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American English grammar review with Billgreen54. Idioms! Hey, I've got some more idioms for you today. Let's start out with the idiom, chicken out. chicken out means to become too frightened to do something or to lose one's nerve. I have an example for you. Hey, the girls wanted to ask the movie star for his autograph, but they got scared and chickened out. Another example. You said you wanted to try parachuting. So we came up in this airplane, the door is open and it's time to jump. Don't chicken out now. a synonym to chicken out could be cold feet. He had cold feet and didn't want to jump out of the plane. I wouldn't want to jump out either. Another idiom chip off the old blog. He's a chip off the old blog very much like one's parents like mom, like dad. First example. The young man likes to do the same things his father does. He's a chip off the old block. Another example. Hey, now that Ralph has grown up, he and his father are as different as night nd but when Rob was younger, he was a chip off the old block. In other words, he did a lot of things just like his dad, a synonym to chip off the old block is spitting image. Now Spitting Image means that someone looks like somebody any expression chip off the old blog probably originates from the idea that a chip off a block of wood or stone, though it's smaller, has the same characteristics as the block itself. A chip off the old block usually refers to a likeness in character, or personality. Next up is chip on one's shoulder. He this refers to a feeling of bitterness caused by a sense that one has been treated unfairly. Here's an example. Hey, I said good morning to Ed and he snapped back at me. He sure has a chip on his shoulder today, something about Ed doesn't like me. Another example. Carl has a chip on his shoulder because he was passed over for promotion in favor of Maria. Although he feels he was better qualified. The sense of personal injustice is usually imagine the expression originates from the custom of placing a chip on one shoulder and narrowing another person to knock it off as a way of challenging someone probably not a good idea to fight with people. Next up the idiom, clam up. It refers to someone who isn't saying anything. Here's an example. The witness was ready to testify at the trial. But at the last minute she clammed up and wouldn't say a thing. A second example here. The boy's parents were sure he knew something about the theft at school, but when they asked him about it, he clammed up. In other words, he wouldn't say any thing. The expression suggests that one keeps one's mouth as tightly closed as a clam shell. Next up is the idiom clean slate or to wipe the slate clean. It refers to a new beginning, usually achieved by removing any record of previous bad deeds or debts, money that you owe, let's say an example is Hey, the man had done some terrible things in the past, but he moved to a new town and changed his name. He was trying to make a new life with a clean slate. Another example Hey, if you pay me what you owe me, you'll have wiped the slate clean. The expression originates from the idea of a slate, the forerunner to a blackboard, which can be wiped clean to allow for new writing. Next idiom clean someone out to take or steal everything someone has. First example is Hey, the robbers broke into the bank at night and clean the place out. In other words, they stole all the money. Second example is hey, we needed to go to the grocery store after the party. Our guests really cleaned us out after the party, they realize that all of the food was gone. This expression is sometimes used to describe stealing but can also be used to describe a legal situation where everything is taken. Next up is climb the walls to be uneasy or restless. Peter had been studying for more than 10 hours and he was beginning to have trouble concentrating on his books. He was starting to climb the Walls very restless. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/english-grammar-review/message