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Open Doors English: The Julie Rudd Coulombe Language Program

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Open Doors English: The Julie Rudd Coulombe Language Program

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Open Doors English is a project of the Center for Transformative Action and we are dedicated to our international community's education and well-being.

Open Doors English is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.

10/15/2026

👀Thursday Idiom: KEEP AN EYE OUT👀

HelllOoOoOooOoooo again language lovers! This week we have a very *observant* idiom for you: to KEEP AN EYE OUT. What does it mean? Let's talk about it! This one is actually quite simple: To KEEP AN EYE OUT just means to watch for something. Maybe you are waiting for something to happen, or maybe you’re watching for a person to arrive. There are many possible things you might KEEP AN EYE OUT for, so let's look at some examples:

Sean was sitting on a bench in Dewitt park, reading a book, when his friend Henry came running up to him. "Sean!" Henry said, red-faced and sweating, "have you seen my dog, Baxter?" "Nope," Sean said. "Well," Henry said, "he got off his leash and ran away! KEEP AN EYE OUT for him, will you?" "Of course," Sean said, "I'll call you if I see him."

OR

Louise was tired of waiting for Tom. She was standing outside the theater and the show was about to begin. Finally, she decided to just send him a text. "I can't wait any longer," it said. "Just come find me when you get here. I'll KEEP AN EYE OUT for you, and wave when I see you."

Can you think of an idiom of your own that uses KEEP AN EYE OUT? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

10/08/2026

✨Thursday Idiom: GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS✨

Welcome back, language lovers! This week we have a very *mechanical* idiom for you: GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. What does it mean? Well, let's talk about it! GOING THROUGH here doesn't actually mean going anywhere! Weird, right? If you are GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, it means you are doing something like a robot, like a machine. You aren't interested or excited. It doesn't feel important or fun. You're doing something without thinking about it or enjoying it. You're just GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. Let's look at some examples:

Bella was a famous musician, and had been touring the world for years. Every show she played, the crowd would cheer and scream, then start chanting the name of her first famous song. Bella was completely sick of this song, she had already played it hundreds of times, but it was what the people wanted. So of course, every show, she played the song. At this point though, her heart wasn't in it. She was just GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. She hoped nobody noticed.

OR

Victoria was super depressed. Every day felt the same. She went to work, she came home, she scrolled on her phone, she went to sleep. Again, and again, and again. Sometimes it felt like she was just GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS of living -- like she was sleep-walking through her life.

Can you think of an example sentence of your own using GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

10/01/2026

✨Thursday Idiom: NOT BUYING IT✨

HellOoOoOoOoooOooo again language lovers! This week we have a very *clever* idiom for you: NOT BUYING IT. This one is pretty simple. Imagine you are shopping, and the salesperson really, really wants you to buy something. Do they always tell the whole truth? Do they ever lie to make a sale? You don't want to buy anything from a person you don't trust.

But of course, this isn't just about shopping and money. NOT BUYING IT is an idiom! And as an idiom, it just means you don't believe someone. You don't trust them. You don't BUY the story they are selling. Let's look at some examples:

Yesterday, my employee Franklin showed up to work looking terrible. He had huge bags under his eyes, his skin was extra pale, and he was sweating just sitting at his desk. "Franklin," I said, "Are you sure you're okay?" "Yeah, boss," he replied. "I've never felt better." "I'M NOT BUYING IT," I said. "You're sick, Franklin. Go home."

OR

Betty had never been to America before, and she was both nervous and excited. As she walked out of the airport, a young man came up to her with a big, friendly smile. He offered to help carry her bags to his car to give her a ride wherever she was going. "I just want to help," he said. "Here, hand me all your bags." Betty gave him a long look. I'M NOT BUYING IT, she thought to herself. "Thanks," she said. "But no thanks."

