Eddie Y. Ramirez Blog: September 2016

Thursday, September 29, 2016

ISB Unites for 2016 Terry Fox Run

Hundreds of ISB students, teachers, and parents laced up their runners for the Terry Fox Run on September 30, 2016.

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ISB Alumnus Inspires IB Film Students

Since graduating from ISB just over a decade ago, Lawrence Chen ('05) has achieved more than many filmmakers hope for in a lifetime.

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Wednesday Schedule Today

We will run a Wednesday Schedule today and it looks like this:

	Wednesday	Minutes
Time	Block
8:15 – 9:35	B	80
9:35 – 9:45	Break	10
9:45 – 11:05	D	80
11:05 – 12:25	C	80
12:25 – 13:05	Lunch	40
13:05 – 14:25	A	80

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New Student Lunch! For Grade 8 students only

What: New Student Pizza Lunch. Pizza will be provided.

When: Friday, Sept. 30th at 11:00-11:35AM(Wednesday Schedule for today)

Where: Come to the MS Office at the start of lunch.

See you then,

Ms. Knox and Mr. Stewart

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

New Student Lunch! For Grade 7 students only

What: New Student Pizza Lunch. Pizza will be provided.

When: Thursday, Sept. 29th

Where: Come to the MS Office at the start of lunch.

See you then,

Ms. Knox and Mr. Stewart

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Raffle Prizes @ Ms. Kinsella's room

Congratulations to those who won a prize through the raffle draws yesterday! Below are the winners, and please come to Ms. Kinsella's room to get your prize!

Xiaomi activity camera set (Mr. Herzberg)
Fujifilm Mini 8 Polaroid Camera set (Charles C)
Jabra activity earphones (Christina Robinson)
Hoverboard (Mr. Munro)
Activity Bracelet (Jared Murphy, Mr. Hanagan)
Xiaomi Speakers (Forrest Wang, Sunny Lee)
Xiaomi Portable Chargers (Veronika Lin, Mr. Burton)
100 RMB Juice by Melissa vouchers (Mr. Rosevear, Joy Ho, Eden Liu, Cindy Wei, Ms. Ford)
100 RMB H&M Giftcards (Maisy Liu, Charles Chang)
Disney Dory Doll (Sarah Wang)
Box of space, planet themed lollipops (Amei, Jessica Gu)
Big basket of skittles (Ms. Dunning)
Box of Bean Boozled Jelly Beans (William Chen, Mr. Meltzer, Liu Yuan)
100 RMB starbucks card (Ms. Buyuklieva)
Nike 1L Waterbottle (Tai Shan)

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AMIS GIRLS HONOR CHOIR SELECTIONS

AMIS GIRLS HONOR CHOIR SELECTIONS:

Students should check the notice board in the Performing Arts Center to see who was selected.

AMIS allows 6 excellent representatives from each school. The list is posted today.

Enquiries to Mr Freeman

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Daily Schedule (September 29)

Today is Day B - 2

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Phonics dictionary – app review

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be sent a free copy of the app Phonics Dictionary by Skoodal/ Therapy Box. I was sent a copy of the app for free, but the opinions contained within this review are my own.

This app features Biff, Chip and Kipper, who will be familiar to anyone who has a child who has been through infant school in the last few years – they are the main characters in the Oxford Reading Tree books which are widely used in primary schools in England (and possibly other parts of the UK). I was keen to try this app, as, not only do I work with children who may find it useful, but I also have a daughter who has just started Year 2. Therefore, we are very familiar with Biff, Chip and Kipper in this house!

As the title suggests, Phonics Dictionary is a dictionary. It is based on sound rather than spelling, in line with synthetic phonics teaching, and that also makes it useful for speech therapists too. The different sounds appear on the right hand side of the screen and when you click on one of them, it will say the sound for you to hear and show you all the different ways that it can be spelt, with examples. They are not sorted alphabetically, but rather, in the order that they are generally taught in phonics at school.

phonics-dictionary

You can press on a word and it will be read aloud to you. This makes it very user-friendly for kids. My favourite bit of the app is the search facility. This connects to the microphone on your device, so that you can say a word into it and it will tell you how to spell it. I tried this with words not contained in the dictionary and it still worked, which is really useful. There is a page of high frequency words and also a “My Words” page where you can save extra words if you want to remember how to spell them.

phonics-dictionary1

phonics-dictionary2

In addition, the app has a spelling test function to practise the words (I thought even the easy level was quite hard however).

phonics-dictionary3

The app is designed to work on spelling and literacy skills and these are not things that I often work on directly as a speech and language therapist. However, I can see that it may be very useful for lots of the children I work with, who can also need support with literacy skills. One word of caution however, the voice recognition software does not often recognise words if there are errors in the way that they are said, so that part may not be quite so useful if your child has a speech sound disorder. However, the other elements of it would still be useful, especially being able to listen to the app say certain words for you as well as seeing the spelling.

