Welcome to American English Idioms: Lesson 20. In this lesson you have 3 American English idioms to read, listen to, translate, and pronounce in English. Please focus and do your best so that you can learn and improve your knowledge of American English idioms. Don’t forget to use the comments section below to share your thoughts and what you’ve learned today.
Directions 1: Watch the video 2 or more times, and pay close attention to the audio and text.
Directions 2: Read the following text in English, then translate it using the translator on this page into your language if needed. When you finish, feel free to write a comment in the comments section below and let us know how you feel about what you’ve learned, as well as what you’ve learned.
BLOW (ONE’S) OWN HORN
To blow one’s own horn is to boast about oneself, to talk about oneself in an exaggerated way. It’s a phrase that can be used either positively or negatively. For example, if someone is bragging about their accomplishments, it means they are trying to sound better than they really are. On the other hand, if someone praises their achievements, it means they’re being humble and not over-exaggerating what they’ve done.
Blow one’s own horn is a colloquial phrase that means to boast or brag. It can also be used in the context of someone blowing on a horn.
To blow one’s own horn is to use self-promotion or to overstate one’s abilities in order to gain favor with others. The action of blowing one’s own horn can be seen as an act of narcissism, in which the individual is consumed with praise and admiration for their abilities. When used in academia, this phrase may be used in reference to individuals who are trying to rank highly in multiple aspects of academia for personal reasons.
In order to better understand the definition of “blow one’s own horn”, it is imperative to examine the origin of this saying. In medieval times, a common way for musicians to make a living was by playing at various events and venues. Often, they would play their instruments in order to be heard over the crowd noise. If someone heard a musician playing and liked what he or she heard, he or she might call out “blow your horn!
People may use their own horn when they boast or brag; however, this is usually done in a difficult to understand complex academic jargon. This difficult to understand language may be called “jargon.” To explain what people mean with “own horn,” it means that they’re bragging and bragging about themselves. This can be done in the form of spoken word or written word.
BLOW (ONE’S) STACK
When one blows their stack, they are usually in a state of rage. This anger can be triggered by many different factors, but is often related to feelings of being overwhelmed or taken for granted. When this happens, people may act out in what can be considered violent or destructive ways.
Blow one’s stack is the act of getting angry enough that one starts losing control and goes into an uncontrolled rage.
An individual might blow their stack if they are provoked. This is when one becomes suddenly very angry. The reason for this sudden outburst of anger is usually due to pent-up frustration, stress, or other emotions that have been suppressed for some time.
When one is particularly provoked, they can become so angry that they “blow their stack.” The idiom has its roots in the early 20th century, when steel stacks would blow up due to poor construction. A person who “blows their stack” will usually lose their temper and act very rashly. This can be very dangerous for others around them, as the anger of an individual may be acted upon without forethought.
A person’s stack refers to their mental capacity for something. It is a metaphor that refers to a physical object that is typically used in a factory or warehouse to store work-in-progress inventory, raw materials, and finished goods. In this way, the stack of items is analogous to the mental load of thoughts, as more material will cause the pile to become more unstable and prone to collapse.
BLOW/RUN HOT AND COLD
A person who blows hot and cold means they are not consistent, or they are two-faced. They may go against what they say to please different people.
A person who blows hot and cold has inconsistent, unpredictable, and often self-contradicting beliefs or opinions. On some days, they may believe that something is good; on other days, they may believe that the same thing is bad. This inconsistency can be due to a variety of factors such as mood swings and fears. It’s important to remember that the individual may not even realize they are changing their opinion about a subject.
Running hot and cold is a colloquial term used to describe the mixed or inconsistent feelings an individual may have about something. There are many possible reasons for experiencing these mixed emotions, including lack of familiarity with the issue, conflicting outside factors, or simply not knowing how to react. It can be challenging to understand why someone would want one thing one moment and then something else the next.
The phrase “blow hot and cold” has been used to describe a person who expresses mixed or inconsistent feelings towards something. In psychological terms, this can be seen as a kind of ambivalence, where someone is torn between two opposing ideas. This is often seen in the case of people about to make a decision, or those who have been asked for their opinion on a certain topic.
The phrase “running hot and cold,” in this context, is a metaphor that describes the idea of having mixed or inconsistent feelings about something. This is usually attributed to how one feels changing when they are in different moods throughout the day. “Running hot and cold” can also describe when one desires something, but when it becomes too near, their desire cools.
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