We use them without thinking about it. Little phrases that make non native speakers look at each other in complete puzzlement. They have similar phrases in their own language, but they are never quite the same. “Vive La difference!”, as we say in English.

German couple on recent holiday had excellent English and an enthusiasm to speak to us. Musicians by trade, or more profession perhaps one might say, they had a good ear as you would expect. Teachers back in Germany where many teachers are classed as civil servants. My teachers, way back, were never that civil to me.

On donning a sturdy waterproof on one of our walking outings a fellow walker was doing the same. Making light conversation at the time I said “Great minds think alike”. Our new German friend asked what that meant and I tried to explain, that it was sort of a compliment to both of us that we had both had the same thought and action at exactly the same time. we have no phrase like that was the German response, but we do have one which translates as “Two idiots with one thought”. Not the sort of friendly expression you might use in this case. or am I missing German irony?

This all set me thinking. Here we were with an Italian guide who spoke excellent English, a German couple who also spoke excellent English ( and it seemed Italian ) and the rest of our walking party most of who ventured not much further than the mother tongue, though I found out later that lady from Blackpool spoke some Polish and had heritage there. Polish likely to be useful in Blackpool, and another lady who spoke fluent Italian and bantered with the waitress as if they were having a massive row, but insisted that it was normal.

The phrase “We’ll play in by ear” was what started it. Try explaining that to the Germans. In this case it was referring to precautions against possible rain on the walking trip. On reflection I probably said it to fill a silent gap. I’m one of those people that feels they have to say something if there’s a silent gap, and at times it can get me into trouble. It’s an affliction I’ve got used to. I fully understood why when on the underground in London in the early days a voice on the platform would boom out : “MIND THE GAP” me thinking that it was a warning against the awful silence you get on these trains when I first heard it. I note that it’s now crept into the repertoire of normal train announcements that are designed to keep you awake on long train journeys on standard trains, as if gaps have suddenly appeared on platforms all over the country. What used to be “Guards” are now Train Managers on these journeys and on the one from Heathrow bringing us home, the aforesaid manager looked like part of a girl band from just a couple of years ago, rather than the badge wearing ‘Grizzlys’ of old train times. No clipping of tickets these days, “You’ll need a qr code Sir”. Incidentally I heard recently that you can now get bikes that don’t have manual gear changes but do it by Bluetooth! Sturmey Archer would be rolling in his grave. Bicycle Repair Man turns into a software upgrade. “Give me strength”

So, thinking cap on, here are one or two random English expressions for my German friends to ponder o:

“Play it by ear”, done that.

“Give me strength”, an expression of exasperation at the idiocy of certain actions, or anything technical in modern life, perhaps.

How about these to add to the collection of useful expressions:

“Sound” just the one word, meaning approval of an action, generally a younger expression.

“Be my guest”: Not an invitation to a wedding. More an aside, for instance, when opening a door to someone and indicating that they may go before you, or perhaps cynically on an airplane whilst waiting to deplane ( there’s really no such word as de plane ) to someone pushing to deplane?

I’m sure there are loads more, but none are springing to mind.

“Springing to mind!”

Boom! Boom!

Try explaining how that got into the English language to two highly intelligent Germans. It’s ever so slightly embarrassing. Like you know the most trivial things but nothing of any real importance.

“ Well there used to be a puppet fox on Children’s television and one of its expressions when he made a joke was: “Boom! Boom!”

He was called Basil Brush…..you can hear how this trails off into embarrassing silence.

Mind the gap.