There are many great things about this app:-

It connects beautifully with literacy teaching in English schools (I can’t comment on how it is taught in other countries).
Because it is made by a British company, it has a British accent which many apps do not.
The ability to say words into it and search for the spelling is really useful.
It is comprehensive and versatile, in having a bank of stored words as well as letting you store your own.
The spelling test function is good for giving children a bit of extra practise in a fun way.

Also, one final bonus I discovered – this app was a fantastic place to find words with a particular vowel sound in when I was looking for them the other day!

I do recommend this app for parents and teachers. You can buy it on the App Store for £4:99.

The great news is that Therapy Box have very kindly given us 10 app codes to give away!! We have 5 iOS codes and 5 Android ones. If you would like one, comment on this blog post or on the thread on Facebook and tell us whether you want an iOS or an Android code. We will draw winners next week!

The post Phonics dictionary – app review appeared first on Speechbloguk.

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Please Welcome Hud Reiersgaard – Newest tPREG Author

Here at the Phoenix Real Estate Guy, we are super-excited to welcome Hud Reiersgaard as our newest contributing author. Hud brings many years of real estate-related experiences that he will be sharing here on the blog. Topics will include cool things like energey efficiency, green building practices, smart home technologies, water conservation and more.

One of our biggest goals here is to provide quality information to help Phoenix area home buyers and sellers make good decisions on where to live and what type of home best fits their needs.

Energy efficiency, green building tecniques and many of the things Hud has expertise in will allow him to share valuable information to our readers and, most importantly, provide value to our customers and clients. Hud has several accrediations in the building industry including BPI Certifications and LEED AP designations.

Take a look at this bio and you’ll see why I think Hud is such a great fit for what we do around here.

Hud began his Real Estate career working in his father’s property management company in Crested Butte, Colorado. He moved to Arizona in 1994 where he graduated from Arizona State University and is a loyal Sun Devil Fan! Hud continued his career as a builder and has owned and operated as a general contractor for 10 years. He has many accreditations in the building industry including BPI Certifications and LEED AP designations. He believes strongly in the energy efficiency and water conservation movement and how they integrate into the homes in which we live. Hud has built many high quality luxury custom homes including one of the first National Green Build Council certified Emerald custom luxury homes in Paradise Valley. Hud has chosen to continue his career in this field by offering his unique set of skills to potential buyers and sellers as a real estate agent.

We have been doing a lot of work “underneath the hood” around here since we purchased the Phoenix Real Estate Guy web site. It is really cool to be at the point where we can bring on new and talented people to help us do what we do around here. So, please join me in welcoming my good friend Hud Reiersgaard to the Phoenix Real Estate Guy family.

In addition to the Phoenix Real Estate Guy web site, you’ll find Hud on many of the social networks as @greenbiltaz.

Originally posted on Phoenix Real Estate Guy. If you are reading this anywhere but inside your RSS feed reader or your email client, the site you are on is guilty of stealing content.

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Idioms: 12 Essential English Idioms Frequently Used by Native Speakers (Guest post #6: Lingoda)

Have you ever had a conversation with a native English speaker, and found yourself confused by a phrase they have used, which does not seem to make any sense within the context of the conversation? Don’t panic, there is a pretty good chance that the phrase they used is what is known as an idiom.

An idiom is an example of formulaic language and can be defined as an expression that, through repeated usage, has gained a meaning that may not be immediately obvious. In many cases, idioms have a figurative meaning, although some are literal. They appear in most languages and you probably use them yourself, without realising.

In this post, we take a closer look at 12 of the most popular idioms used by English speakers, along with examples of how they are used in conversation and what they actually mean.

12 popular idioms used by native English speakers! #english #idioms #learnEnglish
Click Para Twittear

Common Idioms

Kill two birds with one stone

Put simply, if you ‘kill two birds with one stone‘ it means you have solved two problems with a single action. The phrase is always used figuratively, rather than literally, so it does not refer to the actual killing of any birds. It has been in use as an idiom since at least the 17th century, and is believed to have derived from a similar English expression that was around at the same time, which was “to stop two gaps with one bush.”

