Hello and welcome to Tutoring Hour! Today, we’re going to learn about idioms with Sheldon the Turtle. Sheldon found some confusing phrases and asked his friend Ollie, the wise old owl, for help. Ollie explained that these phrases are called idioms.
An idiom is a special phrase where the meaning is different from the words you see. Let’s explore some fun idioms together!
Our first idiom is “hold your horses.” This means to wait or slow down. For example, if someone is rushing, you might say, “Hold your horses! I haven’t finished yet.”
Next, we have “raining cats and dogs,” which means it’s raining very heavily. You might hear, “Don’t go outside now; it’s raining cats and dogs!”
The idiom “when pigs fly” is used to talk about something that will probably never happen. For example, “Can turtles fly? Yes, only when pigs fly!”
“Let the cat out of the bag” means to accidentally reveal a secret. You could say, “Don’t tell her the surprise, or she’ll let the cat out of the bag.”
When someone “has a bee in their bonnet,” it means they are always thinking and talking about something. For instance, “Aunt Sally has a bee in her bonnet about cleaning.”
A “couch potato” is someone who spends a lot of time watching TV and doesn’t do much else. You might say, “Sam is such a couch potato.”
Having a “frog in your throat” means it’s hard to speak because your throat feels funny. You could say, “I have a frog in my throat, so I can’t talk well.”
We ask “cat got your tongue?” when someone is very quiet and not speaking when we expect them to. For example, “Why aren’t you answering? Cat got your tongue?”
This idiom means someone is accusing another person of something they do themselves. It’s like saying, “You’re slow,” when you’re slow too!
“Put a bug in one’s ear” means to give someone a suggestion or idea. For example, “She put a bug in my ear about trying a new hobby.”
When you’re “snug as a bug in a rug,” you’re very comfortable. You might say, “I’m snug as a bug in a rug in my cozy bed.”
Having “butterflies in your stomach” means you’re feeling nervous. For instance, “I had butterflies in my stomach before the big test.”
Being like a “bull in a china shop” means being clumsy or too eager, often causing trouble. “She’s like a bull in a china shop when she’s excited.”
“Crocodile tears” are fake tears or pretending to be sad. You might say, “He cried crocodile tears when he got caught.”
“Barking up the wrong tree” means making a mistake or asking the wrong person. For example, “You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I know the answer.”
To “get your ducks in a row” means to get organized. You could say, “I need to get my ducks in a row before the party.”
“Run like a headless chicken” means being very busy but not very effective. “Instead of running like a headless chicken, I’ll organize my tasks.”
That’s all for today! If you want to learn more idioms, visit our website at www.tutoringhour.com. Thanks for joining us at Tutoring Hour!
Idiom Charades: Gather your family or friends and play a game of charades using idioms. Write down some idioms from the lesson on slips of paper, fold them, and put them in a bowl. Take turns picking a slip and acting out the idiom without speaking. See if others can guess which idiom you are acting out. This will help you remember the idioms and their meanings in a fun way!
Idiom Art Gallery: Choose your favorite idiom from the lesson and draw a picture that represents its meaning. For example, for “raining cats and dogs,” you could draw a scene with cats and dogs falling from the sky. Display your artwork at home and explain the idiom to your family. This activity will help you visualize idioms and understand them better.
Idiom Hunt: Go on an idiom hunt around your house or neighborhood. Listen to conversations or look for idioms in books, TV shows, or signs. Whenever you find an idiom, write it down and try to figure out its meaning. Share your findings with your class or family. This will help you notice how idioms are used in everyday life.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello and welcome to Tutoring Hour! In this video, we’ll learn a few idioms with Sheldon the Turtle. Sheldon made a list of all the confusing phrases he has come across. He went to his friend Ollie, the wise old owl who lived in a tree, asking for help. Ollie took a look at the list and said, “Oh, these are idioms! Let me explain.”
