Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (14 page)
CHAPTER 7
TAKING IT EASY: ENTERTAINMENT, LEISURE, AND TRAVEL
Taking it easy,
or relaxing with no stress or worries, is something everyone likes to do. In fact, people often say
take it easy
to each other when they part. From
taking a nap
(a little sleep during the day) or
taking in
a show (attending a show) to
taking off
(leaving on a vacation or short trip), idioms about leisure, entertainment, and travel are abundant. This chapter is full of such idioms, which people use to talk about the many ways to relax and
take it easy.
You’ll also find idioms related to transportation.
Out on the Town
People often enjoy living in big cities because of the
nightlife
— the nighttime activity and entertainment, including great restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, concerts, and other
nightspots
(places to go at night).
Going out on the town
means going out at night to enjoy the nightlife.
go out
1. (v)
to enjoy nightlife and other activities outside the home ♦
We generally
go out
on Saturday night.
♦
My parents rarely
go out.
They like to stay at home and go to bed early.
2. (v)
to date ♦
Laura and I have been
going out
for about a year.
♦
I
went out
with her a few times, but we didn’t continue dating.
take in
(v)
to attend a movie, play, concert, or other similar event. Often used when the decision to go to the event is spontaneous.
Take in
is generally used when the activity is passive, not active. ♦
After dinner, we could
take in a movie
if you like.
♦
Whenever I go to New York, I
take in a Broadway play.
Note:
Do not use this phrase with the words
bar
,
club
, and
dance
.
see
(v)
to view, to watch an event or performance. Often said as
go to see.
♦
We went to
see
a great play last night.
♦
Have you ever
seen
Bonnie Raitt in concert?
♦
Hey,
seen
any good movies lately?
Note:
Although the word
watch
clearly describes the act of concentrated looking, the idiom
to see an event
(to experience or attend) is most commonly used.
Watch
is often used when talking about viewing TV and videos. Don’t use
look at
to describe viewing movies, plays, concerts, and other events.
hit the bars (
or
clubs
or
parties)
(v)
to visit, often briefly, various places of night activity; to check various places or go from place to place to find the best social scene. This idiom typically implies the consumption of alcohol. ♦
When my buddies come to town we always
hit all the clubs. ♦
Let’s
hit a few nightspots
and then have a late dinner.
♦
When the movies let out, people often
hit the bars and restaurants.
[See also
bar hopping
and
club crawling,
later in this chapter.]
go dancing
(v)
to go to a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where one can dance ♦
There’s a fantastic dance band playing at the Night Vault. Do you want to
go dancing? ♦
We love to
go dancing.
We do it almost every weekend.
eat out
(v)
to eat at a restaurant ♦
The restaurants are packed on Saturday night with lots of people
eating out. ♦
We
ate out
every night on vacation.
dine out
(v)
to eat dinner at a restaurant, generally a quality or high-priced restaurant ♦
If you like
dining out,
there are plenty of elegant restaurants in the city.
♦
We should
dine out
more often.
At the Movies
When people say that they’re going to the theater, they mean,
live theater
(a play or musical), though occasionally they may mean
movie theater
(cinema). When people want to see a movie they usually say “We’re going to
the movies
.”
Following are some general terms related to the movies:
flick
(n)
(slang) a movie ♦ W
e saw a great
flick
last night.
♦
I haven’t seen a
flick
for a long time. Let’s go see one.
showing
(n)
a presentation of a movie. A theater usually has several showings of the same movie in one day. ♦
There are five
showings
of this movie on Saturday.
♦
Let’s get tickets for the 7:30
showing.
showtime
(n)
the time when a movie (or concert, play, or musical) begins ♦
Let’s hurry, or we’ll miss
showtime. ♦ Showtime
was delayed for the animation festival because of a problem with the projector.
box office
(n, adj)
the place where one buys tickets for a movie, concert, play, and so on; generally used to refer to the power of a show to attract a paying audience or the economic success of a movie ♦
I like to work in the
box office
selling tickets, when the customers are nice.
♦
This movie has been a
box-office
success.
♦
They didn’t expect this movie to do well at the
box office,
but it did.
soundtrack
(n)
the sound portion of a film, specifically, the music or songs in a movie ♦
The movie wasn’t that great, but the
soundtrack
was wonderful.
♦
I bought the
soundtrack
for the movie
The Red Violin.
Do you want to hear it?
special effects
(n)
the artificial visual effects of a movie. Typically said in the plural. ♦
Some movies have great
special effects,
but not much else.
♦
The
special effects
in that movie weren’t done very well.
trailer
(n)
a preview of an upcoming movie ♦
I saw the
trailer
for that movie; it looks like it’s going to be good.
♦
We’re a little late, but we probably won’t miss any of the movie because they’ll show
trailers
for the first 10 minutes.
moviegoer
(n)
a person who goes to movies often or regularly. Often used in the plural. ♦
I’m not much of a
moviegoer,
but I see a movie occasionally.
