James Baquet

    Mark is chatting with his classmate Ming in the common room of their dorm.

    Mark: Hi, Ming. What’s up?

    Ming: Oh, hi, Mark. I’m just struggling with a homework assignment.

    Mark: What’s the problem?

    Ming: Well, my teacher asked us to come up with idioms using ordinal numbers.

    Mark: And?

    Ming: And I don’t know what an ordinal number is!

    Mark: That’s easy! The ordinal numbers tell you the order things come in.

    Ming: Ordinal... order... I’m starting to get it...

    Mark: Let me make it easier. The ordinals are “first, second, third, fourth, fifth,” and so on.

    Ming: I see! What about “one, two, three, four, five...?”

    Mark: Those are called cardinal numbers. So, you need idioms using “first, second” and so on. That should be easy!

    Ming: Let’s see: “first” could be “first rate.”

    Mark: That’s good. What does it mean?

    Ming: “The very best” or “rated Number One.”

    Mark: Perfect. But there are some that aren’t so easy.

    Ming: Like what?

    Mark: Well, there’s “at first blush.”

    Ming: I don’t get it.

    Mark: It means, “before checking closely.”

    Ming: At first blush Ming’s homework looked hard, but with Mark’s help it became easier.

    Mark: That’s great! How about “to jump into feet first?”

    Ming: No idea.

    Mark: It means, “to do wholeheartedly, with total commitment.”

    Ming: With Mark’s help, Ming jumped into his homework feet first.

    Mark: Good!

    Ming: Let’s move on. Second?

    Mark: “Second rate” is easy. And there are other “seconds” that would simply come after “first.”

    Ming: Like what?

    Mark: Maybe “second best.” Or “on second thought.”

    Ming: That means “after thinking about something further,” right?

    Mark: That’s right. We say it when we’ve changed our minds about something. How about “second nature?”

    Ming: Not sure.

    Mark: “First nature” is what you’re born with. “Second nature” is what you learn.

    Ming: With Mark’s help, making idioms became second nature to Ming.

    Mark: You’re funny!

    Ming: Thanks. Let’s do “third.”

    Mark: Do you know what “third degree” means?

    Ming: Isn’t that a kind of burn?

    Mark: Yes. “Third degree burns” are the worst kind. But also, to “give someone the third degree” means to question him intensely.

    Ming: Like the police might do with a dangerous criminal?

    Mark: That’s right. Hey, I have to go. Can we continue this later?

    Ming: Sure, Mark. Thanks!

    Mark: See you!