Summary
Highlights
This video is the 91st in the American Idioms series, presenting five new idioms from 451 to 455. Viewers are encouraged to pause the video and guess the meaning of each idiom before the answer and an additional example are provided.
To 'draw the short straw' means to obtain the least favorable or fortunate outcome in a selection. The idiom originates from the practice where the person who picks the shortest straw has to do an undesirable task. An example is given of someone having to work on Sunday to finish a project, and another example is cleaning toilets at school.
To 'get something over with' means to complete an unpleasant task quickly. The example shows someone volunteering to do an oral presentation first because they hate them, to finish it faster. Another example is deciding to have wisdom teeth pulled on the next dentist visit to avoid future problems.
A 'strong suit' refers to a skill or activity at which someone excels. The video provides an example of someone whose strong suit is working on computers, offering help with laptops. Another example illustrates Rosanne's strong suit being eating a lot of food quickly, making her likely to win a hot dog eating contest.
'As it stands' means at this time or currently. The example given is disliking a current version of software and waiting for an updated one before purchasing it. Another example talks about having a good job 'as it stands' but acknowledging that it could change quickly in the current economy.
To 'bounce something off someone' means to tell someone an idea to get their opinion or response. The example highlights a person bouncing the idea of painting their house a different color off their wife and receiving a positive response. Another example shows someone bouncing university choices off family and friends for advice before making a decision.