By Rachel Mitchell Text Copyright 2018 by Rachel Mitchell

To tie the knot [Expression] (to get married).
Bill and Sarah will tie the knot next month.
After 3 years of dating each other, Tom and Mary have finally decided to tie the knot next July.
Have ups and downs [Expression] (if someone has ups and downs, they experience a mixture of good things and bad things.)
I have encountered with ups and downs in my life.
The relationship between Peter and Joe has had a lot of ups and downs.
To endear oneself to someone [Expression] (to make someone liked by someone else).
Reducing salaries is not a way for a boss to endear himself to his employees. He managed to endear himself to my entire family.
He tried to endear himself to her with flowers and chocolate.
To entice [Verb] (to persuade someone to do something by offering them pleasure, reward or
My brother was enticed by the smell of coffee in the doorway he found at a nearby shop.
My mom was enticed into buying things she doesn't really want by the adverts.
To derive [Verb] (to get or obtain something from something else).
I will not purchase these supplements because I am not sure I will derive any benefit from their use.
I derived great pleasure from reading your book.
He derived great pleasure from taking us on his journeys.
To make small talk [Expression] (to make a polite conversation about unimportant things such as the weather).
He was never very good at making small talk with her parents. We made small talk for half an hour.
To be wary of [Expression] (not completely trusting something; watchful, cautious, or alert).
We must teach children to be wary of strangers. Be wary of the roads; they're slippery.
(To) float on air [Expression] (to feel extremely happy).
Tom was floating on air after he won first prize.
On their wedding day, most couples feel like they are floating on air. Beyond one’s expectation [Expression] (greater than what was expected). The demand to learn Mandarin overseas is beyond our expectation.
The final verdict was death, which was completely beyond our expectation.