15 Funny English Idioms (make people laugh!) (+ Free PDF & Quiz)

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[marziima]

Today we are celebrating Teacher's Day in Poland. All the best wishes for you. Remember that you are one of the best teachers on YouTube. 🥰

[andrewtime]

When carpenters hammer a long nail through two pieces of wood they bend the pointed end down and hammer it flat. This makes a strong bond but the nail can never be pulled out and used again. The nail is therefore "dead". Doors used to be made this way with lots of nails, so "dead as a doornail" was a pun. The expression stayed in the language after its origin was forgotten.

[johnlochness]

A lovely lady who was my boss many years ago had a wonderful version of “put the feelers out” when assessing a new idea, she would say “we’ll hoist the flag up the flagpole and see who salutes”, which basically meant will put the idea about and see if people like it.

[JapanesewithPang]

In Thai, we have an idiom that literally translation would be “ride on an elephen to catch a grasshopper” which means you put a huge investment just for a tiny return.

[alesolasz]

Ha ha, thank you, that explained a lot! Czech language has many idioms and most of them are hard to translate, but one funny one for you: “Mít dlouhé vedení” means “To have long wiring”...in the brain. It means that the person is slow in thinking, reactions, doesn’t get point quickly, etc. So if you tell a joke and the person takes some time to process it, you’d say about him “má dlouhé vedení” because the information has to travel through longer wires to reach the destination...😂😊

[MrMockingbird]

Loved this podcast. Here are some American South idioms for you: 1. That's the best thing since they came out with pockets on a shirt. 2. He'd drive a wooden man crazy. 3. She'd give a woodpecker a headache. 4. She wanted to know everything including the color of the mid-wife's dress. 5. He's happy as a pig in fresh mud. 6. That dog won't hunt. 7. Don't bet the trailer payment.

[kenbrown]

my brother taught me, "that sounds like a high tech solution to a low tech problem"
which means you're doing something the hard way.

[ЛенаПанасенко-эю]

Just after watching this lesson, I've watched a Friends episode when Joey said "I'll let myself out". So cool when you learn something that you can actually hear in real life (or in TV show in my case). Thank you, Lucy, you are an amazing teacher!

[helenejohansson]

My parents were both Swedish and we lived in Sweden so naturally Swedish was the language spoken in our home when I grew up BUT for some reason my mum would always use the English idiom “Everything but the kitchen sink” so that was one of my first english sentences 😊
I think you may have this one in English as well but in Sweden some would say: “Hjulet snurrar men hamsters är död” (The Wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead) and that would mean the same as “The lights are on but nobody is home”. 🙃 Thank you Lucy for a fun lesson!

[RyutaShinohara]

Nobody:

British people: so it´s still tea related

[arnoldcaines]

Equivalents to "Lights on, nobody's home."
"Wheel is turning but the hamster is dead."
"His elevator doesn't reach the top floor"
"He's a few sandwiches shy of a picnic."
"He's not operating on all thrusters" or "firing on all cylinders."
"He cut loose the sandbags but his balloon didn't go any higher."
"Not the sharpest knife in the drawer", "sharpest tool in the shed" or "brightest bulb in the marquee."

[drreason]

I'm always surprized at how familiar your Brittish words and phrases are to us Americans, but I have never heard used: "Did a runner."
Your beauty is breathtaking, your personality engaging, your information informative, and your overall production quite enjoyable.

[emmamalm]

In Swedish there's an idiom that both my best friend and I love to use. "Vara ute och cykla" = "To be out biking". In Swedish, this is an idiom you might use when you want to claim, say, ask or suggest something, but you're not sure if you're correct or when someone has misunderstood something and is confused. For example, "Were we supposed to hand in our essays yesterday or am I out biking?" or "What is she on about? She is out biking!".

[gosesnuff]

Swedish version of "nothing to write home about" is "inget att hänga i julgran" which literally translates to "nothing to hang in the Christmas tree".

[padmagogoi]

When it comes to Lucy's videos, I always like before I watch.Loads of love from India🤗🤗

[dragoncat]

In Germany we say: "Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen" wich literally translates to:" to make a mosquito into an elephant" 😂 It means that someone is making a big deal of a small thing, an example would be: "OMG I HATE HIM SO MUCH!" "Why?" "HE DIDN‘T GREET ME WHEN I SAW HIM IN THE BUS DRIVING BY!!!"

[test]

Here’s one from Turkish I find interesting: “İyi insan lafının üstüne gelir.” Which roughly translates to “a good person is one who appears when he is being talked about” which is said when two people are having a conversation and the third person appears suddenly out of nowhere. I find it interesting because the English equivalent said in such a situation is “speak of the devil” where the person is thought of as if having some cunning wit about him, whereas the Turkish logic is that if a third person appears at a place while the conversation is about him he is thought of as a pure-hearted man.

[A.Spirited_Solivagant]

Those earrings aren't a nuisance, Ms Earl but they've rather accentuated your beauty. I loved the beautiful background in your recent videos, but this isn't bad either. I really appreciate your effort to create PDF lessons from henceforth. They'll be extremely useful for those who watch your videos on the move. A lesson on idioms from your end is an absolute delight, Ms Earl. Thank you. :)
Much love xxx

[kumamom]

In Poland we say something similar to "to kick the bucket" but we say it like - "To kick the calendar" 😂

[williamdeegan]

No.16- A few bricks shy of a full load. No.17- Her or his elevator doesn't go to the top floor. No.18- There not playing with a full deck. No.19- There not running on all 8.( Refers to a V8 engine) . No.20- There not the sharpest tool in the shed. Interesting. Very nice video.