A "crowning achievement" is a great success worthy of much praise and respect.
Example: In video games, a "jobs" system allows role-playing game characters to learn different skills suitable for different "jobs" (role-playing professions), such as knight, wizard, priest, thief, and so forth. While this type of role-playing game feature truly began with the Dragon Warrior series (Dragon Quest in Japan), this was adopted, and greatly expanded upon, by the "Final Fantasy" series of video games. Popular with gamers, the "jobs system" is often considered the crowning achievement of the series, giving players a deep personal connection to their fictional alter-egos.
This is to say, it is considered a great success worthy of giving great praise.
A crown is not only a physical treasure; "the crown" of something is its peak, its highest point, its pinnacle. (i.e. "the crown of the head," "the crown of a tooth") These words are easily used as metaphors for success.
(This post is based on the first paragraph from http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3181309 .)
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Easier Said Than Done
Something that is "easier said than done" - in other words, this idiom used as an adjective - means, something that is more difficult to actually do in reality, than to promise, pledge, or vow to do it.
This is a very common phrase in North America expressing that boasting of doing something before you have actually done it is easy, and worthless. Something easier said than done is something harder to do than it is to boast of doing it.
So, do it.
Example: Billy and Carol are at a karaoke. Billy: "I'm going to sing this song a lot better than Ray over there." Carol: "Easier said than done. He's pretty good at this. Are you?"
This is a very common phrase in North America expressing that boasting of doing something before you have actually done it is easy, and worthless. Something easier said than done is something harder to do than it is to boast of doing it.
So, do it.
Example: Billy and Carol are at a karaoke. Billy: "I'm going to sing this song a lot better than Ray over there." Carol: "Easier said than done. He's pretty good at this. Are you?"
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
In Store
Idiomatically speaking, "in store" means something that is lying in wait for a person to encounter.
Example: "Read on to find out what dangers are in store for our brave hero as he attempts to rescue the beautiful princess!"
Example: "Read on to find out what dangers are in store for our brave hero as he attempts to rescue the beautiful princess!"
For Starters
When I use the phrase, "for starters," I mean, as a starting/ beginning point, the first of a series.
Example: "What kind of movies do you like to watch?" "For starters, I like action movies. I'll also watch the occasional suspense thriller."
Example: "What kind of movies do you like to watch?" "For starters, I like action movies. I'll also watch the occasional suspense thriller."
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Jumping The Shark
The phrase "jumping the shark" began as the expression of a single person's opinion as to where the once extremely popular American television show, "Happy Days," began a permanent decline away from its peak until the moment it ended.
In this show, a major character became involved in a water-skiing race. A shark in a netted area of the ocean was to be jumped over as the tiebreaker for the race. This was seen by many as completely ridiculous, and a vivid sign of the declining creativity of the writers of the show. When shows become fully mature, their story lines tend to have already exhausted the best material, leaving second-rate material until the show mercifully comes to an end.
Example: "I think that ____ jumped the shark when..."
Just replace ____ with a given television show, and the idiom is being used correctly.
Rarely, some television shows are considered to have never declined, and maintained a high level of quality right until their final conclusions.
In this show, a major character became involved in a water-skiing race. A shark in a netted area of the ocean was to be jumped over as the tiebreaker for the race. This was seen by many as completely ridiculous, and a vivid sign of the declining creativity of the writers of the show. When shows become fully mature, their story lines tend to have already exhausted the best material, leaving second-rate material until the show mercifully comes to an end.
Example: "I think that ____ jumped the shark when..."
Just replace ____ with a given television show, and the idiom is being used correctly.
Rarely, some television shows are considered to have never declined, and maintained a high level of quality right until their final conclusions.
Heading Downhill
When something is figuratively heading downhill (that is, going downhill), it is in decline; it is past its peak and deteriorating.
Example: "After our old boss quit, things headed downhill for about six months until the new manager had learned how everything works. Productivity rose steadily after that point."
Example: "After our old boss quit, things headed downhill for about six months until the new manager had learned how everything works. Productivity rose steadily after that point."
In All Seriousness
When I write the phrase, "in all seriousness," I mean, as a completely serious, literal point, without sarcasm, irony, or humor.
Example: "In all seriousness, that house looks absolutely hideous. That shade of purple makes me want to cry."
This is saying, the house in question is not being described as hideous as some sort of joke; no, it really is hideous.
(A house in my local community, which was mercifully torn down to make room for a pharmacy a decade ago, fit this description perfectly, and was painful to even look at for many years. - Jeremiah)
Example: "In all seriousness, that house looks absolutely hideous. That shade of purple makes me want to cry."
This is saying, the house in question is not being described as hideous as some sort of joke; no, it really is hideous.
(A house in my local community, which was mercifully torn down to make room for a pharmacy a decade ago, fit this description perfectly, and was painful to even look at for many years. - Jeremiah)
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