Counterintuitive Phrases in English 2
English

Counterintuitive Phrases in English 2

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get outta town (sometimes shortened to get out)

reaction to a remarkable feat or an unbelievable piece of news. It expresses being in awe and impressed

unlike the literal interpretation of the words, it does not express anger or annoyance

next thing you know

a comment on how quickly time passes

it's as if someone blinks and the next thing of which they're aware or conscious is [i.e., their baby has learned to walk]

yeah, right

the only grammatically correct [as far as I know] instance of a double positive in English: it looks like an affirmation but expresses disbelief

a likely story

almost the same as yeah, right

this phrase employs sarcasm: the speaker thinks that the claim is unlikely

badum tss

the A and U make the schwa sound, and the syllabic stress falls on "dum"

sound of a drum, reaction to a particularly witty remark

ooh, burn!

similar concept to badum tss, a reaction to a particularly witty remark that makes fun of someone else

make do

replace a more preferred option with a less preferred option, make the less preferred option functional for the task if it wasn't originally, and don't complain about not having what you want

here goes nothing

used when someone is about to attempt something, expresses apprehension

if worst comes to worst

"of all the potential results of this situation, if the worst one happens,"

Bonus tip: if the words don't make sense, infer what you can from the context. That's the key to listening in your target language.

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