Speaker 1: Recently, I've been working a lot of long days. Yesterday
was no exception. I was so tired when I got
home last night, I was out like a light. Then
this morning, one of my buddies asked me if I
wanted to do some freelance work for him. I appreciate
the offer, but right now I need more work to do,
like I need a hole in my head.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight ten. Seven
phrases with like. The word like helps us compare things right.
And for today's English lesson, we're gonna look at some
colorful idioms with like. Let's start off with a veggie
and not exactly one of my favorites, green peas. You
know that little case that peas and edamammi come in.
That's called a pod. And if you open a pod,
pretty much the peas inside look alike, don't they Two
peas in a pod? With this image, you can use
the phrase like two peas in a pod when you
talk about two people who are very similar or really close,
kind of like best friends who are always together. Like
you know, Sarah and Jane are like two peas in
a pod. They like the same food, the same fashion,
and the same music. Sounds like the ultimate friendship, right,
They are like two peas in a pod. You can't
get any clotheser than that. Now, what about you? Do
you have a friend who's like two peas in a
pod with you? It's always fun when you have someone
who just gets you. The next one is all about electricity.
You know, when you switch off a light, it goes
right out. Well, with this image, you can say that
someone is out like a light, which means they fall
asleep pretty quickly, like once your head hits the pillow,
you're gone. When Frank came home after the party last night,
he was out like a light. That's a quick way
to fall asleep. I bet we've all had nights where
we were so tired we were out like a light
the moment we laid down, right, I know I've had
those nights. How about you? Have you ever been out
like a light after a long day. The next phrase
with like is to be built like a tank. A
tank is pretty strong, and we use to be built
like a tank when we're describing someone who's really strong
or muscular, like they could handle anything. My buddy Ed
is built like a tank, probably because he hits the
gym four times a week. Maybe you've got someone in
your life who's built like a tank, whether it's from
working out or just having natural strength. Can you think
of anyone who fits that description. We also use this
idiom to talk about strong things, like I still use
my grandfather's desk. That thing is built like a tank.
You probably have something in your house that's built like
a tank, don't you. Next, let's talk about eating and drinking.
You can drink like a fish or eat like a horse.
Either way you do it, it's a bit excessive. Let's
start off with eating and about eating. One animal that
has a huge appetite is a horse. Boy, they eat
a lot, don't they. Well, when someone eats like a horse,
they can eat a lot of food at one meal.
Like my friend Sarah eats like a horse at every meal.
I don't know how she stays so fit with the
amount of food she eats. Does anyone in your life
eat like a horse? It's always funny to watch someone
eat so much and yet they never seem to get full.
I think we all have that one friend who can
out eat everyone at the table. And now let's move
on to drinking. A fish spends a lot of its
time drinking or at least bringing water into its mouth.
With this image, we say that someone drinks like a fish,
which means that we're talking about someone who drinks a lot,
especially when it comes to alcohol. Like Donna drinks like
a fish, especially on Friday nights. You can always count
on her to get the party started. Hey, we all
have that one friend who's always the life of the party. Right.
Maybe they drink like a fish, but they know how
to keep things fun right. And speaking of fish, can
you imagine how a fish feels when one of us
humans takes it out of the water. That must be
super uncomfortable. Well, with this image, you can be like
a fish out of water, which is a perfect way
to describe someone who feels uncomfortable or out of place
in a situation, especially when it's a new situation. Like
when I went to the football game with my buddy Paul,
I totally felt like a fish out of water. It
was my first time to see a football game live,
and in fact I don't even know the rules. Yeah,
I felt like a fish out of water. I'm sure
we've all been there at one point or another. Right,
Being at an unfamiliar event or a new job can
make you feel like a fish out of water. It's
tough at first, but you get the hang of things, right.
The last phrase for today is I need that like
I need a hole in my head, a hole in
your head. Nobody needs one of those, for sure. So
this idiom is a funny way to say that you
really don't need something. It's like I don't need that
at all. Like during a meeting last week, they kept
serving coffee and at one point I had to politely refuse.
I mean, I drank so much already that I needed
more caffeine like I needed a hole in my head.
In other words, I didn't need more caffeine at all.
All Right, there you go. We've covered some really fun
idioms today. Whether you're talking about being two peas in
a pod, feeling like a fish out of water, or
joking about needing something like a hole in your head,
these idioms will help you sound even more natural in
your English conversations, and keep in mind the best way
to remember English like this and the other word or
phrase in English is to take that word or phrase,
write it in a sentence that's true for you or
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. And
did you know You can get more practice using your
English when you join my podcast Learner's study Group. There
you can make new friends, join us for live group
lessons every week where we practice these podcast lessons together.
Plus you get access to the pdf, transcript and audio
download for every Happy English podcast in the past and
in the future. And on top of that, each episode
has exercises where you can practice this English point with
speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more, just
visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson eight ten.
Remember learning in other language is not easy, but it's
not impossible, and I'm here to help you on your journey.
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