Speak Good English Movement

What does ‘Catch Someone On the Hop’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: It means to catch someone when they are not expecting it. Example: Tim thought he could skip school by feigning illness, but he was caught on the hop by the principal who spotted him at the arcade.

What does ‘Hop on the Bandwagon’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence?

What does ‘Kill the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: To get rid of something that is profitable to you Example: Tearing down the top attraction in the theme park, “The Haunted House”, would be akin to killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

What does ‘Hopping Mad’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: Extremely angry Example: Milly was hopping mad after her sister borrowed her favourite dress and stained it. Did you know? One possibility of ‘hopping’ being paired with anger could be that it is an expression of rage similar to stomping off

What does ‘Walking On Eggshells’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning:   A situation where you have to be extremely cautious Example:   Dealing with the media is like walking on eggshells, anything you say might be interpreted wrongly. Did you know? A synonym for ‘walking on eggshells’ is ‘walking on

What does ‘Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: This is a piece of advice which means that one should not concentrate all efforts and resources in one area as one could lose everything. Example: Mr Tan’s financial adviser urged him to be careful

What does ‘A Nest Egg’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: Savings set aside for future use. Example:   Roger worked hard when he was young so that he could retire with a substantial nest egg in his fifties. Did you know? This idiom derived from a method of encouraging a

What does ‘Egg Someone On’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning:   To urge someone to do something that is usually negative Example:   His friends kept egging him on, but Daniel refused to steal the watch. Did you know? ‘Egg’ is actually a variant of ‘edge’, to edge someone forward.

What does ‘Egg on Your Face’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: To look foolish or be embarrassed Example:   Terry had egg on his face after boasting that the examinations were really easy, but ended up failing most of his papers. Did you know? This idiom could have originated from

What does ‘Pull a Rabbit Out of the Hat’ mean? How do you use it in a sentence? Meaning: To do something that is unexpected Example: M. Night Shyamalan pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the surprise twist in “The Sixth Sense”. Did you know? This idiom takes a leaf out of the