Last week, we discussed idioms inspired by the days of the week, focusing on a few expressions around Sunday. I have one more expression related to ‘Sunday,' after which we will move on to other days of the week.
Sunday driver: A Sunday driver is someone who drives extremely slowly, blocking other traffic in the process. The term is derived from the contrast between the typical behaviour on weekdays, where people step out with a purpose, and are in a hurry, and on weekends, when people usually do not have to get anywhere in a hurry. Someone who always drives slowly is someone who behaves as if it is a Sunday, and is therefore described as a ‘Sunday driver.' This phrase is slang, and used in derisive, critical tone. When you describe someone as a ‘Sunday driver', you are necessarily criticizing their driving, and not simply saying that they drive slowly.
Monday morning quarterback: This is an interesting idiom derived from sports. Before we discuss this expression, we need to quickly understand what a ‘quarterback.' is. ‘Quarterback' refers to the position just behind the offensive line in American football. Someone who plays quarterback is a key player in the team, somewhat like the opening batsmen in cricket. The term ‘Monday morning quarterback' refers to someone who offers criticism and judgement with the benefit of hindsight.
The term is inspired by all the people who watch an important match over the weekend, watch their favourite team lose, and then, on Monday morning, severely criticize the team and the players for their poor performance, lack of common sense, and so on. This is an informal expression, and although inspired by sports, can be used in other contexts as well.
Monday morning feeling: This phrase is usually preceded by the word ‘that,' and refers to the feeling of lethargy and reluctance that we often feel when going to work or school on Monday morning, after a fun weekend. For example: ‘I was jut getting used to the work routine, but after our weekend vacation, I don't feel like going to work. I'm getting that Monday morning feeling again.'
From here till next Tuesday: This is slang, fun, and quirky expression that is worth learning for its entertainment value. The words in the idiom do not offer much of a clue regarding its meaning. ‘From here till next Tuesday' refers to a great distance or a long time, and adds emphasis along with a comic effect to your statement.
For example: ‘You can lecture her from here till next Tuesday, but she will never listen to your advice. Or: ‘If you mess with my phone again, I'll knock you form here till next Tuesday.'
nilesh@skillspark.com
