then you stopped for a few years and you try to play again, but you're not as good anymore, you've lost your touch. Okay, to lose skill and ease, habilidad y facilidad. Number four, to see eye to eye. This one's easy. To see eye to eye means to agree with someone. And to not see eye to eye means to disagree with someone. As simple as that. An example.

He said they didn't want to work together because they don't see eye to eye. Okay, to agree and to disagree. Number five, to ring a bell. To ring a bell means to sound familiar, vaguely familiar. In Spanish we say, when your friend mentions a name and you think you've heard it before, but you don't remember the specific context, that name rings a bell. I like to think of it as a little bell in your head that goes when something you kind of know comes up, surge.

If you are forgetful, olvidadizo or olvidadisa, this is the idiom for you. Never say it sounds me for me suena, by the way. Say it rings a bell. Alright, next, number six, up in the air, and not the George Clooney movie. If something is up in the air, it is uncertain. We don't know what's going to happen with it. We have to decide other things first. I've heard en elide in Spanish to express the same thing. Here's an example. We can't decide yet because too many things are up in the air.

We'll decide once we know more. Number seven, to go cold turkey. To go cold turkey like Babo Frio cold turkey means to stop or quit doing something, usually a bad habit completely, all at once. So if someone was smoking 20 cigarettes a day and they went cold turkey, they don't smoke 10 or 5 now. They smoke zero per day. So all at once. You can say Fred has been in a bad mood. Yeah, didn't you hear? He quit smoking cigarettes. He went cold turkey. Ah, okay, that explains it.

To finish off the list, we have three sports-related idioms. Number eight, to be on the ball. If someone is on the ball, it means that they are very alert and aware of what's happening. To be quick to understand and react to things. I guess this comes from being really focused when you are defending the player who has the ball. Not sure, but could be. A quick example. Pedro got the opportunity because he's been on the ball recently.

And now let's express the opposite feeling with number nine, to drop the ball. Firstly, the verb to drop means to accidentally let fall. Okay, dejar caer. So to drop the ball means to make a mistake, maybe a big one or a stupid one, or to mishandle things. Basically, things went wrong because of something you did. If you were supposed to send an important email, but you forgot, you really dropped the ball, for example.

This idiom probably comes from American football, baseball, or cricket, even, where dropping the ball is something really bad for your team. And the last one, number 10, a long shot. If something is a long shot, it is a very difficult and improbable attempt. It makes sense because a long shot, literally un tiro de lejos, is a difficult and improbable shot. You can say something like, How are we going to get tickets to the concert? They're sold out.

Well, my cousin has a friend who is friends with their manager. I know it's a long shot, but it's worth a try. Alright, a quick recap before we finish. A pipe dream, an extremely improbable scenario. To play devil's advocate, to argue against an idea just for the sake of debate, solo para debatir, not because you believe in the idea. To lose your touch, so to lose your ability to do something skillfully conabilidad. To see eye to eye, to agree with someone, to ring a bell, to sound familiar.

Never it sounds me. We say it rings a bell. Up in the air means uncertain. To go cold turkey, to stop or quit doing something, usually a bad habit, completely, all at once. To be on the ball, to be very alert and aware of what's happening. Now the opposite to drop the ball, to make a mistake or mishandle things. And the last one was a long shot, a very difficult and improbable attempt. Alright, that's it for today's episode. I hope this was a helpful list.

I hope you learned a few new idioms that you can incorporate into your day-to-day speech at the office and conference calls with friends, with your pen pal, or whenever you want. Don't forget to subscribe to English with Dane on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Follow me on Instagram at English with Dane for additional content. And if you want a full transcript of this and all future episodes, let me know at Englishwithdain at gmail.com. All right, talk soon. Bye bye.