Seven Expressions that Come from American TV Shows - LEARN ENGLISH IDIOMS

Seven Expressions that Come from American
TV Shows

It's no secret that Americans love (or at least used to love) TV, and there are a bunch of English expressions that come from American TV shows, although I imagine many of these expressions have spread to other English-speaking countries.

Let me know if you've heard these before.

Five-Oh (5-0)

This expression was made popular by hip-hop songs, but it actually comes from the 1970s TV show Hawaii Five-O. (I understand there is a remake of the show on TV now). It means “the police”. So if someone says Five-Oh is approaching, you have nothing to worry about as long as you aren't breaking any laws.

Nimrod

This word means “moron” or “idiot.” Although it has an unrelated biblical meaning, apprently the word was first used on a Bugs Bunny cartoon in the 1930s.

Friendzone

Perhaps you've made a new friend you are interested in but you waited too long to you make your move. Now the attraction is gone and you are in the “friend zone.” This expression was coined by the writers of the TV show Friends. A related expression that might be useful for describing this situation is, “Strike while the iron is hot.”

Top 10 List

I'm sure someone, somewhere was making lists of 10 items before David Letterman, but the late night host was definitely a big influence on the development of the listicle. If you give someone your top 10 list, you are sharing what you think are the 10 best of a certain type of thing. For example, you might write a list of the top 10 places to visit in your country.

I'm smarter than the average bear.

You might say this if you feel someone has underestimate your intelligence. It comes from the cartoon Yogi Bear about a forest ranger, a bear and various other “wild” residents of a national park.

Planet Zog

This is actually a British one. If someone asks you, “What's Instagram?” you might answer, “Where have you been for the last seven years, Planet Zog?” This idiom is from the British science-fiction show Dr. Who.

I love it when a plan comes together

If you are particularly pleased about how well you have organized something, you might say that you love when a plan comes together. This was the catchphrase of the main character of the adventure series The A Team. There was a movie adaptation of the show made a few years ago that I watched about half an hour of.

I hope you've found the list useful. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions.