Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (148 page)

Love it
!
Go to (I) love it!

Lovely weather for ducks
.
a greeting phrase meaning that this unpleasant rainy weather must be good for something.
B
ILL
: Hi, Bob. How do you like this weather? B
OB
: Lovely weather for ducks
.
S
ALLY
: What a lot of rain! T
OM
: Yeah. Lovely weather for ducks. Don't care for it much myself.

lucky for you 1
.
a phrase usually introducing a description of an event that favors the person being spoken to.
A
NDREW
: Lucky for you the train was delayed. Otherwise you'd have to wait till tomorrow morning for the next one. F
RED
: That's luck, all right. I'd hate to have to sleep in the station
.
J
ANE
: I hope I'm not too late. S
UE
: Everyone else is late too, lucky for you
.
2
.
(Usually
Lucky for you
!
) You are fortunate. (An independent sentence in this sense. Sometimes sarcastic.)
A: Wow, I just got a big check in the mail from my grandmother! B: Lucky for you!
T
OM
: I am the only one who passed the test. B
ILL
: Lucky for you!

lull before the storm
a quiet period just before a period of great activity or excitement.
It was very quiet in the cafeteria just before the students came in for lunch. It was the lull before the storm
.
In the brief lull before the storm, the clerks prepared themselves for the doors to open and bring in thousands of shoppers.

Ma'am? 1
.
Did you call me, ma'am? (Said to a woman.)
M
OTHER
: Tom! T
OM
: Ma'am? M
OTHER
: Come take out the garbage. T
OM
: Yuck!
D
OCTOR
: Now, Bill, I need you to do something for me. B
ILL
: Ma'am? D
OCTOR
: Stick out your tongue
.
2
.
Will you please repeat what you said, ma'am?
S
ALLY
: Bring it to me, please. B
ILL
: Ma'am? S
ALLY
: Bring it to me
.
Uncle Fred turned his good ear to the clerk and said, “Ma'am?
”