Best thing since sliced bread

If a person or object is described as the ‘best thing since sliced bread‘, it means they are extremely good. This is an example of an idiom that means almost exactly what it says. Sliced bread became a major consumer product in the early 20th century and was advertised as a huge step forward for baking. The idiom is often used to hype new products, but can also be used somewhat sarcastically e.g. “you think you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”

Hit the nail on the head

If you are told you have ‘hit the nail on the head‘, it means you have said exactly the right thing. It is most commonly said when somebody astutely identifies the cause of a problem. However, someone might also say you have ‘hit the nail on the head’ if you answer a question correctly, or describe something accurately.

Under the weather

If someone is described as being ‘under the weather‘, it means they are not feeling well. This idiom can refer to either sickness or tiredness and it originates from old sailing ships, where logs would be kept of the number of unwell passengers. If the number of sick people on board exceeded the amount of space in the log, they would be listed in the space reserved for making notes about the weather conditions instead.

Funny Idioms

The lights are on, but no one’s home

Usually utilised as a funny but derogatory expression, ‘the lights are on, but no one’s home‘ is a description of somebody who is stupid, void of common sense, or lacking awareness at the present time. It is a metaphor, implying that while someone seems like they are alert and awake from the outside, they are mentally vacant in some way. It could be roughly translated to saying that somebody has a brain, but is not actually using it.

Excuse my French

The purpose of this idiom is to excuse the use of a swear word. It can be said either before the swear word (‘excuse my French, but…’) or after the swear word has been said. It has been used since the 19th century and is intended to be comedic, seeking to excuse foul language by implying that the word in question is actually foreign.

You’ve twisted my arm

To somebody unfamiliar with this phrase, it may seem to suggest physical harm has been caused. In actual fact, if someone has ‘twisted your arm‘, it means they have successfully convinced you to do something that you may have been reluctant to do. It tends to suggest an element of coercion, or peer pressure.

Pigs might fly!

An incredibly sarcastic idiom, ‘and pigs might fly!‘ is usually said when a person finds a suggestion to be extremely unlikely. It uses an exaggerated or hyperbolic comparison to imply that the thing being spoken about is impossible. For instance, one person may suggest that a certain sports team could win the championship this year, and another person may respond with: ‘Yeah, and pigs might fly!’ if they think it is unlikely.

Unusual Idioms

The cat’s got your tongue?

Sometimes said as the slightly longer ‘What’s the matter? The cat’s got your tongue?’, this idiom is used to prompt a person to speak, especially if they are being unusually quiet. It is a somewhat strange expression and the first known appearance of it in writing comes from the 19th century, at which point it was said to be a “children’s phrase”. Various origin stories have been suggested over the years, but all are speculative.

A different kettle of fish

Similar to saying ‘that’s a different story altogether‘, the idiom ‘a different kettle of fish‘ is used to refer to an alternative idea or situation. It is primarily used in Britain, but despite the country’s fondness for tea, the ‘kettle’ in question here is not a tea-kettle. Instead, it refers to a long saucepan, used to cook salmon. It is not known how this became an idiom, but an American equivalent would be ‘a whole new ball game’.

And Bob’s your uncle

Another unusual expression, which is generally used at the end of a series of instructions, ‘and Bob’s your uncle‘ is comparable to the French phrase ‘et voilà!‘. Again, the origins of the idiom are unknown, but can be thought of as meaning ‘and there you have it’, or ‘it is as simple as that’. Very rarely, and almost always for comedic effect, you may hear someone say ‘Robert is your mother’s brother’ instead.

A storm in a teacup

‘A storm in a teacup‘ is another British idiom, describing a small problem which has been blown out of proportion. Its origins date to the Latin writings of Cicero more than 2,000 years ago, in which he described something as ‘stirring up billows in a ladle’. Many countries have equivalent idioms – in French, there is an idiom which translates to ‘storm in a glass of water’, while American English features the phrase ‘a tempest in a teapot’.

This post was written by the team behind Lingoda, an online language school which offers English, German, French and Spanish lessons. Classes are held live by native-speaking teachers, and focus on every aspect on language learning. Lingoda offers both group and private classes and delivers official certificates according to CEFR standards. Follow their blog for more language learning tips or book a trial class with them.

