to be as cunning as a fox

To be as cunning as a fox means to be very clever at getting what you want, especially by tricking someone. Foxes have a reputation for being cunning.

EXEMPLES OF USE:

1. The police haven't caught the burglar yet. He's as cunning as a fox.
2. You can't fool Jack. He's as cunning as a fox.
3. Don't trust her with your savings. She's as cunning as a fox and will trick you into giving away your money.
note: To be foxed means to be deceived or tricked by superior cleverness.

To spill the beans

spill the beans - divulge confidential information or secrets

If you spill the beans, you reveal a secret or confess to something.

Examples of use:

1. Everyone's trying to make me spill the beans about who will be our new teacher.
2. We wanted to surprise our parents with a party for their anniversary, but my brother spilled the beans.
3. News item: Workers at a printing company were asked not to spill the beans about their job printing programmes for the New Season.
4. Come on, spill the beans. Where are they going on their honeymoon?

5.  I've always loved the saying 'spill the beans', because it suggests that you're about to learn a delicious dark secret.

6. Britney Spears was ready to spill the beans about her sex life but her over-protective team gagged her at the last minute.

7. Karen and Arthur spill the beans on the new series.

'Shades of meaning'

'Shades of meaning'

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Shades of meaning is a phrase used to describe the small, subtle differences in meaning between similar words or phrases; 'kid' and 'youth' both refer to young people, but carry differing views and ideas about young people.

 

- Did you know that Inuit people have over 300 words for snow?

Although there may be many different words for the same thing, there are usually slight differences in meaning. 

- For example: cross and furious, both mean angry, but furious means more angry than than cross does.

 

to be ablaze with

- ablaze /əˈbleɪz/ adjetivo (pred): 

to be ablaze  

arder, estar en llamas; ardiendo
- to set sth ablaze :  

prenderle fuego a algo;
to be ~ with sth:  

her eyes were ablaze with indignation  

tenía los ojos encendidos de indignación;
the street was ablaze with color la calle resplandecía de color

note:

Hay una serie de adjetivos en inglés que se usan solo como predicado: por ejemplo, se dice the house was ablaze, pero no se puede decir the ablaze house.

 This time of the year, the whole street is ablaze with scarlet;  the sight of cheongsams, silk kimonos and samfu-style shirts will assail your eyes in a vivid burst of colours.

I finally drive down our street and all the trees are ablaze with color.

By early to mid-October, the countryside was ablaze. Hues of yellow and gold, red and burgundy slowly appeared on trees up and down the streets.

For nine days in October, the New Mexico skies are ablaze with colour.

Fitzroy gardens Conservatory curator David Murphy takes a break. 

Photo: Angela Wylie