English in a Minute: Dish It Out but Can't Take It

Welcome to English in a Minute. When we dish out food, we put it on a plate to give to others. But what does dish it out but can't take it mean? Sometimes D really bothers me. Uh-oh, what happened?

26 Jun 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: Right on Cue

Welcome to English in a Minute. When making a movie, a cue can help actors know when to say their lines. So what does it mean to be right on cue? I am so tired. Another bad night? Yep, I was falling asleep and then right on cue, the guy upstairs turned up his music and all I could hear was boom, boom, boom for the next three hours.

25 Jun 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: Hollywood Ending

Welcome to English in a Minute. Hollywood is famous for making movies. But what do people mean when they say Hollywood ending?

23 Jun 2025,·59 secs mins

English in a Minute: Make (One's) Head Swim

Welcome to English in a Minute. Swimming is a great way to exercise your whole body. But what does it mean if something makes your head swim? I need to print a report for a meeting in five minutes. And the printer's not printing.

15 Jun 2025,·59 secs mins

English in a Minute: To Poison the Well

Welcome to English in a Minute. Some people get their drinking water from a well, so adding poison to it would be a terrible thing to do. But what does the idiom to poison the well mean? My old roommate opened a new restaurant, Pat's Perfect Pizza Palace.

13 Jun 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: Across-the-Board

Welcome to English in a Minute. The phrase across the board comes from horse racing. A bet placed on horses that come in first, second, and third is an across the board bet. But we use this in other ways too. Dan, don't forget pickleball practice tonight.

10 Jun 2025,·59 secs mins

English in a Minute: Knock Yourself Out

Welcome to English in a Minute. To knock someone out in the sport of boxing, you must hit the other boxer really hard. So does knock yourself out mean you hit yourself? Another invitation to the grand fan band jam.

07 Jun 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: No Brainer

Welcome to English in a Minute. We have to use our brains to think. So what does the expression no-brainer mean?

26 May 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: A Clean Slate

Welcome to English in a Minute. In a classroom, the chalkboard is also called a slate. It's important to clean it before starting a new lesson. So does clean slate relate to teaching? I love the start of a new year. It's a great time to start fresh and make a new start. Me too. This year I'm going to start with a clean slate and give up bad habits.

15 May 2025,·1 mins mins

English in a Minute: Sticker Shock

Welcome to English in a Minute. A sticker is a piece of paper that attaches to a surface. Stickers can be used to show the cost of a product. But what does sticker shock mean? So Dan, have you gotten that new bicycle yet?

09 May 2025,·1 mins mins