Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme: Expressions with Food

Word: Take Something with a Grain of Salt

Meaning: To accept something, but to realize that it might be untrue, incorrect or exaggerated

Examples:

• You should take what that guy says with a grain of salt; he’s always making stuff up.
• Take that book with a grain of salt. It was written by someone who is getting paid to say controversial things!

Theme: Expressions with Food

Word: Cherry-pick (verb)

Meaning: to choose the best or most desirable thing or position, often in an unfair way or without putting in any effort

Examples:

• That guy always cherry-picks in soccer. He never plays defense and just stands by the opponent’s net waiting to score goals…
• I think you’re just cherry-picking my most controversial points, to make my argument sound worse than it is. That’s not fair; you should answer my whole argument.

Theme: Expressions with Food

Word: Fishy (adj.)

Meaning: Suspicious or doubtful

Examples:

• When I arrived home the back door was open. That’s a little fishy…
• I don’t trust that guy. He’s been acting really fishy all afternoon.

Theme: Expressions with Food

Word: Butter Someone Up

Meaning: flatter or make someone feel good, usually because you want something from them

Examples:

• If you want him to help you, you had better butter him up first!
• That was a nice compliment… but are you just buttering me up?

Theme: Expressions with Food

Word: Be in a pickle

Meaning: to be in a difficult situation, especially one that it is difficult to get out of without some suffering or embarrassment

Examples:

• I’m in a pickle. I forgot my wallet and now I am not going to be able to pay for the movie…
• He made a mistake on his taxes and now he’s in a real pickle.

Theme: Banking

Word: ATM (Automated Teller Machine) (noun)

Meaning: A bank machine from which people can withdraw cash, or check how much money is in their account.

Examples:

• I don’t have any cash. Where is the nearest ATM?
• There is an ATM in the bank across the street.

Theme: Banking

Word: teller (or “bank teller”) (noun) /tɛlər/

Meaning: A bank employee who helps the bank customers.

Examples:

• The teller told me that I don’t have any money left in my account!
• I gave the cheque to the teller and he deposited it in my bank account.

Theme: Banking

Word: currency (noun) /kɜrənsi/

Meaning: The unit of money used by the people of a country for buying and selling goods and services.

Examples:

• Which currency are these coins? American or Canadian dollars?
• I have to change my currency when we get to the airport.

Theme: Banking

Word: deposit (noun and verb) /dəˈpɑzɪt/

Meaning:

• noun – a sum of money placed or kept in a bank account
• verb – to put more money into a bank account

Examples:

• I’d like to make a deposit of $400 into my bank account.
• She went to the bank and deposited the cheque.

Theme: Banking

Word: cheque (American spelling: check) (noun) /ʧɛk/

Meaning: A paper used to give money from one person or business to another person or business.

Examples:

• Sarah wrote out a cheque to Jim’s company for $100.
• Did you get my cheque in the mail yet?