In this episode The Teacher introduces you to three idioms connected with miles:
1. It sticks out a mile.
2. I’d run a mile.
3. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.
Hello, I’m a very interesting and intelligent man. And today, this mile and I will be teaching you some English idioms.
A mile is a distance of 1,600 metres, used by strange British people like me… and weird Americans like him.
I bet you’ve never been taught by a mile before.
Now, the thing is, if you wear clothes like that…
…or like this…
…you stick out a mile.
In English, if something is very obvious and easy to see, we say ‘It sticks out a mile’.
It sticks out a mile.
Like my dog, Colin.
When I took Colin to work with me that time, we really stuck out a mile.
Hello everybody! Come on Colin, come on boy. Good boy Colin, that’s a boy. Come on Colin, come to me. Yes, good boy Colin, good boy. There’s a good boy, yes Colin.
Ah, my boss. He wants me to wear more ‘normal’ clothes.
But if he tried to get me to dress like that, I’d run a mile.
In English, if we really don’t want to get involved with something, we can say, ‘I’d run a mile’.
I’d run a mile.
That’s the problem with my boss. If I let him decide what clothes I wear, then next he’d want to decide my hairstyle…
…where I live.
…who I go out with.
…and even who I marry.
Give him an inch he’ll take a mile.
In English, if you want to say that someone who’s been given a little bit of freedom then tries to take much more, you can say ‘Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’.
‘Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’.
More BBC Idioms
- BBC Animal idioms – Pig
- BBC sport idioms – Athletics
- BBC Food idioms – Beans
- BBC Body idioms – Arm
- BBC sport idioms – Football
- BBC Animal idioms – Cat
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- BBC Colour idioms – Green
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