Lesson 15 - Turning Over a New Leaf

Easy American Idioms » Lesson 15 - Turning Over a New Leaf

Word List

To take a load off

→ To rest by sitting down.
In a nutshell

→ Concisely and quickly explained.
To make a clean break

→ To forget about something in the past, tostart fresh.
To turn over a new leaf

→ To begin a new project or period in your life.
To be up in the air

→ To not have direction or definite shape.
No big deal

→ Not important.
To put something off

→ To delay something, to postponesomething, to procrastinate.
To have a foot in the door

→ To be in a situation that could lead tobetter opportunities. Notice that you may also “get a foot in the door” or “give someone a foot in the door.”
To show up

→ To arrive.
The straw that broke the camel’s back

→ An event or thing that by itself is insignificant, but added to other problems is just enough to leave a big impact or cause a big change.
To have something in mind

→ To have an idea or conception about something.
To get on your feet

→ To become stable financially, emotionally,socially, etc.
To get a break

→ To be given an opportunity to do something you want to do.
To have two left feet

→ To be ungraceful, to move in a clumsy orawkward way, especially while dancing.
To be hard on someone

→ To be strict or difficult with someone, tobe demanding, to be overly critical or disciplinary.
To stick to someone or something

→ To stay with someone or something.
By the way

→ This expression introduces an afterthought. It is used before saying something that is somehow related to what’s already been said.
To hit the road

→ To begin to travel or move. To set off on a trip.
To be looking up

→ To seem positive, to suggest a positiveoutcome or improvement.

Turning Over a New Leaf

BJ: Hi . . . Excuse me. Could you tell me where the nearest subway stop is?

Keith: Uhh, yeah . . . Four blocks that way, and a block to the left. Fourteenth and First Avenue.

BJ: Thanks. Uff. Do you mind if I take a load off? I’ve been walking forever.

Keith: No . . . Go ahead. Are you new to the city?

BJ: Yeah. I just moved here two weeks ago.

Keith: What brings you to New York?

BJ: Well, in a nutshell, I guess I wanted to make a clean break, you know, start over.

Keith: I hear ya. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf myself.

BJ: Really? What is it you do?

Keith: Well, actually, things are a bit up in the air at the moment. I was just fired from my job.

BJ: Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that.

Keith: No big deal really. I wanted to leave that job ages ago. I kept putting it off out of laziness.

BJ: Wow, you lost your job? So what did you do?

Keith: I was working for a magazine. I wanted to be a writer when I got out of college. I took this job as the assistant to an editor, thinking it would be a foot in the door. I was wrong.

BJ: Do you mind me asking why you got fired?

Keith: I showed up for work late one too many times, I guess. Actually, they were already unhappy with me before. Showing up late was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

BJ: So what do you have in mind now?

Keith: I was thinking of going back to school or taking writing classes.

BJ: Ya know, I want to start taking some classes too. Right now, I teach.

Keith: What do you teach?

BJ: Dance. Mostly salsa these days. But it’s just to get on my feet until I get a break in performance.

Keith: I’ve always been interested in learning salsa, but I’ve never been sure I’d be good at it. You see, I have two left feet.

BJ: Oh, come on. I’m sure you’re being hard on yourself. You should come by the studio sometime and check out our classes. The truth is, since I’m new, I don’t have many students yet. The old students stick to the teachers they had before. So I have to find new ones.

Keith: Wow, dance classes. I’ve never considered that before! Why not? I might do that. In any case, I have nothing but free time now, right?

BJ: Here’s my number at the studio. My name is BJ, by the way.

Keith: I’m Keith. Nice to meet you.

BJ: Likewise. Well, guess I better hit the road. Lots to do today!

Keith: Good luck. Hope it turns out well for you.

BJ: Nice talking to you. Give me a call. Maybe we can have coffee sometime.

Keith: Yeah, that would be great. I’ll call you.

BJ: Cool. See ya.

Keith: Gee, I guess things are already looking up . . .

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