AmericanSlang.doc

American Slang

hold your horses
wait or calm down

When you say hold your horses you are telling someone to calm down and be patient. You can tell a child to hold his horses when he’s really excited about something. If someone is pressuring you to do something that you’re not ready to do, you can tell say hold your horses to tell them to back off and calm down.
I know you’re really excited about getting to the next English lesson, but just hold your horses and wait until tomorrow.

“Hold your horses! We’ll leave in a minute or two.”
“I just told him to hold his horses for a few minutes while I got things ready.”

Slang: "down to earth"

realistic and practical; simple, honest and easy to understand and get along with

Typically, we don’t think of celebrities as being down to earth. We think of them as being selfish, strange and glamorous. We think of them as being interested only in themselves, their money and their fame. I don’t think anyone would say that Paris Hilton is down to earth. She lives in a fantasy world of money and popularity.
Some people say that Angelina Jolie is very down to earth because she cares about other people. She is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and has done a lot for the Cambodian people.
You say that someone is down to earth when they have realistic expectations of themselves and other people. A down to earth person is kind, humble, responsible and easy to get along with.
Are you down to earth?

“People say that Richard Gere is really down to earth. He’s not weird and selfish like so many celebrities.”
Slang: "gun-shy"

“[Fame and success] just made me kind of gun-shy.”
Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, in an interview with MTV.

cautious, distrustful or slightly afraid

Someone who is gun-shy is a little bit afraid or uncertain to do something. In this example, Fred Durst is talking about making and releasing a new album. His previous albums were so successful that he was afraid his fans wouldn’t like his new music. Now, he’s a little gun-shy when he’s in the studio trying to record new music.

“I’m kind of gun-shy when it comes to giving public speeches.”

Slang: "tall drink of water"
very attractive, good-looking or handsome, usually used when talking about men

The expression tall drink of water is usually used when talking about handsome or attractive men. In my mind, the expression is associated with cowboy-like men or rugged-loooking men.

If you see someone attractive, you can say “Look at that tall drink of water!”, or “Hey, handsome. Aren’t you a tall drink of water!”
In the example above, actor Kevin James is saying that actress Amber Valletta is hot or very attractive. Who do you think is a tall drink of water?

“A lot of women thought Johnny Cash was a tall drink of water.”
Slang: "cop out"

“I think it’s a cop out.”

Actor Jamie Foxx, talking about Nick Lachey’s request for money after divorcing Jessica Simpson.
avoid responsibilities or ignore problems; take the easy way out instead of working hard for something

English can be difficult to learn, but don’t cop out on me now. Buckle down and study!

To cop out means to take the easy way of doing something. For example, I was going to start walking to work every day, but this morning I copped out and drove.

A cop out can also mean a bad or lame excuse, as in “Tony said he can’t come out dancing tonight because he’s watching tv. That’s such a cop out!”

In the example above, Jamie Foxx is saying that it’s a cop out, or an easy way to get money, for Nick Lachey to sue Jessica Simpson.

“It’s such a cop out to blame other people for your mistakes