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meanings of its words. Now, look at this picture. Why is he holding the horse? That’s our first idiom! When we tell someone to “hold their horses,” we are asking them to wait, slow down, or stop for a moment. For example, you can say, “Dan, hold your horses! I have not packed yet.”
Here comes our next idiom: “to rain cats and dogs,” which means to rain heavily. “Don’t go out now; it’s raining cats and dogs!”
Next is “I didn’t know little pigs could fly.” We use “when pigs fly” to talk about something that is unlikely to happen. For instance, “Can Sheldon walk fast?” “Yes, only when pigs fly!”
Let’s move on. Oh, I know this idiom! It is “let the cat out of the bag,” isn’t it? Yes, it is! It means to reveal a secret, usually by mistake. “Don’t tell me about the surprise; she will let the cat out of the bag.”
Ollie, tell me what’s next! I am very excited! “Have a bee in your bonnet” is our next idiom. I wonder if they’d just buzz or even sting. The idiom means to think and talk a lot about something. “Aunt Sally has a bee in her bonnet about cleanliness.”
That’s right! Ollie then showed the next picture: a potato on a couch. That’s funny! “Couch potato” is someone who spends most of their time watching television and doesn’t exercise or have any interesting hobbies. You can say, “Sam is a couch potato.”
Let’s check out what’s next. “To have a frog in your throat” means to find it difficult to speak clearly because of a cough or a sore throat. Got it? Let me try using it in a sentence: “The little birdie has a frog in his throat.” Good, Sheldon!
Now let’s see the next idiom. “Cat got your tongue?” We ask this when a person is quiet and isn’t talking or responding when we expect them to. “Why don’t you reply, Rob? Cat got your tongue?”
Aha! I know how to use it! Up next is “the pot calling the kettle black.” Is it something like me calling the slug slow? Oh, that’s a good one, Sheldon! It means that someone with a particular fault accuses someone else of having the same fault.
Now this one’s “put a bug in one’s ear.” Oh gosh, not in the ear, please! It means to give someone a suggestion or hint. “Sam put a bug in my ear about practicing for the match.” Good job, Sheldon!
Ollie puts out the next idiom card. Oh, that looks so comfy! “Snug as a bug in a rug” is the idiom, and it means to be in a very comfortable situation. “On that new bed, I’ll be as snug as a bug in a rug.”
That’s wonderful, Sheldon! Here comes the next one. Why are these fluttering in the stomach? Has he swallowed them? “To have butterflies in the stomach” means to be nervous. Okay, let me give it a try: “Just before the exams, I had butterflies in my stomach.” That’s great, Sheldon!
Up next is “a bull in a china shop.” That’d be chaos! Exactly! It means being too enthusiastic or quick but careless, often damaging things or upsetting people. “Anne is a bit of a bull in a china shop; we can’t take her anywhere.”
Well done! Let’s move on to Miss Crock. Why is she crying? “Crocodile tears” means a false display of sadness. Oh, I get that! “Hannah shed crocodile tears when the teacher punished her.” That’s a good one, Sheldon!
Let’s see what the dogs are up to. The cat is hidden in the other tree, and I think they are barking up the wrong tree. The idiom “to be barking up the wrong tree” means to make the wrong choice, ask the wrong person, or follow the wrong course. “I would be barking up the wrong tree if I’d gone to the fox.” True that!
Our next idiom is “to get your ducks in a row.” It means to get everything organized. And the last one is “to run like a headless chicken,” meaning to be very busy doing a lot of things but in a way that is not very effective. “Instead of running around like a headless chicken, I’ll get the ducks in a row before the party.”
That’s pretty cool! Now all you eager beavers can visit our website, www.tutoringhour.com, if you’d like to practice more idioms. If you enjoyed this video, give us a thumbs up! And if you haven’t yet subscribed to our channel, do that right now. Thanks for watching Tutoring Hour!
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This version maintains the original content while removing any informal or potentially inappropriate language.
