When I first heard about Pangyao I was so excited. I wanted to write a blog – but what to talk about?

Well…how about language? As a former English teacher, I love language. Grammar is fun! Really!

So, I’m going to write some "Language Logs" blogs, sharing thoughts, tips and tricks on language learning. Even if you already speak fantastic English, the fun thing about language is – there’s always something new to learn.

So, let’s talk about our Language Logs #1 topic...

ENGLISH IDIOMS FOR WINTER

It’s finally winter in Hong Kong! While we probably won’t see snow, it’s still a fun season to learn a few English phrases and idioms all about the cold. For example:

“Break the Ice”

Breaking the ice means doing something to make people feel more comfortable in a social situation. For example, if you meet a new group of friends and nobody is talking very much, but then you tell a joke and everyone laughs and feels more comfortable – you broke the ice.

**Practice: Finish this sentence by choosing a, b or c – I think the best way to break the ice with a new friend is to a) tell a joke, b) introduce myself, c) ask them a question.

“Get Cold Feet”

If you get cold feet, that means you suddenly feel scared and can’t do something you’d planned to do. Imagine that your feet have literally turned into big giant ice cubes – so of course you can’t go ahead with your plans!

**Practice: Write a sentence about a time when you got cold feet. How old were you? What happened? For example – When I was 12 years old I was supposed to join a singing performance, but then I got cold feet and stayed home instead.

“Comfort Food”

Lots of people eat comfort food in the winter. Comfort food means simple food that gives us a feeling of warmth and reminds us of home. For me, chicken noodle soup is my favorite comfort food, because it reminds me of my mom. How about you?

**Practice: Write a sentence about your favorite comfort food, then write another sentence about some of the most famous comfort foods from your country.

“Walking on Thin Ice”

Walking on thin ice means you are doing something risky, that might annoy someone. This is a phrase that parents often say to their kids. For example, a dad might say to his son, “Please stop shouting so loudly, I have a headache! You are walking on thin ice!”

**Practice: Write a sentence about a time when someone was annoying you. Explain how they were walking on thin ice.

“Hibernate”

Usually, we say that animals hibernate in the winter, like a bear or a snake. But people can hibernate too! For people, the word means that we are feeling tired and don’t feel like going out much at the moment. Some people feel this way in the winter when it’s cold outside, and we just want to spend time relaxing indoors.

**Practice: Do you like to hibernate in the winter, or do you prefer to go out and be social? Write a sentence sharing your point of view!