My second FCE class of the year is finishing today, and I
thought it appropriate to teach you some goodbye vocabulary and expressions.
farewell party: My students often use the phrase
"goodbye party". This is not
wrong, but I think the more correct phrase is farewell party.
It's not over till
the fat lady sings: This expression
is used in movies when things look very dark for the heroes. Often this is said in sports movies to
inspire the team to make a big comeback.
The end is near: This can be a very negative phrase. Whoever says this is obviously not very
optimistic. They are basically
predicting that everything will finish soon and that there is almost nothing
you can do to stop it from happening.
It's all over except
for the tears: This is often used to
mean that everything is done, except that the sad feeling will linger for a
while. In sports this is when there is
absolutely no time for a comeback.
The finishing touches: The last minute things that must be done
before something is completed. In
cooking this could be the addition of the final ingredient. In art, this can be the final polishing or
framing, or printing.
