Leigh's Lingua #15: "Behind the Eight Ball"

If you like looking up new phrases, this is a wonderful website:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/behind-the-eight-ball.html

I used "behind the eight ball" in a letter last night.  And a friend asked me, "What does that mean?"

I had to go looking myself!  According to the website above, it is an American slang expression that means, "to be in a difficult position."  We could also say, "to be in a tight spot."   In the difficult position, you also see no easy escape.

If you are "behind the eight ball," you might be --- on a train, it's moving, and you realize you lost your ticket.... Or... you get a call from school that your child is sick, but your boss just said YOU MUST GET THIS JOB DONE BY 1:00...... Or... the landlord is at your door, and you do not have the rent money for him or her.  That is being "behind the eight ball."  Not a happy day. 

We think the expression comes from a game called "pool."  In pool, there are balls with numbers on a table that you have to poke with a long stick.  The balls roll and drop into pockets at the corners of the table.  Trouble comes if you hit the ball number "eight."  So, you do not want to be "behind" the eight ball with your stick.

When was the last time you were "behind the eight ball"?  I was behind the eight ball yesterday.  I came to my class and realized... I had done the homework all wrong.  Uh-oh!

Leigh's Lingua #14 - "Handy"

If you think the word "handy" looks like "hand," you are pretty smart.  :-)

American English-speakers use "handy" as an adjective that means nearby (close to your hand!), or easy to work (easy).   People may say that the remote control of a television is "handy".  The remote control lets you sit and watch TV and movies without getting up.  You can just press a button from your chair -- that's easy!  (Except for me.  I like to get out of my chair.)

People may say that an extra bathroom for guests is "handy".  If you have two bathrooms, guests won't be trying to take a shower when you are trying to shave.

In Germany, a cell phone is called a "handy" now.  Actually, they are pretty handy, aren't they?

What do you keep near you -- so your hand can quickly reach it?  A salt-shaker on the table?  A box of kleenex by your bed?  What things also work easily for you, and so are "handy"?  Maybe phoning someone is easier than writing a letter. 

Sometimes being handy is good.  Sometimes, it just makes us lazy. 

Leigh's Lingua #13: "The Big One"

What a lot of snow Vermont had in February... and March!  Shovel.... shovel.... shovel....

I was reminded of the phrase "The Big One" as I shoveled.

Many Americans refer to a heart attack as "The Big One."  It means it is the "big thing" that will cause their death.   Actually, people can die from shoveling too hard, too long.  People can die from working too much.

No one wants to have "The Big One."   Some American TV comedies have had "The Big One" as a topic.  See "Sanford & Son" -- a popular show in the 1970s and 1980s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdi-1tIUhM

Keep care of your heart.  Don't work or worry too much.  We don't want you to have "The Big One" too soon.