Lesson 9

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a steal = very cheap; a very good price

The land next to the river is a steal! You should buy it.

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at hand = near (time or space)

Christmas is at hand. I have to buy gifts for my family.

A: I fear that war is at hand.

B: Don't worry. I'm sure the countries will reach an agreement.

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get better = improve

Don't worry. You'll get better.

His cold got better after he took a day off work.

A: This movie is boring!

B: Don't worry. It gets better.

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more or less = approximately; almost

The airline tickets were more or less the same price.

A: Which shirt is better?

B: They are more or less the same quality.

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on hand = near and ready for use

Do you have any water on hand?

A: There's going to be five extra people at the party.

B: No problem. We have plenty of food on hand.

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on one's own = without help from others

He cooked this whole meal on his own without any help from his mother.

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refer to A as B = use the name B for A

Many people refer to this book as the author's greatest work.

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take one's time = slowly; in a relaxed way

She took her time and made sure she did not make any mistakes on the test.

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think highly of = have a good opinion of

You don't think highly of me, do you?

Her teacher thought highly of her ability to draw.

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try out = do or use to see if something works correctly

Don't buy the bike until you try it out first.

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My Brazilian friend has only lived in the United States for six months, but his English is great. Before he came to the US, he studied in a language school, but mostly he learned English on his own from reading English books and watching movies. He had learned basic conversation before he arrived in the US. Then, after he got here, his vocabulary and listening got better very quickly. I would say that he is now more or less fluent in English. However, sometimes he still has trouble with idioms.

One day, he asked me to help him buy some jewelry for his girlfriend back in Brazil. Her birthday was close at hand and he wanted to get something nice. He showed me a picture of his girlfriend before we went shopping. When I saw the picture I said, "Wow! Your girlfriend is a real spring chicken."

My friend asked me, "Why do you refer to my girlfriend as a chicken?"

I explained to my friend, "I just mean your girlfriend is very young and beautiful"

At the jewelry store, they had several very nice necklaces on hand. I suggested that we take our time and look at several stores, but my friend found a diamond necklace that was a steal. He called the saleswoman over to buy it.

As the saleswoman was taking out the necklace, my friend decided to try out the new idiom he learned. He showed the saleswoman the picture of his girlfriend asked, "Don't you think she is a chicken noodle?"

My friend's English may not be perfect, but I still think highly of it.