Page 95 - Speak English Like an American

Susan: Okay, let’s hear the speech.

Nicole: Good afternoon, everyone. There are four candidates
running for president. You think you have several
choices. In reality, you have just one choice: me!

Susan: You can’t say that. You’ll turn off your audience imme-
diately.

Nicole: It sounds like I have a big head?

Susan: Tsay!

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IDIOMS — LESSON 15

basket case [slang] - someone or something in a useless or
hopeless condition
Exampce 1: After working a 12-hour day and then coming home and
cooking dinner for her family, Tanya felt like a basket case.
ExampLe 2: After running the marathon, Brian felt like a basket case.
Note: You may also see the expression “economic basket case” to
describe an economy that is doing very poorly. Example: After years of
dictatorship, North Korea is an economic basket case.

(to have a) big head — arrogant; too proud of oneself
ExampLe 1: Stop bragging so much about the award you got at work!
People will think you’ve got a big head.
ExAMPLE 2: Jenny has such a big head. No wonder nobody wants to be
friends with her!
Synonym: to be full of oneself. Example: Joan is really full of herself.
She’s always talking about how smart she is.

conventional wisdom — a widely held belief
Examp_e |: According to conventional wisdom, a diet high in salt can
cause high blood pressure.
Example 2: Challenging conventional wisdom, the psychologist said
that sometimes it’s healthy to be in a bad mood.

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