Category Archives: Language & Terms

3 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss

Posted on Tuesday - March 9, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There are lots of expressions we use with friends or informally that you don’t want to use at work with your boss. In this video, I talk about three of them: -Get lost! -That’s above my paygrade. -Whatever. For more … Continue reading →

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3 Expressions You Won’t Find in Your Texbooks

Posted on Tuesday - February 23, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Conversational English includes a lot of expressions you will usually not find in an English textbook. Today I explain 3 common idioms in English: To flake out/to be a flake To call shotgun To scoot over For more vocabulary related … Continue reading →

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Giving Up versus Giving In

Posted on Tuesday - February 16, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Learn how to use three popular phrasal verbs in English: To give up To give up (something) To give in For more on giving up and similar phrases, check out our Daily English 524 – Talking About Failure. ~Jeff P.S. … Continue reading →

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Sizing Up Your English

Posted on Tuesday - February 9, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There are lots of idioms related to the word “size” in English. Size means, of course, how big or small something is. In this video, I explain the different ways of using the following four popular idioms: To size (someone/something) … Continue reading →

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How Else Can I Say It?: At the Airport

Posted on Tuesday - February 2, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today we look more deeply (closely) at a short dialogue about the airport. You’ll learn at least 3 other ways you can say the following expressions: To have everything To change money I wouldn’t recommend it Learn how and when … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King and Peaceful Protest

Posted on Wednesday - January 20, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today’s video talks about the great American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., and phrases related to peaceful political protests. King’s birthday was celebrated on Monday, January 18, as a national holiday in the United States, as it is … Continue reading →

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Making a Judgment Call

Posted on Tuesday - January 12, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Learn about three popular expressions in English: -Against my better judgment -Judgment call -To pass judgment on someone/thing For more uses of “judgement,” check our our Daily English 1075 – Defying Orders. ~Jeff P.S. Like this English lesson? Get a … Continue reading →

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Wintertime is English Time

Posted on Tuesday - January 5, 2021 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a mostly cold time of year (even in Los Angeles!). But you can warm yourself up by learning a few popular idioms related to being cold in today’s video: -Chill and chill … Continue reading →

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Speaking English With Your Eyes?

Posted on Tuesday - December 15, 2020 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

We express (communicate) a lot of meaning in any language through our eyes. But in this video, I explain some common idioms related to eyes and seeing: -To give someone a dirty look -Wink-wink -To turn a blind eye To … Continue reading →

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English for Cats and Dogs

Posted on Tuesday - December 8, 2020 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I continue talking about idioms related to animals today by explaining two popular expressions: -The tail wagging the dog -There’s more than one way to skin a cat. To learn more about vocabulary related to dogs and cats, check out … Continue reading →

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