Follow KSE and download all the idioms in this post

If you enjoyed this awesome post, please comment and share. Don’t forget to keep up with KSE’s latest news on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ & YouTube, and fill in the form below to subscribe to the monthly newsletter and receive more awesome English posts. You won’t regret it! Keep Smiling!

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

PTA Executive Committee Vacancy

The PTA currently has a vacancy for a MS Representative. If you are interested, please contact PTA@isb.bj.edu.cn.

For more information please click here.

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Daily Schedule (September 28)

Today is Day A - 2

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Drama Enrichment

Due to popular student demand, the Drama enrichment class has been changed to a SEMESTER-LONG CLASS. Therefore, students enrolled in the class don’t need to choose an enrichment for next quarter.

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New Student Lunch! For Grade 6 students only

What: New Student Pizza Lunch. Pizza will be provided.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 28th

Where: Come to the MS Office at the start of lunch.

See you then,

Ms. Knox and Mr. Stewart

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MS Boy Badminton Team Members

Don’t forget, we are going to WAB on Thursday. Be outside the swimming pool at 3:30pm.

Coach Iles

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3 Everyday Habits That Make You Age Faster

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

Some of our daily habits that we thought were harmless, or make us feel comfortable, might just be one of the reasons why we look older than we really are. Check out the top 3 things you never knew was bad for your skin: You Like Your House Toasty Warm When the weather outside is […]

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Monday, September 26, 2016

Gay Straight Alliance

In the war to help everyone live their lives freely, the Gay Straight Alliance is looking for more allies. This week, we will be in the cafeteria offering free face paint to new and old allies. Please stop by to sign your pledge to help and celebrate Ally Week at ISB. We look forward to seeing you!

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Athletes!

Athletes! Bring your lunch and laptops to the FA for a working session at lunch today!

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Daily Schedule (September 27)

Today is Day F - 1

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Quarter two Enrichments Sign Up

1. To login Dragon’s Gate.

2. Go to My Gate, find MSE Registration.

3. To make your selection for Q2 enrichments.( Please choose only from the period that your language is not currently in)

4. To click “Submit Requests” and see a green message “your selections were successfully submitted.

5. Block C, Even = Period 3 Day B,D&F

6. Block C, Odd = Period 3 Day A,C&E

7. Block D, Even = Period 4 Day B,D&F

8. Block D, Odd = Period 4 Day A,C&E

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Found items

Found glasses and water bottle. Check at MS office.

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HFH's Brick Drive: Raffle Draw is Wednesday Lunch

Hello everyone! Habitat for Humanity’s Brick Drive has come to an end, but the raffle that we have all been waiting for will be drawn during Wednesday lunch time! This year we were able to raise an amazing quantity of 36699 RMB! Thank you all for your generous donations, and may the odds be in your favor!

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Sunday, September 25, 2016

NO ASA on October 14

There will be no activities on October 14 due to International Day.

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On-site Flu Shot Service

Thursday, Oct. 13 & Friday, Oct. 14

3:30 - 6 pm both days for parents & students

8:30 am - 3:30 pm, Friday, Oct. 14 for staff & their families

Venue: High School Nurse’s office

Cost: 80 RMB (to be confirmed)

Registration details coming soon

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Student Wellness Council's Underclassmen Flex Time Activity

These stress free activities are aimed to promote healthy lifestyles in ISB, and they will be taking place Tuesday September 27th, during flex time 9:40-10:15.

Frisbee
Location: Softball Field
Supervising Teachers: Mr. McRoberts and Mr. Hillmann

Capture the Flag
Location: Soccer Field
Supervising Teachers: Mr. Weir and Mr. Toigo

Cloud Watching and Popcorn
Location: Stadium
Supervising Teachers: Mr. Smyth and Ms. Yamatin

DIY Healthy Snacks: Peanut Butter Apple Sandwiches
Location: Room 2331
Supervising Teacher: Ms. Cover

DIY Healthy Snacks: Oatmeal Truffles
Location: Room 1110
Supervising Teacher: Mr. Burton

Card Games
Location: Room 1113
Supervising Teachers: Mr. Skarlew and Mr. King

Coloring and Doodling
Location: Room 3206
Supervising Teacher: Ms. Marcea

Playing with Bubblewrap
Location: Room 2113
Supervising Teacher: Mr. Tebo

Watching Modern Family
Location: Room 3209
Supervising Teacher: Mr. Herzberg

Watching Modern Family 2
Location: Room 3101
Supervising Teacher: Ms. Monroe

Relaxation Zone: Grade 9
Location: Room 3211
Supervising Teachers: Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Dahl

Relaxation Zone: Grade 10
Location: Room 3204
Supervising Teachers: Mr. Bajc

Click here for the list of students participating in each activity, please look over it carefully.

