Spears - Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts

an A for effort recognition for having tried to do something even if it was not successful. The plan didnt work, but Ill give you an A for effort for trying. Bobby played his violin in the concert and got an A for effort. Tom said, It sounded terrible!

Able to sit up and take (a little) nourishment . Go to (Im) able to sit up and take (a little) nourishment.

About that time . Go to (Its) about that time.

Absolutely ! a strong affirmation. MOTHER: Do you want another piece of cake? CHILD: Absolutely!Q: Are you ready to go? A: Absolutely!

Absolutely not ! a strong denial or refusal. (Compare to Definitely not!) BOB: Will you please slip this bottle into your pocket? BILL: Absolutely not!BOB: Can I please have the car again tonight? FATHER: Absolutely not! You cant have the car every night!

Act your age ! Behave more maturely! (A rebuke for someone who is acting childish. Often said to a child who is acting like an even younger child.) Johnny was squirming around and pinching his sister. His mother finally said, Johnny, act your age!CHILD: Aw, come on! Let me see your book! MARY: Be quiet and act your age. Dont be such a baby.

Adios . Good-bye. (From Spanish. Used in casual or familiar conversation.) BOB: See you later, man. BILL: Yeah, man. Adios.BOB: Adios, my friend. MARY: See you, Bob.

Afraid not . Go to (Im) afraid not.

Afraid so . Go to (Im) afraid so.

after all in addition; considering the fact that; thinking in retrospect. You should really be nicer to him. After all, he is your brother.A: But he acts very rude sometimes, and hes so boring. B: But really, Sally, after all!

After while(, crocodile) . Good-bye till later.; See you later. (Crocodile is used only for the sake of the rhyme. This is the response to See you later, alligator.) MARY: See you later. BILL: After while, crocodile.JANE: After while. MARY: Toodle-oo.

After you . a polite way of encouraging someone to go ahead of oneself; a polite way of indicating that someone else should or can go first. Bob stepped back and made a motion with his hand indicating that Mary should go first. After you, smiled Bob.BOB: Its time to get in the food line. Whos going to go first? BILL: After you. BOB: Thanks.

Afternoon . Go to (Good) afternoon.

Again(, please) . Say it one more time, please. The play director said, Again, please. And speak more clearly this time.TOM: I need some money. Ill pay you back. BILL (pretending not to hear): Again, please. TOM: I said I need some money. How many times do I have to say it?

Age before beauty . a comical and slightly rude way of encouraging someone to go ahead of oneself; a comical, teasing, and slightly grudging way of indicating that someone else should or can go first. As they approached the door, Bob laughed and said to Bill, Age before beauty.No, no. Please, you take the next available seat, smiled Tom. Age before beauty, you know.

Ahem ! Excuse me!; Look in this direction!; Give me your attention! (This is a way of spelling the sound of clearing ones throat to draw someones attention.) ANDY: Ahem! DON: Did somebody say something? ANDY: Ahem! DAVE: Oh, sorry, Andy. What do you want?DAVE: Ahem! Andy. ANDY: What? DAVE: There was a spider crawling up your pants leg, but I dont see it now.

Aint it the truth? Isnt that just the way it is?; I agree with you completely. (Informal.) A: Things arent the way they used to be in the good old days. B: Aint it the truth?A: You just cant buy good shoes anymore. B: Aint it the truth?

alive and kicking Go to alive and well.

alive and well AND alive and kicking; safe and sound safe, healthy, and unharmed. Q: How have you guys been? Havent seen much of you. A: Were alive and well. Having a great time!Q: Have you heard from Tom and Jan? Did they go out of town? A: No, theyre at home, safe and sound.

all in all AND all things considered; on balance a transition indicating a summary, a generalization, or the announcement of a conclusion. BILL: All in all, this was a fine evening. ALICE: I think so too.Our time at the conference was well spent, all in all, thought Fred.BILL: How did it go? ALICE: On balance, it went quite well.BOB: Did the play turn a profit? FRED: I suppose that we made a nice profit, all things considered.

All is not lost . Things are not totally bad.; This is not a total failure. Dont worry. Ill help. All is not lost.All is not lost. Here comes Reggie with a jar of French mustard!

all over 1 . completed; done; finished. Hooray. The play has ended, and it was it a huge success. Yippee! Its all over!