Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts

COMMON AMERICAN PHRASES in Everyday Contexts Collected by NTU

Here are some phrases frequently used by American in daily life: what for? why? For what reason? e.g

A: I want yo you to to cle clea an yo your ro room. B: What for? It’s clean enough.

what goes around, comes around the result of things that one has done will someday come back to bother one. e.g e.g

Now Now he he is is the the vict victim im of his his own own poli polici cies es.. Whatever goes around comes around.

they (just) don’t make them like they used to good are not as well made now as they were in the past. e.g

A: Look at this this flim flims sy door! B: They don’t meke ‘em like they used to. to .

tongue-in-cheek insincere; joking. e.g They They play play see seeme med d very very serio serious us at at first first,, but but then then eve everyo ryone ne saw saw tha thatt it was was tongue-incheek, cheek, and they began laughing.

twist someone’s words (around) to restate someone’s words inaccurately when quoting them or trying to understand them. e.g

Stop twisting my words around! around ! Listen to what I am telling you!

under oath

bound by an oath; having taken an oath. e.g

I was placed under oath before I could testify in the trial

wake the dead to be so loud as to wake those who are “sleeping” the most soundly: the dead. e.g

Stop hollering! You’ll wake the dead!