Idiom 105: Eat someone

상황: 다시 감각을 발휘하셔서 다른 사람을 먹다? 다른 사람을 괴롭히다라고 표현할 때 쓰는 표현입니다.

eat someone = bother and upset someone

A: Hey, Alice. What’s been eating you lately? Don’t you realize how rude and irritable you’ve become?
B: I know. I’m really sorry for the way I’ve been acting.
A: Well, why don’t you tell me what has been bothering and upsetting you and maybe we can work your problem out together.
A: I’ll admit that it would help to talk to someone about it.

Idiom 104: Out of woods

상황: 표현을 보시고 어느 정도 에상을 하시겠지요. 영어는 감각인거 같습니다. 특히 숙어는요. 숲을 벗어나는 것은 '위험한 상황, 곤경에서 벗어난 것'을 뜻하겠지요.

out of woods = out of danger

Although Eric was well on his way to recovering from his bout with pneumonia, he was still not out of the woods.

pneumonia (폐렴)

Idiom 103: Shake a leg

상황: 다리를 흔드세요!! 무슨 뜻일까요? 서두를때 쓰는 표현입니다.

shake a leg = hurry = get busy = get going

A: Mary, you always take such a long time to put on your makeup. Come on, shake a leg!
B: I’ll be finished in a minute. Be patient.

Idiom 102: Play it by ear

상황: 어떤 분들은 원리원칙대로 일을 처리하시기도 하고 어떤 분들은 그때그때 처한 사태에 맞추어 즉각 그 자리에서 결정하거나 처리하기도 합니다. 두번째의 경우 임기응변으로 한다고 하죠. 이럴 경우에 쓰는 표현입니다.

play it by ear = improvise as one goes along

A:Let’s go to the movies, agreed?
B: Sure. And what’ll we do after that?
A: Oh, I don’t know. Let’s play by the ear.
B: Well, I would like to have a more definite plan of action.
A: Don’t be like that. It’s always more fun not knowing what to expect and decidingwhat to do as we go along.

Common errors 29: Defective vs. Deficient

defective: not working properly

deficient: lacking something vital