Modul 4: Idiom 16: Spice things up

Spice things up

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘spice things up.’ To spice things up is to make something more interesting or exciting.

So, what is the origin of this idiom?

The origin of this idiom is unknown but we assume – we think – that its origin relates closely to the action of adding spices to food. When cooking, spices are used to add flavour and heat to the food you are cooking.

Take a look at our illustration.

Here we have a bowl. Inside the bowl is a meal that the mum is making for her family. Do the family look happy? Yes, they look very excited about the food because spices are being added to their food which will make it taste a lot better. By adding spices to the meal, it makes it more exciting.

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“If you want to spice things up, you could always try changing your gym plan.”

I was bored of always going on holiday to the south coast, so I decided to spice things up by going abroad this year.

My sister spiced up my birthday party with some games.

“You look beautiful in that dress, but it’s the earrings that really spice up the outfit.”

“Let’s spice things up. Instead of just spending another evening in, why don’t we treat ourselves to a date night out in London.”

Great.

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding

1.
Regan was a history teacher. He thought he would spice things up by using the same lesson plan he had for the last ten years.

Was Regan spicing his lesson up? No. His students were bored with the same lessons.

2.
Paul was in charge of the Christmas carol service. He thought he could use electric guitars and drums.

Was Paul spicing the service up? Yes. Christmas Carol services are usually sung in a traditional way.

3.
Philip was the best man at the wedding. He thought he would tell some funny stories about the groom.

Was Philip spicing things up? Yes. His funny stories would make the speech more interesting.

4.
Janette was a newsreader. She presented her news report by singing the whole thing as a rap.

Was Janette spicing her news report up? Yes, definitely. It would be very unusual for something as serious as the news to be presented this way.

5.
Katie thought she’d spice up her spaghetti bolognese by adding some hot pepper sauce.

Was Katie spicing things up? Yes, adding hot pepper sauce would make the spaghetti bolognese both tasty and hot.

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.