Leigh's Lingua #17: "On Your Dime" and "On Your Time" - Important Differences!

"Dime" and "Time" sound very close in English.  But one means an amount of money, and the other means an amount of time.

To say something is on [someone's] "dime" means that they will pay for it.  The cost is theirs.  I heard this recently, when my brother called me.  He said the call was on his work place's "dime."  That means I did not have to pay for it.

But if something is on someone's "time," that is on another matter!  Your boss may say, "You must do that on your own time."  You may question your boss:  "Does that mean I get paid or not paid?"  "Must I do it at home, or here at work?"

Another expression in English is:  "Time is money."    So, to do something on one's own time is also to do it on one's own "dime" --- even though it may cost much more than 10 cents (a dime).  

Leigh's Lingua #16 - "On Top of the World" and "Over the Moon"

Everyone wants to be happy, right?

Two expressions in English that mean "very, VERY happy" are:  to be "on top of the world" and "over the moon."  You cannot exchange them.  You cannot be "over the world," or "on top of the moon."

A friend of mine from Africa feels "on top of the world" this week.  He has reached his goals.  He got an education degree from St. Michael's College in Vermont.  He is very, very happy.  He is also "over the moon" because he is going home soon.  He will see his wife and his children.  He has been away a long, long time.

When were you last "on top of the world" or "over the moon"?   Can you tell someone about it in English?  Can you write a sentence or two about it?

Yesterday I was taking pictures with a camera at a college graduation.  Someone was holding a fancy pole called a "mace".  It had a little statue of St. Michael -- who is an angel -- sitting on top of the world.  I wonder what St. Michael was thinking.  He had a sword.  He killed an evil dragon in the world.  Do you think he was also "on top of the world," meaning, happy?

American astronauts were the first men to step on the moon.  Do you think they were "over the moon" (very, very happy) about that?  I think so.  I remember hearing their voices on the radio.  I was a young girl.