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Collective thinking was greatest thing that happened to humanity. It gave us a massive acceleration in our evolution and eventual success.

I’ve benefited from being part of the whole. Even though, I sometimes like to go off alone. Actually, I found that the group gave me something more than what I could have done by myself. And for that reason, I feel it is a great thing to be part of a collective. And it is not about material things, it’s about helping each other, it’s communication, pure and simple.

Are we more monkeylike, or wolflike though. I’d say we are more wolf though. As a group we dominate the plain, the forest, all vast open land, divide tasks and hunt as a collective as apex predators. Monkeys are not apex. On the whole they are fruit eaters. We’re apex, but we’re only there as a pack. Some with great talent and individuality, but those special ones are nothing outside of the pack.

How does that natural, organic human group function? It’s self sustaining. There is a natural instinct to help and share with others. Strip away all culture, all moral or political ideology. There is a natural desire in humans to fight together as a pack.

I put this idea to Grok. Here’s what it returned to me:

We’re “wolf-like” in outcome (apex through coordinated hunting—persistence hunting or group drives of large game made us top predators for ~2 million years), but the mechanism is more primate-like, amplified by culture and cognition. A better analogy might be: primate sociality + wolf-level coordinated predation + unique human traits like language and norms.

Yeah, I would agree with that. It’s what I kind of meant anyway. Of course we’re monkeys. But we evolved alongside our best friends.

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No news is good news

  • Nothing bad happened, even if my life is a bit boring, I am happy. Most of the time news is usually about something bad, news is always

 

Make my day

  •  Do to something that make today the best day for me, better than any other day, something special

 

Thrilled to bits

  • Extremely happy, usually because some good news, it could be marriage or birth, passing your degree, celebrating

 

Can’t thank you enough

  • I want to thank you, but it was such a great thing there is no way to return the favor

 

On top of the world

  • extremely pleaded, similar to over the Moon

   

______ means a lot to me

  • something is important for, something or someone you love, you don’t want to lose. E.g. My Mum means a lot to me

  

A weight off my shoulders

  • A problem that you had previously, a burden, which disappeared, it is no more, the problem is gone

 

Can’t wait to (infinitive)

  • Looking forward to, to be excited about something in the future: I can’t wait to run. I am looking forward to running

 

Shattered/ knackered, exhausted

  • extremely tired

 

drives me crazy

  • makes you feel angry,

Fed up with sth :

  • tired, bored, angry E.g. I am fed up with pandemics

 

Under the weather

  • Little bit sick

 

Shaken up

  • Shocked, gob-smacked,

 

Bored to death

  • Extremely bored

 

Cranky:

  • Irritable, especially when you get old, you get annoyed very easily

 

Let sleeping dogs lie

  • similar to let bygones be bygones, don’t annoy or bother bad people because they can cause you problems.

What is the ‘rat race’?

  • The rat race describes the city or the environment which is very competitive, lots of people trying to improve their careers and for example in the rush hour on the metro or underground, millions of people that look like rats.

What is ‘peacocking’?

  • Strutting around like peacock, trying to impress people but in a ridiculous overstated way. Usually males who try to impress with their cars or expensive things, or even their looks.

What are ‘sheeple’?

  • People who do not think for themselves and simply follow the rules, mainstream media and government.

What does ‘barking up the wrong tree’ mean?

  • A mistaken idea about something, usually when you have an idea and you think it is correct and excellent but is completely wrong.

What is a ‘sting in the tail’?

  • Like the Scorpion. A small animal that is not that powerful or big but has the ability to cause massive damage and pain with its sting.

 

What is ‘sadfishing’?

  • Fishing for sympathy. Usually on facebook, or youtube when people talk about their problems or tragedies in order to get other people to feel sorry.

 

What is the ‘GOAT’?

  • the greatest of all time. Eliud Kipchoge.

 

What is ‘cloud cuckoo land’?

  • Absolutely insane, mad, unreal, fantasy.

What is a ‘tiger mother’?

