English Language Notes 16 - Idioms and Expressions about LUCK

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For this lesson, I decided to put on a necklace with a special charm.

It was given to me by a friend.

Can you see it?

It's a horseshoe.

Horseshoes are considered lucky.

Why? There are different explanations.

People also have different ideas about how you should use a horseshoe to bring you good luck.

If you hang a horseshoe in your home,

should you put it with the ends pointing up,

so that it holds good luck?

Or should you put it with the ends pointing down,

so that good luck spills out on you?

As long as you believe that the horseshoe is lucky,

that's what's most important.

Here's another symbol of good luck.

It's a shamrock.

It has three leaves of green.

This is a symbol you're going to see a lot

around and on March 17

because that's when we celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Of course, this holiday has religious origins,

but today in the U.S. St. Patrick's Day is a celebration for everyone.

If you have Irish roots,

you can take pride in your heritage on March 17.

But even if you don't have Irish blood, like me,

you can join in the fun.

Americans watch parades, join in the parades...

We put on green for good luck.

And we decorate our homes, our offices, our schools

with symbols of St. Patrick's Day,

like the shamrock.

You might also see a four-leaf clover,

which is a variation of this.

It's hard to find a four-leaf clover,

so something so rare is lucky.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the shamrock,

I though we'd talk about the word "luck" and how it's used.

"Luck" is an uncountable noun.

You can have good luck or bad luck.

You can have lots of luck or no luck.

You can't have "a good luck" or "a bad luck."

Don't try to use the article "a" with this word.

And don't try to make it plural with the ending -s.

"Lucks" (noun) is not a word.

So again, you can have lots of luck,

(a) little luck, or no luck.

"Luck" means by chance.

To emphasize this idea,

we often use adjectives:

pure luck, sheer luck, dumb luck...

They all mean the same thing.

For example, maybe you met someone special.

How did you meet?

You were both in the same place at the same time.

Here's another word.

Beginner's luck.

Let's say your learning something.

You're trying something for the first time.

You pull back an arrow,

you shoot the arrow, and it hits the target.

Dead in the center.

Maybe it was beginner's luck.

What's the adjective of this word?

You can be lucky. You can feel lucky,

and say, "I'm feeling lucky today!"

It can be a lucky day.

The adverb - "luckily."

We use it like we do "fortunately."

Luckily, the weather's wonderful today,

so we can play outside.

If lots of lucky things are happening to you,

you're having a lucky streak -

a sequence of lucky happenings.

But a lucky streak can end.

If you want to talk about a single lucky event,

we can use "in luck."

The opposite - "out of luck."

Let's say we're going to a meeting or a presentation together.

You need to take notes, but you forgot your pen.

"Oh, you're in luck! I always carry extra pens. Here's one."

Or - "Ah, sorry. You're out of luck. I don't have an extra pen with me today."

To comment on being lucky, we can say things like:

Oh, you're so lucky!

Lucky you! ...Lucky me!

And all of these expressions

can also be said in a negative way.

Like sarcastically.

Do you know what I'm doing?

I'm crossing my fingers.

I can cross both.

I can try to cross all of them.

We cross our fingers for good luck.

So if I want you to wish me good luck,

wish me well...

I can ask you to cross your fingers for me.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Or simply say, "Fingers crossed!"

Also, you can simply say to someone, "Wish me luck!"

When we're having bad luck, we like to complain about being so unlucky.

We say things like:

Oh, that's just my luck.

I'm having the worst luck!

If you want to sympathize with someone who's not very lucky right now,

"Tough luck. That's too bad."

Be careful with "touch luck" because this expression could also be used in a mean way.

Let's say a brother and sister are fighting over the remote control.

One gets it first and says,

"Tough luck. I got here first."

So that person gets to choose which channel to watch.

Here's a useful expression.

"As luck would have it..."

We use it to comment on good or bad events.

- Events that happened by chance.

We use it especially when we're telling a story.

For example: Yesterday I was rushing to work,

and I got to my bus stop.

And I missed my bus by just a few seconds.

And I couldn't believe it.

But as luck would have it,

a co-worker was driving by, so I waved.

My co-worker stopped, and I got a ride to work.

"As luck would have it."

How do we wish others good luck?

You don't necessarily have to use words.

If you're close, you could give a kiss for good luck.

You might give a little present for luck.

If we are going to use words, we usually say,

If you're typing, you might choose to write a whole sentence and say:

I wish you the best of luck.

I wish you lots of luck.

If someone is having a performance,

there's a special idiom we like to use.

It's very common, so maybe you know it already.

Have you heard that one?

Before someone goes on stage or has some kind of performance,

you can wish them good luck by saying, "Break a leg!"

Read the statement to yourself, and then I'll tell you the answer.

That's all for now.

Thanks for watching. Happy studies!

And I hope you have a lucky day today!