Can you think of an example sentence of your own using NOT BUYING IT? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

09/24/2026

💡Thursday Idiom: BOIL IT DOWN💡

Hello again language lovers! This week we have a very *dense* idiom for you: to BOIL something DOWN. This is a cooking idiom! Boiling is when you heat a liquid to a high enough temperature that it starts to change from a liquid into a gas. If you boil water for long enough, it will all change into steam and you will end up with an empty pot. But this is also how you make sauce! Usually sauce starts with a lot of water, and if you BOIL IT DOWN, it will get thicker and denser. You BOIL away all the water, and what you are left with is a very thick, concentrated, delicious sauce.

But of course, we are not actually cooking anything here. As an idiom, BOILING something DOWN is about cooking away the extra stuff. It's a way of simplifying something complicated down to its main point. You BOIL away the extra details, and all that's left is a concentrated idea. Let's look at some examples:

Athena had been trying to explain how to play tennis for a half hour already. "Look," she said, "you're still not getting this. Forget everything I just said. Let me BOIL IT DOWN for you: when I hit the ball to you, you hit it back at me!"

OR

Olga was having a terrible time in her English class. They had been practicing the Present Perfect Tense for weeks now and she still wasn't clear on how or when to use it. "Teacher," she said, "this is too complicated. Could you please just BOIL it DOWN for me? What's the most important thing to remember?"

Can you think of an example sentence of your own using BOIL something DOWN? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

09/17/2026

💊Thursday Idiom: A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW💊

Hello again, language lovers! This week we have a very *uncomfortable* idiom for you: A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW. What does it mean? Let's talk about it! TOUGH here means difficult. So a TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW means it is medicine that is difficult to take. Any large pill from a doctor could be TOUGH to SWALLOW. But of course this is an idiom, so we aren't talking about actual medicine. A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW is just a fact that is difficult to accept. It's something you wish were not true, but... it is. That's A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW. Let's look at some examples:

Victor looked at the sky and shivered. It was suddenly too cold for the t-shirt and shorts he was wearing. He knew in his closet at home his big winter coat was waiting for him. Soon the leaves would be gone and the first snow would fall. Summer was over, and that was A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW.

OR

Gwen looked at the clock and sighed. She loved her job, but she always had to work late. She almost never got to spend enough time with her family anymore. She really did love this job, but missing her children was A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW.

Can you write an example sentence of your own using A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

09/10/2026

✨🃏Thursday Idiom: ABOVE BOARD🪵✨

Hello again, and welcome back language lovers! It's time for another Thursday Idiom! This week we have a very *honest* idiom for you: to keep something ABOVE BOARD. This one comes from gambling in the old American Wild West. If you didn't have a table, and didn't know any carpenters, well, a piece of wood could be a table. A BOARD is just a piece of cut wood. So if you were playing poker at a table made of BOARDs, people would say keep your hands ABOVE BOARD. What does this mean? No cheating! If you are playing poker and your hands are under the table, nobody will trust you. Keep your hands above the table. Keep them ABOVE BOARD!

Today, of course, most Americans don't use BOARDs for tables, but we still use ABOVE BOARD as an idiom. An agreement or a contract can be ABOVE BOARD. If you keep something ABOVE BOARD, it means there are no secrets, no traps, no cheating, no tricks. Let's look at some examples:

Hezekiah was sitting in his lawyer's office, sweating nervously. The lawyer had been reading the contract quietly for almost ten minutes already. Finally she looked up and said, "Well, this all looks ABOVE BOARD. I think you're okay to sign it." Hezekiah sighed in relief.

OR

Jimbo rolled up in front of Sally's house in his new car. Sally raised an eyebrow. "Is that car 30 years old?" "No," Jimbo said, "It's new!" "Well," Sally said, "It's making some weird noises. I think you may have been cheated." "No, no," Jimbo said, "I got a great deal from my friend Emma-Jean, it's all totally ABOVE BOARD. Want to go for a ride?" Sally looked at the car. She listened to the sound it was making. "No," said, "but thanks for the offer."

