The full version of this idiom is ‘being all ears‘ and it is often used in conversation. Have you come across it before?

See if you can guess the meaning from the following dialogue…

Tim: Mike, I’ve got some good news to tell you.
Mike: Go on. I’m all ears.
Tim: I just heard that we’ll have a holiday tomorrow.
Mike: That’s great news!

In this situation, Mike is telling Tim that he’s ready to listen to what Tim is going to tell him. In other words, you can use it to express the idea that you have now started to pay attention to what the other person is going to say.

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We’ll now look at some examples for using the ‘all ears’ idiom.

1. Children, I want you to be all ears to what I’m about to say, because it’s really important.
2. When it comes to money, Jerry is all ears.

Conversation example
Sandy: Toni, I’ve got some news about Mary.
Toni: About Mary? Tell me, I’m all ears.
Sandy: When Mary came running yesterday with a big grin on her face, I was all ears. You know, I could tell she was about to tell us something big.  Then she surprised us all by saying that she’s getting married!
Toni: Wow! It’s fantastic news, but I still can’t believe it. Is she getting married soon?
Sandy: Yes.  Next month in Hawaii!
Toni: Oh, I’m so happy for her.

Now it’s your turn to think of some examples for this idiom…good luck!

This idiom is a commonly used one.  Perhaps you have heard it before.  Do you know its meaning? If someone told you the sentence, “Oh, I’m over the moon today”, what would they mean?

For those of you who are not sure about the meaning, it means that that person is so happy (very happy, overjoyed).

Here are some examples…

I got my exam result this morning.  You know, I’m simply over the moon about it.  I can’t wait to tell my parents the good news.

Vincent is over the moon these days.  He just bought a new house.

Here’s a conversation example…

Photo Credit: A. Feldmann

Sheila: Jane, I’ve got some good news to tell you.

Jane: Really? I can’t wait.

Sheila: I’ve just been promoted! I’m now the head of the Sales Department at our headquarters.

Jane: Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.  You must be over the moon!

Sheila: Thanks.  Yes.   I guess I am over the moon.  You know, I’ve waited for this to happen for so long.  I still can’t believe that it’s finally happened.

Extra idiom practice…

There is a similar idiom which can be substituted for this one in sentences.  Can you guess it?

It’s ‘on cloud nine‘.  In fact, you can put ‘on cloud nine‘ in all of the above examples and still keep the original meaning.

Well, it’s now your turn to add some examples.  You’ve got two idioms to practise this time.  Keep them coming!

It’s possible that you’ve heard this idiom in the news in recent times… Have you heard it before? If you have heard it before, do you know what it means?

Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero

We’ll give you an example… see if you can work out the meaning.

“The President elect, Mr. Obama and his new administration team, would have to hit the ground running when he takes office this month, in order to tackle the enormous challenges facing the US right now.”

Have you guessed the meaning now? For those who are not sure, ‘hit the ground running’ means, to start working on something (activity, task, project) immediately and successfully.

Let’s look at some examples…

“Tom, I’m going to have to hit the ground running when I start the new term at school.  We have so many important exams coming up in this term.”

“If you want to do well in your new job, you need to hit the ground running, from the first day at work.”

Conversation example

Jill: Mum, would you like to go shopping with me this moring?

Mum: I’d love to, Jill, but I’m afraid I can’t.  I’m going to have to hit the ground running on this project this weekend, to have any chance of finishing it by Monday.

Jill: What a pity! I was really hoping that you’ll go with me.

Mum: I’m really sorry.  I’ll try and make it up to you next week.

Well, it’s now your turn…  See if you can make your own examples and add them to the comments section below!

Out of the blue is a commonly used idiom. Do you know it?
It’s used to describe an event that happened (or is happening) unexpectedly, without warning or preparation.

Photo Credit: Christian Sherratt

Here are some examples:

“Out of the blue, my parents decided to buy me a brand new car for my birthday.  I’m so happy.”

“I hate it when out of the blue, things start going wrong.”

Conversation example

Jim: Melissa, you’ve been a good secretary at our company for two years now.  Unfortunately, I have to let you go. We’ll pay you 2 months salary.

Melissa: Do you mean that you’re firing me?

Jim: Yeah, I’m afraid so. Out of the blue, our company lost millions of dollars this week in the global financial crisis.  This has forced us to fire most of the staff.

Melissa: This is terrible! You know I really love this job.  This whole thing is out of the blue for me. I still can’t believe it.

Jim: I know…I’m really sorry.

See if YOU can create some examples like these…  after you have created them, you can write them in the comments section below!