What does 'a drop in the bucket' mean?

“If you count all the rich people in the world they are just a drop in the bucket in comparison to the world’s population.”

“These contributions are just a drop in the bucket; the new church wing will cost thousands more.”

“I'm glad Tony started repaying the money he borrowed from me, but the five dollars he gave me yesterday is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he still owes.”

“I know $200 is a drop in the bucket but please use it to make an extra payment on your student loans anyway.”

“I shouldn't be surprised I failed the class. The studying I did was a drop in the bucket of the requirements and I never went to class either.”

I’m sure you know the meaning of the expression a drop in the bucket. This expression is used to show:

1.   A very small quantity, especially one that is too small.;

2.   A tiny amount, especially when compared to a much larger one;

3.   A small, inadequate quantity;

4.   A very small proportion of the whole.

What's the origin of the phrase A drop in the bucket?

It comes from the Bible, more specifically, Isaiah 40:15 (King James Version):

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."

Is there any difference between 'a drop in the bucket' and 'a drop in the ocean'?

The answer is straightforward: NO. 'A drop in the bucket' is the predecessor of 'a drop in the ocean'; they mean exactly the same thing. However, ‘a drop in the ocean’ seems to have been used for the first time in 1802 in a piece from the Edinburgh Weekly Journal:

"The votes for the appointment of Bonaparte to be Chief Consul for life are like a drop in the ocean compared with the aggregate of the population of France."  

Considering that it seems to be much easier to remember new vocabulary and new expressions when you write your own phrases, I would like to challenge you to write your own sample sentences in the comments section below. Can you do it?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa   

Drop in the Bucket is also a Los Angeles based, charity with field offices in Uganda and South Sudan. You can check it here if you want.

You can also find them on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dropinthebucket/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DropInTheBucket

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dropinthebucket1

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What does ‘rain on someone’s parade’ mean?

‘Rain on someone’s parade’

This expression suggests that spoiling someone’s happy feelings is similar to having it rain during a parade. The expression is usually used in the negative. In other words, it means, according to Macmillan dictionary, it means: “to do something to stop someone enjoying something good that is happening to them.”  

Example 01 – She is in a great mood, so don’t tell me anything that might change the way she’s feeling. Don’t rain on her parade, ok?

Example 02 – I hate to rain on your parade, but your plans are all wrong.

Example 03 – I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I have some bad news.

SYNONYMS:

(Vulgar) to piss in someone's cornflakes which means ‘to disappoint or irritate someone.’

Example: Sorry to piss in your cornflakes, but my mom's got asthma, so take your cigarettes outside. 

ATTENTION:

What made you want to look up ‘rain on someone's parade?’

Please, tell us so that we can improve the entries of the blog.

 Can you write more examples using rain on someone’s parade?

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In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

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WHAT DOES TO GO WITH THE FLOW MEAN?

You may have seen this one many times in TV shows or movies. Let’s go straight to the point, then.

TO GO WITH THE FLOW means that one takes a relaxed attitude towards life.

This expression has the very same meaning as in like water off a duck’s back; roll with the punches; and take something in stride

LET’S SEE SOME EXAMPLES:

Life has its ups and downs. You shouldn’t spend your time worrying. Just go with the flow!

She said she wishes she could learn to go with the flow more. Whenever she has a problem, she gets all stressed.

It may also mean to do what other people are doing or agree with the opinions of others.

EXAMPLE: When you're new in a school, it's easiest to just go with the flow for a while, and see what people are like.

There is a song by Queens of The Stone Age called Go With The Flow (see here). In Portuguese, it would be something like seguir com o fluxo.

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Criamos uma página com os alunos da universidade. A ideia é praticar a língua fora da sala de aula e divulgar informações sobre quem faz a universidade. Sintam-se convidados a curtir a mesma:

https://www.facebook.com/Humans-of-Ufersa-1768823170006421/

The clock is ticking...

I was watching a football (soccer) match today and the commentator said that ‘the clock was ticking down’.