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IB registration for Grade 12 students

Terry Fox Run T-Shirt Sales

Terry Fox Run t-shirts will be on sale during the MS lunch. Each t-shirt is 80rmb, and 40rmb from each sale will go to the Terry Fox Foundation.

T-shirts will be on sale until this Friday.

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Fifth Block for IB students

This week, Wednesday Sept 28th at 2:30, the grade 12s have English Lit HL and the grade 11s have Chemistry HL.

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Flex Time for This Week (Sept 26-30)

Monday – Mentoring

Tuesday - Assembly

Knowledge Bowl – Grades 11 & 12 in Theater
WellCo Assembly – Grades 9 & 10

Thursday – Study Hall

Friday – Study Hall

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Assembly schedule

Today we have an assembly in the morning, so we'll follow the early morning assembly schedule.

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Daily Schedule (September 26)

Today is Day E - 1

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Grade 11 students

If you are not a full IB candidate, and yet you still want to write an extended essay, you need to begin coming to CORE classes on Friday Sept 30th. These will take you the rest of the school year to complete. Please come by the IB coordinator's office to be sure you are registered in one of the core classes and will be included in the registration of these EEs.

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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Curso intensivo de inglés en Granada: B1 y B2

Friday, September 23, 2016

Which Home Renovations Go Right To Your Bottom Line?

Whether you are looking to buy a fixer upper or renovate your existing home to improve the quality of life for you and your family, it’s worthwhile to understand which home renovations can help boost the value of your home and go straight to your bottom line. 4 Renovations With The Highest ROI According to […]

The post Which Home Renovations Go Right To Your Bottom Line? appeared first on Invis Team RRP.

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Thursday, September 22, 2016

MS Student Demystifies Physics on YouTube

ISB Futures Academy student Jeremy Y has taken an innovative approach to sharing his passion for science by launching his own YouTube channel.

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macOS Sierra

If you're a tech news follower you will know that Apple released their latest operating system this week--macOS Sierra--this week. It has some cool new features that will be fun to try but the ICT Office has asked that we do not upgrade yet. They need time to test that all our school software is compatible with macOS Sierra--i. e. our printer software. When they finish their testing and they are sure everything works, they will give us the green light to upgrade.

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Daily Schedule (September 23)

Today is Day D - 2

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MS STUCO Elections

Yesterday the elections were held for the MSSTUCO Executive positions for this year. Congratulations to the following Grade 8 students:

Austin Li – President

Domonik Krotzer – Vice President

Kenny Do - Secretary

Justin Woo – Treasurer

They are going to be a great team and are keen to work with all members of the Middle School.

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Academia de inglés en Granada: 10 razones para elegir KSE Academy

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Important Message from Tech Office

If you're a tech news follower you will know that Apple released their latest operating system this week--macOS Sierra--this week. It has some cool new features that will be fun to try but the ICT Office has asked that we do not upgrade yet. They need time to test that all our school software is compatible with macOS Sierra--i. e. our printer software. When they finish their testing and they are sure everything works, they will give us the green light to upgrade.

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Daily Schedule (September 22)

Today is Day C- 2

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AMIS GIRLS HONOR CHOIR FESTIVAL - JAKARTA April 5-9 -2017 (during Spring break)

Any girls interested in auditioning for this festival should collect audition materials and a notice from Mr. Freeman. Students must be in an ISB choir to be eligible. Auditions will begin next Monday September 26^th from 4:35 immediately after Girls Honor Choir in room 1768. Email any enquiries to Mr Freeman rfreeman@isb.bj.edu.cn

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Friday, September 30, 2016

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Common Idioms

Kill two birds with one stone

Best thing since sliced bread

Hit the nail on the head

Under the weather

Funny Idioms

The lights are on, but no one’s home

Excuse my French

You’ve twisted my arm

Pigs might fly!

Unusual Idioms

The cat’s got your tongue?

A different kettle of fish

And Bob’s your uncle

A storm in a teacup

Follow KSE and download all the idioms in this post

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Monday, September 26, 2016

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Friday, September 23, 2016

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Wednesday, September 21, 2016