#62 - "I'm on the mend, but I'm not on the ball!" - practice with "on the" idioms

D: How are you? L:  Well, I haven’t felt well the past few days, but today I feel better. I think I’m on the mend. D: I’m glad to hear that. I heard you use an interesting idiom: “on the mend”. L: You “have an ear” for idioms! “on the mend” is an idiom that we English speakers use often.

An idiom is a group of words- that together have a meaning that you can’t translate word by word. Idioms are colorful expressions. Let's look at “on the mend”  What does mend mean?

“Mend” can be a verb or a noun. When used as a verb “mend” means to repair a physical object that is broken or to improve a situation. “My grandma always mends holes in her socks.” We use “mend” when we repair fabric or glass objects, but not machines. I mend a broken vase, but I fix or repair my broken dishwasher.  

We also use mend as a verb to talk about  broken bones or other damaged body parts that are healing and to talk about improving a situation: John needs to mend his relationship with his father. 

We use mend as a noun, too, to talk about the repair. “The mend in her shirt is perfect.In our idiom,  “On the mend”,“mend” is used as a noun.  “On the mend” means getting better or improving. We often use it when we are talking about improving health, but we can also use it for other situations. For example: The climate situation is on the mend. Or.. Their relationship is on the mend.

There are many other very common idioms that begin with “on the” .

You are “on the ball” to think about that! Hey! You just used one of those “on the” idioms: “on the ball” When I said you were on the ball, I meant to say that you are quick to understand and react to things. I imagine a person standing on a big ball and needing to react quickly, so they don’t fall off. If I say, “I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m not on the ball this morning.” I mean that I’m not as alert and mentally sharp as usual. What is another idiom that begins with “on the” ?

 “On the way” is one that I use a lot.  If I say I’m “on the way”, I mean that I’m in the process of coming or I will soon be there. Both  “I’m on my way.”  or " I’m on the way" mean the same thing. We can also say “Winter is on the way.” Or “Rain is on the way.”

On the mend, on the ball, on the way…let’s talk about two more “on the….” Idioms. “On the go” and “on the move” both mean to be busy and active. We use both expressions to talk about being busy.  “My mom likes to be on the go.” or “My mom likes to be on the move.” 

You are saying that your mom likes to be busy.  “on the move” can have more emphasis on physically moving from place to place.  “I will be traveling this week so I will be on the move.”  We also use “on the move’ to talk about a situation or person that is making progress. “He’s a man on the move.” Or “The economy is on the move again.” There are dozens of idioms that begin with "on the"!  Maybe we will return to others in future podcasts, but for now let’s have a short conversation practicing those using the 5 that we talked about today.

A: Hey, long time no see! B: I’ve been on the go from morning to night for the past few weeks. I have had a lot going on.A: Yes, I heard that your daughter broke her leg.  How is she doing?B: Yes, she had a bike accident two weeks ago. Fortunately, her leg is on the mend now.A: How are you?B: Well, I’m not really on the ball this morning. Our new puppy was on the move and whining all night, so nobody slept. A: Maybe you need a nap. B

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