Master school lingo with nine essential idioms to enhance your English writing and communication skills. Photo: Shutterstock Welcome back to school! After a restful summer holiday, it’s time to return to the classroom to study and make new friends. Give your English writing a head start with these nine idioms related to school.
Class clown
Meaning: a student who tries to make others laugh
Example: Billy is the class clown; he loves telling jokes and making everyone laugh during lessons.
Cover a lot of ground
Meaning: to review a large amount of information or discuss many topics
Example: The interview with the singer covers a lot of ground, asking questions about their personal life, work experience, and career goals.
Flying colours
Meaning: to succeed or pass something with ease
Example: Sarah passed her entrance exams with flying colours, earning a spot at the top university.
(To be in the) hot seat
Meaning: being in a position where you are in trouble or being asked difficult questions
Example: Amy was put in the hot seat during class as the teacher picked her to answer a challenging question.
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Learn the ropes
Meaning: to learn the basic skills of a task, usually in a new environment
Example: It’s her first day in a new school, so Rachel is trying to learn the ropes and figure out where everything is.
Make the grade
Meaning: to meet the requirements or standards
Example: I cleaned my room, but it didn’t make the grade for my mum. She’s making me do it all over again.
Teacher’s pet
Meaning: a student who is favoured by the teacher
Example: Tom is the teacher’s pet, always sitting at the front of the class and being the first to answer the questions.
Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: to stay up all night, especially to study or work
Example: Mary pulled an all-nighter to finish her final paper before the deadline.
Put your thinking cap on
Meaning: to think seriously about something
Example: The maths teacher gave us a challenging question today, and we really had to put our thinking caps on to figure out the answer.