Modul 4: Idiom 07: Keep Your Chin Up
Video 01
Keep Your Chin Up
Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘Keep your chin up.’ What does this mean? It means to have courage and to stay strong in a tough – hard – situation. If somebody ever says to you, “keep your chin up” they are acknowledging – they understand and accept – that you are going through something difficult and they are saying “you can do this. Be brave. Don’t let it get you down.”
So what is the origin of this idiom?
This idiom has an American Origin. It has always been a phrase used to say “stay strong”. It was first written in a Pennsylvanian Newspaper called The Evening Democrat. It read: “Keep your chin up. Don’t take your troubles to bed with you- hang them on a chair with your trousers or drop them in a glass of water with your teeth.”
Take a look at our illustration.
What is happening here? The old man is in a storm. This is strange though because not only is he in his dressing-gown and slippers, he doesn’t look scared…or nervous…or cold even. Instead, he has a proud posture as he lets the storm blow over him. He is literally keeping his chin up. Can you see what he is thinking? The old man has a lot of bad thoughts. He has a lot on his mind that is making him feel sad. Does his face look sad though? No. He is keeping his chin up and not letting the bad thoughts affect him.
Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…
“Keep your chin up Kody. The exam will be over soon.”
“I’m really trying to keep my chin up but I’ve had enough of this.”
“I told mum to keep her chin up when she crashed her car the other day. She was very upset.”
“It’s hard to keep my chin up when my manager gives me so much work to do.”
“My daughter’s cat hasn’t come back home after it ran away. I told her to keep her chin up and it should be back soon.”
Great.
Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding:
- Lawrence came second in the race. He is desperately sad that he didn’t win. Do you think he is keeping his chin up? No, he isn’t. Instead of being glad that he won a silver medal, he is upset that he didn’t get first place.
- The storm blew down Ian’s garden fence. It will cost him a lot of money to fix it, but he is relieved that his family is safe. Is Ian keeping his chin up? Yes, Ian knows his wife and children are more important to him than his fence.
- It rained every day of Rachel’s holiday, but she didn’t mind. She spent her time relaxing and reading a book by her favourite author. Was Rachel keeping her chin up? Yes, she didn’t allow her holiday to be ruined by the weather. She found something else she enjoyed doing indoors.
- “Everything’s going wrong!”, cried Chris when he spilt his cup of water on the table. Was Chris keeping his chin up? No. The water could easily be wiped up, but Chris is treating it like a disaster.
- Peter lost his job, but he’s OK. “Maybe I can try something completely new.”, he thought. Is Peter keeping his chin up? Yes. Whilst losing his job isn’t good news, Peter is thinking about new opportunities it may bring.
Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.