Episode 26 A Surprising Number of English Idioms That Use The Word: Guts

Last week I came across an idiom using 'guts' and when I started thinking about it, I realised we have SO MANY! So I thought I'd look at some today. Vocabulary Follow your gut/intuition/instinct - to pay attention what something inside you is saying and do what it says. Not like 'I'm hungry'!! More like 'this person is bad/good'. Trust your gut - When you pay attention to that thing 'this person is bad' and trust that to be true. Go with your gut - The same as 'trust your gut' It was a gut decision. - Same as 'trust your gut', you decided based on how you felt inside. To have the guts to do something/ To have guts - This means you are brave enough to do something. Often used as a compliment. It was so gutsy. - Similar to 'having the guts' to do something, 'being gusty' means the action you took was brave. It can also be used to describe someone's personality or way of living: 'you're so gutsy.' You haven't got the guts! - The opposite as 'gutsy', this is someone who isn't brave enough. This is usually used as an insult to suggest someone is a coward. It takes guts to do that. - Also usually a compliment, this is used to comment on an action or decision someone has taken. It suggests we think the action was brave or particularly difficult or scary to do. It was a gut reaction. - This is when you do something suddenly without thinking. You just act in the moment and rush into action. I hate your guts! - For when you really don't like someone. Definitely an insult, but not one often used by adults. It was gut wrenching to watch. - Something that makes us feel very uncomfortable, often sad. This tends to be an empathetic or sympathetic feeling, we are feeling for another person, rather than describing our own experience of a situation. I had to slog my guts out! - When you have worked really really hard on something. Similar to the idiom 'I worked my fingers to the bone'. Usually used for something that wasn't fun to work on and you're a bit angry or unhappy about it or you feel like the work you did wasn't appreciated. I'll have your guts for garters! - A threat, used to say you are very angry with someone. If someone has already caused trouble and looks like they're going to cause trouble again you might shout this in a threatening manner, so they know you can see them, you're angry and there will be punishment when you catch them. Additional Vocabulary Intuition - To know something based on feelings rather than facts. Definition Instinct - The way we naturally behave, without having to think or learn about it. Definition Common Sense - The idea that each person knows how to behave in a safe and sensible way, a very common idea in the UK. Eejit - a derogatory word meaning 'idiot'Definition 'The cinema was packed' - we often used 'packed' like this to describe a very full place 'Crying my eyes out' - this sounds similar to the 'slog my guts out' above, but in this case it is an exaggeration of an actual situation. So we often use it when we are talking about actually crying. Garters - Actually this one is the same in America and the UK. It means a narrow piece of elastic used to hold up stockings. The wedding garter, is a common thing for brides to wear, no longer used for stockings though. Stockings - elastic garments that go from the foot to the knee or thigh Tights - elastic garments that go from the foot right up to the waist