Easy American Idioms » Lesson 17 - Let’s Catch a Flick, Then Grab a Bite.

Word List
  • To pack up shop
    To prepare a place in order to leave it.
  • To be out the door
    To leave. To be gone.
  • To feel up to something
    To have the desire to do something.
  • To stand someone up
    To not show up for a date or appointmentwithout giving the other person advance warning.
  • To stew over something
    To be quietly angry about something.
  • To cut someone some slack
    To give someone a break. To be understanding of someone’s situation.
  • To fall through
    To not be accomplished. To not work out.
  • To leave someone high and dry
    To fail to do something that someone else was depending on. To bail on someone withoutwarning or trying to make up for it in some other way.
  • To make it up to someone
    To compensate someone for something, especially something that you’ve done wrong. To do something in order to apologize.
  • In the meantime
    While waiting. In the time that passesbetween one event and another.
  • To let off some steam
    To release or let go of built-up energy,anxiety, or pressure.
  • Low-key
    Relaxed and quiet. Simple.
  • Like a chicken with its head cut off
    Moving around quickly and crazily, as if without reason or thought.
  • To catch a flick
    To see a movie.
  • A chick flick
    A romantic or emotional movie, as opposed to an action movie or thriller, suggesting (chauvinistically) that these movies appeal mostly to women.
  • To zone out
    To stop thinking or become unaware of one’senvironment.
  • A play-by-play
    A moment to moment description of events,either as they happen or after the fact.
  • To let someone off easy
    To allow someone to get away with unacceptable behavior with only a light punishment. A similar expression is “to let someone off the hook.” This means to not hold someone responsible for something, or to not punish him or her for a mistake or misdeed.
  • To grab a bite
    To eat a snack or light meal, usually outside of the house.
  • To be so hungry you could eat a horse
    To be very hungry. Used humorously.
  • To even the score
    To settle things, to make things even, to arrive at a fair resolution between two people.
  • To be “on” someone
    To be someone’s responsibility, especiallyfinancially.
Let’s Catch a Flick, Then Grab a Bite.

Art: Logan! There you are!

Logan: Hey Art . . . Glad you caught me . . . I was just packing up shop.

Art: I was almost out the door too, then I remembered you wanted to get together this weekend. You still feel up to it?

Logan: I do . . . but you’re not gonna stand me up like you did last week, are you?

Art: Are you still stewing over that?! Cut me some slack, Logan. It wasn’t my fault plans fell through at the last minute . . . There was an emergency.

Logan: You left me high and dry ten minutes before the concert started!

Art: Logan, I told you I had to pick up my niece from soccer practice. Her mom’s car broke down . . . I said I was sorry. What else can I do?

Logan: So . . . you’d like to make it up to me . . . Hmmm . . .

Art: Uh-oh . . .

Logan: I’ll think about it and let you know. But in the meantime, I definitely need to let off some steam after this week. What a headache!

Art: Same here.

Logan: Any ideas?

Art: I dunno . . . something low-key. I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all week.

Logan: How about catching a flick?

Art: Okay . . . But we never see eye to eye on movies. What’ve you got in mind? No chick flicks, I hope.

Logan: Don’t be such a sexist pig! You know . . . there is that new romantic comedy with . . .

Art: Oh, I KNEW it!

Logan: Hey! You owe me!

Art: Fine, then. Guess I’ll just zone out for two hours . . .

Logan: Uh-uh. No zoning out . . . I’m gonna ask for a play-by-play when the movie’s over.

Art: You don’t let a person off easy, do you?

Logan: Nope.

Art: All right, all right. So, how ’bout grabbing a bite to eat before the movie; I’m starving.

Logan: Great . . . I’m so hungry I could eat a horse right now.

Art: So . . . we’ll meet in about an hour and a half?

Logan: Perfect . . . and that about evens the score.

Art: What do you mean?

Logan: Dinner’s on you!

Favorite Books

If you already speak some English and now would like to speak more like a native, “Speak English Like an American” will help you. One of the keys to speaking like a native is the ability to use and understand casual expressions, or idioms. American English is full of idioms. Speak English Like an American will help you understand and use idioms better. It contains over 300 of today's most common idioms.

Read more

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Read more

The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.

Read more

The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.

Read more

Everyday Conversations is intended for sixth- and seventh-grade students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language (ESL). Students can listen to and/or read dialogues in English. Topics of the conversations include introductions and small talk, shopping, asking for directions, hobbies, and giving advice.

Read more