Were you on the ball at work today? Is your computer on the fritz? Are you
being on the level with me? What if somebody asked you those questions?
Would you know what to say? Well, after this lesson, I hope you will, because
I'm going to explain to you eight idioms — eight, yes, eight idioms, okay? — that
have something in common; they all start with "on the" something. Okay? So, let's
see what they are and what they mean. All right? Here we go.
Number one: "on the air". What does it mean to be "on the air"? It means to be
on TV or on radio; you're being broadcast. Okay? So, "What show is on
the air?" means: What show is going on right now on TV or on the radio? Good.
The next one, number two: "on the mend". "To mend" means to get better. So, "on
the"... If you're "on the mend", it means you were ill, or maybe you broke
something, a part of your body, and now you're getting better. So, you're "on
the mend". You may have been unwell, and you're getting better — you're "on the
mend". All right. Number three: "on the fritz". Okay. That sounds a little
strange, doesn't it? It is strange. When you say that something's "on the fritz",
basically it means that something's broken; it's not working. All right? So,
what does that refer to? Not people, but things. For example, your computer, or
your cellphone, or something else. All right? If they're not working, you can
say... you can use this expression: "It's on the fritz." Okay? Then number
four: "on the sly". Okay? "Sly" means something hidden, something secretive,
something deceptive. So, if you're... if somebody is doing something "on the
sly", it means they're doing it secretly — okay? — without other people knowing.
Let's review those before we learn any more. Always review. Okay? Always keep
going back because, of course, if you're not sure what they are — the more you
review, the easier you'll remember. So, what does it mean to be "on the mend"?
It means to be recovering after an illness or something like that. If you
do something "on the sly", that means somebody is doing it deceptively,
secretly, without other people knowing. Right? If someone's "on the air", what
does it mean? It means they're on TV or on radio; they're being broadcast. And
if something's "on the fritz", it means it's not working. Okay. All right, let's
Ready? Number five: "on the fence". Okay. A "fence" is like, you know, those
slats that divide one house from another house; there's a fence in the middle — a
white fence very often. And if you're sitting "on the fence", it means you're
undecided; you're unsure what to do. Okay? None of these... These are idioms.
Right? None of them are to be taken literally; you're not actually sitting
on the fence, but it means that you are undecided; you're unsure what to do. All
right? Next: "on the ball". Okay. You want to be "on the ball" because when
you're "on the ball", it means you're alert, you're competent, you're doing
something really well. Somebody's presentation went very well — you say:
"Wow, he was really on the ball today." That means he was doing something very
well. Got it? All right. Next one: "on the warpath". Okay. You really probably
don't want to meet anybody who's "on the warpath". "Warpath" has the word "war"
in it, which means a lot of aggression. Right? So, if somebody's "on the
warpath", it means they're very angry. They are not happy; they're very angry.
Okay? They want to fight. And the last one: "on the level". If you're "on the
level", you are a person who is very... or you're being very honest and
straightforward. Okay? You're being very honest; you're not hiding anything.
Unlike this person who's doing something "on the sly", this person is "on the
level" — is very honest, and what he's... or she is saying is actually how
So, let's review the last four. Somebody's "on the fence" — they are
unsure. Right? Good. If you're "on the ball", you really did something very
well. If someone's "on the warpath", they're ready for a fight. And if
somebody is "on the level", they're being really honest. Okay. Now, let's
see if you can recognize these and use them in sentences. Are you ready to do
some practice? So, what I'm going to do now is I'm going to read you some
sentences which do not contain the idiom, and I want you to tell me which
idiom we can use in that sentence. Okay?
Let's start with the first one. "My cousin hurt her knee, but luckily, she's
getting better." So, what could we say? Luckily, she's... Do you know? She's
getting better means she's "on the mend". Good. Okay? Let's try another
one. "Your speech was fantastic. You were really great today." You were
really great. You were really... Good — "on the ball". Right. The next one: "Why
are you so angry?" Why are you...? Good — "on the warpath". Okay? Very nice.
"The president is on TV right now." The president is... "on the air". Good work.
All right. "She was honest with me about her problems." She was... "on the level"
— very nice. "Who are you voting for? Are you still undecided?" Are you
still...? "on the fence". Good. "on the fence" means undecided. Okay. "He's been
taking money from the cash register secretly for months." He's been taking
money... What is it, dishonestly? "on the sly" — good. You're getting them,
see? And the last one: "Oh, no, my cellphone isn't working." My cellphone
is... There's only one left. My cell phone is "on the fritz". Okay? So, how
can you remember these? By practicing. Right?
You've done the first step; you've watched the video. Now use them. Use
them in some examples of your own. Is there anything in your house which is on
the fritz right now? Anything that you know? Anybody that you know who is doing
something on the sly? Write a sentence about it; say it out loud. Okay? When
you start using it, you make those idioms yours. All right? And the first
step, of course, with idioms is make sure you understand them, and then you
can take that extra step and start to use them when you're sure what they
mean. All right? So, if you want to do some more practice, go to our website:
www.engvid.com. There, you can do another quiz to really make sure you've
mastered them. Plus, you can check out lots and lots of other videos that we
have about English — more than 1,000. Okay? All right. Also, don't forget to
subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can keep getting lots of lessons that
will help you improve your English much faster. All the best with your English.