KEEP A LOW PROFILE

Read the sentences below:

• With police apparently keeping a low profile, the violence intensified during the night.

• Apple kept a low profile for the first few days of the conference, making no major announcements or product introductions.

• Many of the exiles have married, taken jobs, and generally kept a low profile.

• But since then they have kept a low profile and not made their findings public.

• Kendall keeps a low profile, refusing to grant on-the-record interviews with the news media.

• Like every really smart lobbyist, Boggs knows the importance of being subtle and of keeping a low profile.

• She's keeping a low profile until the scandal is forgotten.

• There was nothing she could do about it, other than keep a low profile and stay well out of his way.

• Western visitors to the region are asked to keep a low profile.

• I decided to keep a low profile, after all I was a guest.

• During the event Clinton will keep a low profile.

· The president continues to keep a low profile on vacation in Maine

Having read the sentences, I would like to call your attention to KEEP A LOW PROFILE.

If someone KEEP A LOW PROFILE, they avoid doing things that will make people notice them. We KEEP A LOW PROFILE in order to avoid drawing attention, scrutiny, or observation to oneself.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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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How the World Missed Covid-19's Silent Spread

Symptomless transmission makes the coronavirus far harder to fight. But health officials dismissed the risk for months, pushing misleading and contradictory claims in the face of mounting evidence.

By Matt Apuzzo, Selam Gebrekidan and David D. Kirkpatrick (June 27, 2020)

From:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/world/europe/coronavirus-spread-asymptomatic.html

“[…] The two-month delay was a product of faulty scientific assumptions, academic rivalries and, perhaps most important, a reluctance to accept that containing the virus would take drastic measures. The resistance to emerging evidence was one part of the world’s sluggish response to the virus.

It is impossible to calculate the human toll of that delay, but models suggest that earlier, aggressive action might have saved tens of thousands of lives. Countries like Singapore and Australia, which used testing and contact-tracing and moved swiftly to quarantine seemingly healthy travelers, fared far better than those that did not.

It is now widely accepted that seemingly healthy people can spread the virus, though uncertainty remains over how much they have contributed to the pandemic. Though estimates vary, models using data from Hong Kong, Singapore and China suggest that 30 to 60 percent of spreading occurs when people have no symptoms […]”

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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[IDIOMS] IT COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG

One famous expression used in Brazil is that one about the cost of things, especially when we are talking about something very expensive. In English there are very similar idioms. When something costs a lot of money, we say that IT COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG. If I can remember well, in Brazil people say “Isso custa os olhos da cara” to refer to ‘It costs an arm and a leg’.

The idea here is pretty obvious: GIVING UP AN ARM AND A LEG TO BUY OR PAY FOR SOMETHING IS CLEARLY TOO COSTLY.

There are of course other ways of saying that in English – you can even use verbs such as PAY, CHARGE, and SPEND instead of COST.

EXAMPLES:

College tuitions cost an arm and leg nowadays.

I'm sick of paying rent in this town because it costs an arm and a leg!  

It cost us an arm and a leg to get here. But it has been worth every penny and more.

This suit cost me an arm and a leg.

I'd really like to have a new farm house, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.  

"How much would you pay for luxurious farmhouse by the beach? An arm and a leg?"

He really wants to go to that event. He's willing to pay an arm and a leg for it.

If you can read and Portuguese, I would like to suggest you more about both the origin and meaning of Custar os olhos da cara. According to the website significados (English: meanings), Custar os olhos da cara “é uma expressão popular que significa custar muito caro, ter um preço muito alto, preço acima da média esperada.”  You can learn more about its origin here: (custar os olhos da cara)

REFERENCES

cost an arm and a leg. (n.d.) Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. (2015). Retrieved June 26 2020 from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cost+an+arm+and+a+leg

Modern Slang – Easy Way, de Jack Scholes, Disal Editora, 2005.

Significado de Custar os olhos da cara: (click here)   

theidioms.com

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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LOOK LIKE THE CAT THAT SWALLOWED THE CANARY

It’s been a long time since I last published something here, but I have been way too busy to find some time to share something on Portal da Língua Inglesa.

Now, I think it is time to try to start writing regularly again. I cannot promise that I will do it very often, but I will try to write at least an entry a week.

Have you guys ever heard of the expression look like the cat that swallowed the canary?

Examples:

01.When the teacher came into the classroom, the students sat there looking like cats that swallowed the canaries. The teacher knew the students must be planning something mischievous.

02. After her promotion, Janet spent the rest of the day looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.

03. When questioned on the use of campaign funds for his own personal pleasure, the senator looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

04. After the meeting John looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. I knew he must have been a success.

05. Your presentation must have gone well. You look like the cat that swallowed the canary.

Meanings:

·            To have a knowing and self-satisfied smile on one’s face;

·     To be pleased with oneself, often because one has done something which one knows was wrong but which was very enjoyable;

·    To appear smug and/or overly pleased with oneself to others, especially over something one has done, received, or accomplished;

·         To have the appearance of guilt but attempt to hide behind an air of smugness or feigned nonchalance;

·         to appear as if one had just had a great success.

I hope wherever you are in the world, you are safe and well. I'm sure that after the darkness, light will return.

I have joined Instagram!

@bruno.coriolano (https://www.instagram.com/bruno.coriolano/)

Some references

IN THE LOOP: A Reference Guide to American English Idioms

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Like the cat that ate/got/swallowed the canary. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/like%20the%20cat%20that%20ate%2Fgot%2Fswallowed%20the%20canary

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

Did you spot a typo?

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