He’s been spreading rumours about me, but two can play at that game.įinally, if you are in two minds about something, you can’t make a decision: The phrase two can play at that game is used when someone has done something bad to you to say that you intend to do the same thing to them: We use the phrase That makes two of us! to show that we are in the same unpleasant situation as someone else, or that we have the same bad opinion about something. Jake is just as generous as his friend – they’re two of a kind. Kira and her friend are like two peas in a pod. If two people are like two peas in a pod, they look very similar and are sometimes similar in the way they behave too, and if they are two of a kind, they have very similar personalities and beliefs: It’s no good asking me to dance – I’ve got two left feet! We would like to negotiate a solution, but it takes two to tango.
I know his friend suggested the prank, but it takes two to tango. Still on a dancing theme, if someone has two left feet, they are extremely awkward and clumsy when they dance:ĭon’t try to excuse his behaviour. We sometimes use the phrase to say that both people involved in a situation need to co-operate in order to achieve something.
We use the phrase it takes two to tango to say that both people involved in a bad situation have at least some responsibility for it. I had to go into town for some shopping, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and visit Mr Sharp while I was there. When she saw it in my room, she put two and two together and made five.Īnother useful phrase (if a rather unpleasant image!) is kill two birds with one stone, which means to achieve two things at the same time: I couldn’t believe she thought I’d stolen the necklace. ‘How did you know he was starting his own business?’ ‘I saw the new van outside his house and put two and two together.’ However, if your guess is wrong, especially by being more shocking or extreme than the truth, we say that you put two and two together and make five: If you put two and two together, you guess the truth about a situation because of something you have seen or heard. Today I’m going to look at some common phrases with the number two. Over time, people equated the calmness of the doldrums with being listless or depressed.In my last post, I wrote about phrases containing the number one. Because there is often little surface wind for ships' sails to use in this geographic location, sailing ships got stuck on its windless waters. The " doldrums" refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator. To take over, or control, the navigational duties on the bridge of a ship. While at attention they lined up along the seams of the planks of the deck with their toes touching the line. Members of the British Royal Navy were required to stand barefoot and at attention for inspection. One signal was “piping down the hammocks,” which instructed the crew to go below decks and prepare for sleep. Ship crews received a variety of signals from the boatswain’s pipe.
At one time countries would display their own unique jibs, allowing outsiders to instantly know the ship’s origin, and form an impression of it by the cut of its jib. The sails of a ship were described as “aback” when the wind blew them flat, or back, against their supporting structures.Ī jib is a type of sail. Over time, this symbol of grieving was equated with feeling sad or melancholy. If a captain or officer of a ship died while at sea, the crew would fly blue flags and paint a blue band along the ship’s hull. They would "tide over."Įxperiencing feelings of sadness or melancholy. When there was no wind to fill the sails, sailors would float with the tide until the wind returned. Not to be confused with "tied over," this phrase has its origins in seafaring. Make a small amount last until a larger amount is available. "Flotsam" (from the word "float") describes items that weren't deliberately thrown overboard, while "jetsam" (from the word "jettison") describes items that were deliberately thrown overboard. While the words flotsam and jetsam are often used together, they have different meanings. If a shot made impact from a great distance, or a “long shot,” it was considered out of the ordinary. An occurrence that would take a great deal of luck.Įarly ships’ guns tended to be inaccurate.
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