Interestingly, I was not upset about the match, but I instantly became in love with the idea of writing a post today. The expression I’d like to talk about today? That’s right: ‘the clock was ticking’.

According to thefreedictionary (here), we use ‘the clock is ticking’ when “the time (for something to be done) is passing quickly.”  And that was exactly what was happening in the match today - one of the teams needed to score at least one goal, but they failed.

We may also use it for “saying that someone must do something quickly because there will soon be no more time left.” (here) or, in more specific form, to talk about someone’s biological clock. That is, when one’s biological clock is ticking, it means that, for instance, that “a woman may soon be too old to bear a child, as in her biological clock is ticking-she just turned forty.”

There is another interesting expression that is used to a girl that is hot, but is too young for someone to, say, make a move. It’s TICKING CLOCK. Check it out:

A: Dude check out the ticking clock – she’s pretty hot!

B: All in good time, my friend, all in good time.

That’s all for today, folks! I do hope you have benefit from this entry. Have a nice weekend and a perfect week!

THE VERY BEST LIST OF DICTIONARIES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (AND SPEAKERS) [Read more here]

Sources:

Clock is ticking, the. (n.d.) The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. (2003, 1997). Retrieved October 29 2016 from http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/clock+is+ticking%2c+the

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ticking%20clock

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In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much. 

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me! 

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What’s goof off?

Sometimes we want to spend some time doing nothing. There is no problem about it, right?

Do you know what goof off is? 

Read some definitions I have found on other websites:

TO GOOF OFF IS…

(v.) To slack off by wasting time idly, sometimes through electronic means like video games, or through alcohol, doing absolutely nothing, or sleeping excessively. To goof off is to pass the time through the most unproductive means possible. (See here)

(North American English, informal) to spend your time doing nothing, especially when you should be working. (See here)

Read some examples:

You’d better not let the boss catch you goofing off! (See here)

I completely goofed off in college, devoting my life to slime volleyball, Soul Calibur 3, and ultimate frisbee instead of academics. Now I'm a level 3 barbarian living in a shack by a tucked away creek in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. It was totally worth it.

I totally goofed off. It's three in the morning and I'm still reading.

To goof off is to live life to the fullest.

Now that you know what goof off is, it is time to go back to work, right?

See you around!

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In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that does not look right, contact me!

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Como dizer “bem me quer, mal me quer...” em inglês?

É bem comum, ao assistirmos desenhos animados, percebermos um dos personagens apaixonado; sozinho e com uma flor à mão. Na mesma cena, o mesmo puxa uma das pétalas e diz, “bem me quer, mal me quer...”. O mesmo faz isso na esperança de dizer “BEM ME QUER” (muitas vezes aos berros!) na última pétala, claro!

O engraçado é que isso não resolve nada, não é mesmo?

Mas como se diz isso em inglês?

Bem, vejamos as imagens, que por sinal nos fornecem a resposta da postagem!

 Em inglês o personagem diria:

She loves me, she loves not... (Se for do sexo masculino).

He loves me, he loves not... (Se for do sexo feminino).

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In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

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Qual o significado de “Bend over backwards” em inglês?

Ao ler de forma literal essa expressão idiomática, um aluno pode pensar que se trata de alguém tentando “se envergar para traz do próprio corpo", como fazem os ginastas. Bem, faz até certo sentindo que alguém pense assim, mas a expressão, na verdade, tem o sentindo de “try something very hard”; to do your best”. Nem que pra isso, você tenha que “se envergar”.

EXEMPLOS:

That teacher bent over backwards trying to explain the topic to the students a million times.

(o professor de esforçou ao máximo tentando explicar o conteúdo aos alunos várias vezes)

Some people say that you can trust John. He will bend over backwards to help the other employees.

(alguns dizem que você pode confiar no João. Ele vai fazer de tudo para ajudar aos outros empregados.)

O significado de bend over backwards é “tentar algo muito arduamente”; “dá o seu melhor”, “fazer o possível para atingir uma meta”.

Agora que você já sabe o significado dessas expressão idiomática, poderia escrever frases aqui nos comentários usando a mesma?

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In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

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