Can you think of an example sentence of your own that uses ABOVE BOARD? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

08/13/2026

👢Thursday Idiom: PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN👢

HelloOoOoOoOooOooo again language lovers! This week we have another *frustrating* idiom for you: TO PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN. Well, we know FOOT and we know DOWN, but what does it mean as an idiom? Let's talk about it! When you PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN, you are saying definitely, finally, NO. No more! This is where it stops! You were patient, you accepted something at first, but this is the end. You are firm and you won't change your mind. Whatever was happening needs to stop -- I'm PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN. Let's look at some examples:

Miriam was absolutely exhausted. It was 11 o'clock and her children were still running around the house. "Five more minutes," they said, every time she told them to go brush their teeth. "Enough," Miriam finally said, "I'm PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN. It's time for bed."

OR

Rebecca had been working at her new job for over a month now. On her first day, she had introduced herself to her new co-worker Tony, and he'd said, "Nice to meet you, Becky." She hated being called Becky! But she was new, and correcting him felt awkward, so she just accepted it. Day after day, there he was, smiling and friendly, calling her Becky. But today she was going to PUT HER FOOT DOWN. Her name was Rebecca! It was time to have a firm talk with Jeff.

Can you think of an example sentence of your own that uses PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

08/09/2026

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08/06/2026

🐈Thursday Idiom: HERDING CATS🐈

Welcome back language lovers! This week we have another very *frustrating* idiom for you: HERDING CATS! What does it mean to HERD CATS? Well, let's talk about it. So first, as a noun, a HERD is a large group of animals. TO HERD, as a verb, means to move that group of animals all in one direction. The person who HERDS animals is a shepherd (literally old English for "sheep" and "herd"). It's one of the oldest jobs!

Normally a shepherd HERDS domesticated animals like cows, sheep, or goats. But this idiom isn't about HERDING cows, or sheep, or goats. It's about HERDING CATS. And cats are famously solitary, independent animals. They don't live in HERDS, and trying to get 30 cats to all move in the same direction at the same time? Impossible! So HERDING CATS means trying to organize a difficult group to go somewhere or do something. It's what we say when we're frustrated because people won't listen, or follow directions, or get organized. Let's look at some examples:

"Cecilia was feeling very grumpy. Her children needed to leave for school, but they were all running around the house doing different things. Getting her kids ready for school was like HERDING CATS!"

OR

"Timur sighed. He was supposed to be in charge of this meeting, but his team had been here for 15 minutes already and hadn't started work. Finally he banged his fist on the table. 'Enough!' He yelled. 'I've tried to start this meeting five times already! Working with you people is like HERDING CATS!'

Can you think of an example sentence of your own that uses HERDING CATS? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

07/30/2026

🐐Thursday Idiom: BUTT HEADS🐐

Welcome back, language lovers! This week we have a very *frustrating* idiom for you: to BUTT HEADS. So let's start with the obvious thing: you may know the word BUTT already as a part of the body. Your BUTT is your bottom, the part of you that you use when you sit down. But here we are using it as a verb. To BUTT here means to hit. So BUTTING HEADS means hitting your heads together. This is how goats solve their disagreements! So if we say two people are BUTTING HEADS, it means they often fight and disagree, like a pair of angry goats. Let's look at some examples:

'Jasper was having a terrible time. A new person had started working in his office last week and they were already BUTTING HEADS. Every time he made a suggestion during a meeting she immediately spoke up to disagree.'

OR

'Carmen and Raul were old friends, but last month Raul had moved in with her and now they were BUTTING HEADS. Her favorite yogurt kept disappearing from the refrigerator and she was sure he was eating it. She couldn't prove it, and when she asked him he denied it. For her, the lying was a bigger problem than the stealing! Now they were fighting about absolutely everything. She didn't want to BUTT HEADS with Raul. She missed her friend!'

Can you think of an example sentence of your own using BUTT HEADS? Is there an idiom in your native language with a similar meaning? Post them in the comments below!

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