10 idioms for communication & miscommunication

Hi, students. Do you know what it means to drop someone a line, get your wires crossed, or beat around the bush? If not, you should definitely watch today's lesson to learn 10 idioms all about communication and miscommunication. Idioms and informal expressions like these are used frequently in movies, TV shows, and casual conversations. But a lot of English textbooks don't teach you these expressions. The result is you might be confused when you hear them in real life. That's why I created the 300 plus English idioms in 30 days course to teach you the most common idiomatic expressions and help you learn and use them. Each lesson in the course teaches you idioms related to a certain topic, but I don't just tell you what the idioms mean. I help you figure it out yourself. There are also quizzes and writing exercises to help you review and practice these expressions. You can click on the link in the video description to try a free sample, and if you like it, then sign up for the 300 idioms course. All right. Let's take a look at these expressions for communicating and miscommunicating. Number one, I'm looking for a job. Please drop me a line if you hear of any good opportunities. To drop someone a line simply means to contact the person. It can be by phone, email, chat, or text message. Number two, I need to get a hold of Tina to tell her that tomorrow's class is canceled. To get a hold of someone or get hold of someone means to communicate with them, usually by phone. Number three, keep me posted on your plans for this weekend. Maybe we can meet up. To keep someone posted or keep someone in the loop means to update the person, inform the person of the most current information. In contrast, if someone has not been kept informed, they can say, I'm out of the loop, meaning they don't know the most recent information. Number four, I heard through the grapevine that Dan and his wife split up. Is it true? If you hear something through the grapevine, it means that you hear the news indirectly, through a friend of a friend, for example, and not directly from one of the people involved. News that you hear through the grapevine may be true, or it may be untrue. Number five, stop beating around the bush and just tell me what happened to the camera I lent you. If someone is beating around the bush, it means they are trying to avoid answering a question or talking directly about a particular issue. Instead, they tell stories or talk about details that are not exactly the most important part. Number six, I like having meetings with Nate because they're so short. He always gets right to the point. To get right to the point or get straight to the point is the opposite of beating around the bush. It means to talk about an issue directly without wasting time discussing unrelated or unimportant details. Number seven, the two politicians were talking at cross-purposes during the debate. One argued strongly for immigration control, whereas the other was entirely focused on the educational system. Talking at cross-purposes describes when two people not only have different or opposing perspectives, but are actually talking about two completely different issues or with completely different goals or philosophies. This means that they can't even debate each other directly because each one is focused on a different point. Number eight, sorry, we must have gotten our wires crossed. I wanted you to come at 7 p.m., not 7 a.m. If two people get their wires crossed, it means they have a mistake in communication that leads to a misunderstanding. Number nine, I haven't actually talked to my sister yet. We've been playing phone tag all day. Playing phone tag describes that situation when two people telephone each other at various times during the day, but can't talk directly because each time one person calls, the other person is not available. Then when the other person calls back, the first person is not available, and this situation repeats several times. Number ten, at parties I always end up saying something stupid and putting my foot in my mouth. Putting your foot in your mouth is when you accidentally say something stupid, offensive, or embarrassing. Any type of comment that you wish you hadn't said, and then you feel ashamed or embarrassed. Learning common idioms like these helps you understand native English speakers better, and they make your English more interesting and creative when you can use these expressions yourself. My 300 plus idioms course can help you learn them fast, so make sure to check it out. Thanks for watching, and I'll talk to you next time. Bye for now!