American English idioms | Learn American English in 3 Minutes

Idioms are a fun way to explain different situations and circumstances in the English language. For new and experienced ESL speakers, idioms can sometimes be hard to understand. In this video, I cover four common American English idioms.

Keep on watching to learn four new American English idioms!
-------
  / eslspeaking  
https://www.pinterest.ca/eslspeaking/
  / jackie.bolen  
https://www.tiktok.com/@englishwithja...
#idoms #learningenglish #learningenglishwithjackie

• Join Jackie's email list:
https://eslspeaking.org/subscribe/

• Join this channel to get access to perks:
   / @jackiebolen  

• Check out my blog if you want to find more information about American English Idioms:
https://eslspeaking.org/american-engl...

Check out my 365 American English Idioms book:
https://amzn.to/3bCR2Yv
-------------------------------------------------------

Timestamp:
0:07 A tough nut to crack
0:48 Ahead of the pack
1:25 To add insult to injury
2:07 A lot on my plate

Transcript:

It's Jackie Bolen from eslspeaking.org.

A tough nut to crack is someone who is difficult to get to know. It comes from if you think about nuts like a walnut, for example, you can't really break a walnut with your bare hands. You need a special tool of some kind. So that's why it's called a hard nut to crack. Some examples. My boss is a tough nut to crack. I'm not even sure if he likes me. Next one. My husband is a hard nut to crack. It took me years to get to know him when we were dating. And finally, I've heard that Professor Bolan is a tough nut to crack. It's difficult to get an A in her class.

Ahead of the pack. So this just means before other people or companies. So you do something first before these other people do. If you think about pack animals, for example, wolves, there's always a leader who is ahead of the pack that is behind them. So that's what this refers to. All right, some examples. Let's get ahead of the pack and gain market share. Another example, I want to be ahead of the pack and get that new iPhone on pre-release.

Ahead of the pack. So the idiom of the day is to add insult to injury. To add insult to injury. So it means when something bad happens um something even worse happens along with that. For example, you're in the hospital for a heart attack, and then you get COVID-19. So you had something bad, the heart attack, but it became even worse because you got COVID-19 at the hospital.

Here are some examples. To add insult to injury, I know you're tired, but you'll have to work overtime. Johnny called in sick. To add insult to injury, my girlfriend broke up with me when I lost my job. All right, that's the idiom of the day. To add insult to injury.

So, the idiom for today is a lot on my plate. A lot on my plate. It basically means you have many responsibilities, or lots of jobs or tasks that you need to get done. Um, think about a waiter or waitress in a restaurant. They have a lot of plates, and the plates are full and they're heavy and they're trying to juggle them and carry them all without dropping anything. That's what a lot on your plate means. It's difficult to do because you have all of these things going on. Here are some examples. I have a lot on my plate. I have both work and school. Number two, she has a lot on her plate. She's managing three different projects at work. Number three, you must have a lot on your plate with work and your new baby.

All right, if you like this idiom, please be sure to check out my book on Amazon, The Big Book of American Idioms.