English On the Go with Ken Ng（Ken哥哥）

This week, we continue where we left off and look at more music-related idioms and expressions. The sound of music never ends.

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Ring a bell

Music to my ears

Play by ear

Tone-deaf

Strike a chord

Jam / jamming

Today, we talk about English idioms and expressions related to music. Who doesn't like music? The answer is no one... And that is why there are full of music-related idioms in the English language!

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Blow your own trumpet

Play second fiddle

Change your tune

Face the music

It takes two to tango

Food inspired idioms and expressions are the theme of this episode. It's no wonder that the English language is filled with sayings that are associated with food. After all, what's more thought-provoking and alluring than food? Today, we talk about how these sayings came to be and how they're used! Enjoy!

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The apple of my eye

Easy as pie

Go bananas

Spill the beans

That's the way the cookie crumbles

Today, we discuss a few out of place expressions and idioms that seemingly have nothing to do with their actual meaning in English! I dive into how language is a representation of the culture and tradition of the people using them. Please sit back and enjoy this episode as we explore the meaning and origins of some English most used expressions!

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Under the weather

One foot in front of the other

Bite the bullet

A piece of cake

Barking up the wrong tree

We continue this week and finish off the English items related to horses. Unlike the last episode, all the horse-related English items feature the word "horse" in them. Enjoy!

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Hold your horses

Beat a dead horse

High horse

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink

Culture and language are integral to each other. By learning a language, we're also accessing its culture. No matter the language, "horses" have shaped human civilization across the globe. Today, we look at a few English items related to the iconic animal.

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Bet on the wrong horse

Neck and neck

Leg up

We talked about money today! What English items should we use when a business is doing well or not doing so well?

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Items used:

Break-even

Raking it in

Making money hand over fist

Cash cow

Flop

Going out of business

In the red

Going belly up

What are idioms, and why are they so hard to understand sometimes? Today, we go through some popular boxing (that's right, the fist-throwing sport) idioms that are still used on a daily basis.

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Items used:

Throw in the towel

On the ropes

Saved by the bell

Throw your hat in the ring

How do you explain the concept of 家用 to someone who has never heard of it? I dive into this discussion and how it fits into the bigger idea of 孝順 in Chinese culture. Oh yes! And we'll learn a few things on the way: monetary gift, salary, tax, and stipend.

What's one of the biggest cultural differences I faced growing up in a dual-culture environment. It's getting used to how tipping works in the East and the West and their dissimilarities. I talk about this cultural difference and the terminologies involved: tips, service charge, surcharge, discretion, and gratuity.