Trouvez des professeurs en Anglais
Pedro Rogick
Tuteur communautaireEnglish native speakers, how common are these idioms with "water"?
1) take to sth like a duck to water: “He took to fatherhood like a duck to water”
2) (roll like) water off a duck’s back: “I can't tell my son what to do; it's water off a duck's back with him”
3) test the waters: “Candidates like to test the waters before running for office”
4) In hot water: “He found himself in hot water over his comments on childcare.”
I've found them in a dictionary but I don't know if they're broadly used in spoken language.
I've already heard many times the expression "water under the bridge". Specially in British contents.
2 févr. 2021 15:39
Réponses · 5
Very common (especially the first two).
A couple more:
“get one’s/our ducks in a row” - make sure well prepared (e.g. work colleagues preparing well together before a meeting)
“a sitting duck” - someone who is unprotected and likely to be a target of something bad
I never realised how many duck idioms we had until now! 🦆
2 février 2021
These are all VERY common. The expression of "water off a duck’s back" is more commonly used to convey that something doesn't bother someone. For example, "The kids at school would make fun of my shirt. It didn't bother me though. It was like water off a duck's back".
2 février 2021
You could say for 2 years if you started 2 years ago, otherwise the first one doesn't make sense, it has to be the second one 😊
2 février 2021
Yes,they are all pretty common, the first one i haven't heard much but it definitely wouldn't make you stick out.
2 février 2021
Vous n'avez pas encore trouvé vos réponses ?
Écrivez vos questions et profitez de l'aide des locuteurs natifs !
Pedro Rogick
Compétences linguistiques
Anglais, Français, Portugais, Espagnol
Langue étudiée
Anglais, Français, Espagnol
Articles qui pourraient te plaire

Speak More Fluently with This Simple Technique
6 j'aime · 1 Commentaires

How to Read and Understand a Business Contract in English
15 j'aime · 3 Commentaires

6 Ways italki Can Help You Succeed in Your School Language Classes
12 j'aime · 7 Commentaires
Plus d'articles