♦ Moviegoers
have flocked to see this new movie.
The Movies
Do you wonder why Americans say “I’m going to the
movies
” (plural) when they are only going to see one movie? Well, some people think it’s because most movie theaters today have a number of movie screens and several movies show at one time. But, in fact, the word
movies
existed long before multiscreen movie theaters. Early films were called
moving pictures
so
movies
became a kind of nickname (the plural
movies
corresponds to the plural pictures). Films were later called
motion pictures
, but the name
movies
stuck, and we still have it today.
movie buff
(n)
informal, a fan, an enthusiast; someone who sees a lot of movies and knows a lot about movies and the movie industry ♦
Since he began working in the theater, he’s become a real
movie buff. ♦
If you want to know when a film was released or who acted in it, ask Lani. She’s a true
movie buff.
low-budget movie
(n)
a movie produced on a low budget, using much less money to produce than most Hollywood movies, and typically using less well-known actors. Sometimes referred to as a
B-movie
. ♦
Recently there have been some excellent
low-budget movies
in the theaters.
♦
You can tell that this is a
B-movie,
but it’s still good.
feature-length film
(n)
the main film presentation of a theater; a film of the usual length, often averaging 1 ½ to 2 hours ♦
The
feature-length film
shows every day from noon until 10 p.m.
♦
Now, sit back and enjoy our
feature-length film.
Good Movies and Bad
If you
take in
(go to see) a movie and it turns out to be boring, you might say “I had to
sit through
(endure) a boring movie.” However, if it’s a great movie, especially one of mystery, action, or intrigue, you may say “
I was on the edge of my seat
” (with anticipation and interest). Another common way to say it is “That movie
had us on the edge of our seats.”
Here are some ways to describe good movies and bad movies:
Good Movies
box office hit
or
success:
a popular movie that makes a lot of money
mega box office hit (
or
success):
a hugely popular movie that makes even more money
must-see:
a movie that you
must see
keeper:
a great movie that movie critics recommend and audiences find memorable
masterpiece:
a great work created by a great artist
two thumbs up:
an excellent movie that movie critics recommend
Bad Movies
a sleeper:
a low-budget movie that gets little attention, but becomes a hit
a flop:
informal, a failure
a bomb:
(slang) a big, unexpected failure
not worth the price of a ticket:
poor entertainment for the price; not worth seeing
Types or Genres of Film
Movies often are described by genre or type. For example, an
adventure film
involves someone’s quest or adventure, perhaps in the wilderness or a foreign country. A
comedy
is a humorous movie, sometimes a
spoof
or satire. It’s easy to guess the general content of these types of movies by their names. But some movie types have less obvious, idiomatic names like
a thriller
— a suspense film dealing with crime and detection—or
a melodrama
— a drama with exaggerated conflicts, emotions, and characters.
Following are some other idiomatic terms for movie genres and general types:
whodunit:
from “who done it” — a slang variation of “Who did it?”; a mystery
film noir:
from French meaning “Black Film”; melodramatic movies dealing with urban crime and corruption and characterized by fatalism and cynicism, especially from the 1930s and 1940s
action film:
high action, often including violence, military encounters, and combat
Blaxploitation:
Black film productions from the 1970s characterized by exaggerated and often negative stereotypes of African-American characters, culture, and situations; a film genre featuring or promoting African-American actors
Bollywood:
films produced by the Hindi film industry, the Indian parallel to Hollywood
boy meets girl:
a love story
coming-of-age story:
a story of a young person’s loss of innocence or personal growth
Here are a few other common expressions used to describe movies:
guy movie
or
guy film:
a film, often with action and violence, that’s made to attract male audiences; a film that might appeal more to men than women
chick-flick:
(slang) a movie that might appeal to girls and women; sometimes called a
women’s movie
or a
girl movie
a romp:
a fun, lively, playful film
a tear jerker:
a film with sentimental or sad scenes that makes one cry
Live Entertainment
Live entertainment
is any entertainment where you see and hear the performers
in person
(you are in their physical presence) rather than on a screen or a recording. There is
live theater, live concert, live broadcast,
and
live programming
(TV programs that are filmed in front of a
live audience
).
Applause
There are several idiomatic expressions for that familiar gesture of audience appreciation — applause, or
clapping.
Most of the following expressions can be used to introduce performers or speakers.
give someone a (big) hand
♦
Let’s
give
our musicians
a big hand.
round of applause
♦
They gave a huge
round of applause
to the vocalists.
♦
Thank you for that nice
round of applause.
put our hands together
♦
Let’s
put our hands together
and welcome our guest speaker.
♦
Everyone please
put your hands together
for Elton John!
give it up for
♦
Let’s
give it up for
the Mountain Community Singers.