  • Usually Chinese but also other Asian mothers who really push their kids to study and organize their schedules to become child geniuses. They are protective but also extremely ambitious for the children and try to make them achieve their greatest potential. It is mostly a positive trait.

Here are 10 must-know English expressions and their meanings

1. Best thing since sliced bread

To be fair, this is not necessarily an expression that is used very often, but it has all the more impact when it is used. This “title” should only be awarded to great ideas or innovations, preferably ones that are more genius than the invention of pre-sliced bread. I for one am not too sure what’s so great about sliced bread. It’s not that difficult to cut up bread, and an unsliced loaf stays fresh for an extra day or two…

2. Challenge accepted

This expression has gained popularity thanks to Neil Patrick Harris’ constant use as Barney Stinson in the TV show “How I Met Your Mother”. It can be used in different ways but is most appropriate when someone claims that something is impossible or should not be done for some reason. An example: “You’ll never be able to eat all of that cake!” – “Challenge accepted!”

3. Cross that bridge when you come to it

This useful expression is much loved by procrastinators because it is a convenient way to delay or avoid facing a problem! If someone points out a potential future problem, you can simply dismiss them by saying “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”; literally meaning “I don’t want to think about this now. Let’s hope it won’t happen, but if it does, we’ll handle the problem then.”

4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Got a friend who thinks he’s a budding novelist and is thinking about quitting his day job to write full-time so that he can finish the “novel of the century”? You might want to tell him not to “put all of his eggs in one basket”. Most people probably keep their eggs in the fridge… but this expression is used when we want to caution others not to rely on just one opportunity – to keep their options open. If, however, you’re the writer and your friends say this to you, you should either give up on that novel or find yourself some new friends!

5. Dutch courage

“Dutch courage” is really more of a euphemism for drunken bravery. If you’re facing an uncomfortable task you think can only be handled with “Dutch courage” it means you’d rather be drunk (or at least a tiny bit tipsy) while performing said task. This English expression is especially relevant for language learning, as even scientists have now conceded that a few glasses of booze can help with your fluency in any language you’ve learned. But be careful not to overdo it; complete loss of speech has been linked to extreme drunkenness!

 

6. In the heat of the moment

Have you ever heard anyone say something happened “in the heat of the moment” and wondered what the temperature had to do with any of it? This expression is used to explain that a decision or action was taken in anger or passion and that, in hindsight, it may not have been the most logical idea or the best choice. It works really well as an excuse if you regret making a rash decision or saying something a bit mean.

7. Keep something at bay

This English expression can be used if you’re having a glass of germ-killing whisky or pre-emptive cold and flu medication when you feel a cold coming your way – you’d be trying to keep your cold at bay! And if you end up feeling better and having a few more tumblers of whisky, then lots of water and an aspirin will keep tomorrow’s hangover at bay. This expression really works in so many ways…

8. Make a long story short

We all know someone who loves to ramble. They are trying to make a point but instead they:

  • diverge from the point,
  • embellish the story with too much detail,
  • and therefore don’t get to said point.

Sometimes they might realise what they’re doing and quickly interrupt the flow of their babbling by using the expression “to make a long story short”. Usually by this point you’ve stopped listening so it’s a good way of getting a quick summary of their story…

9. Steal someone’s thunder

This English expression is a bit difficult to explain, so let’s try with an example: maybe you have some news that you’re super excited to tell people. If someone else announced their news before yours, they would be stealing your thunder. It also works the other way around. If you had just shared your big news with a group of friends and another friend comes in to share their news, thus interrupting the proper reaction to your news, they’d be stealing your thunder. Not cool.

10. Your guess is as good as mine

A good expression to finish off this list! If someone asks you a question you can’t answer but don’t want to say something silly like “I don’t know”, say this instead: “Your guess is as good as mine”. It makes you feel better because you don’t have to admit to not knowing the correct answer and you’ll make the other person feel great because you assume they can guess as well as you can! How is that not a win-win situation!?