The 5 Most Common Expressions with WING

Today you are going to learn 5 of the most common AND coolest English expressions with the word WING!

• Wing it 
• Wingman
• Take Somebody Under Your Wing
• Clip Your Wings
• Be/Wait in the Wings

Free Present: A Revolutionary Guide to Connecting Your Life to English

Aww yeah, welcome to another episode of RealLife TV.

Today, I’m going to teach you the 5 most common expressions with wing, so stay tuned.

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Literal Meaning

Ok, so, the literal definition of wing, like a bird has a wing. It flies with wings. An airplane has wings.

Wing It

So, the first expression that I want to teach you today is to wing it.

To wing it means that you don’t prepare for something, you improvise.

So, maybe you give a presentation, maybe you’re giving a class on something that you didn’t prepare, and you wing it.

I winged it today. I winged this video.

Wingman

The second expression – wingman.

A wingman is, like, a guy might have a friend, and if he goes out to talk to girls, looking for girls, then his buddy is the wingman. He helps him out. He pushes him in the right direction, and compliments him in the right way.

Take Somebody Under Your Wing

The next expression is to take somebody under your wing.

And this means, that when, maybe you start a new job, and you might have a mentor that really protects you, and teaches you, and trains you, and really takes interest in you. This is to take somebody under your wing.

Clip Your Wings

Ok, so the next expression is to clip your wings.

So, first of all, to clip is to cut. So, imagine a bird, flying with its wings, and you cut the wings. What happens? It falls.

So, you can use this, maybe, for example, when you were a kid, when your parents reprimanded you, when they restrained you for doing something wrong. They grounded you, which is when you lose your privileges. You can’t go and hang out with your friends anymore…

So, that’s when they cut your wings.

So, you’re up flying high, and then you can’t anymore, you fall. So that’s to clip your wings.

Wait In the Wings

Ok, and the fifth and final expression that I’m going to teach you today is to wait in the wings, or just to be in the wings.

So, in this case, it means to be prepared, to be ready for something.

So, maybe, for example, a sports metaphor might be like “This team, soccer team, has 11 great players, plus 3 waiting in the wings, that are just ready to play.”

So, you might say “I have, I have a job I really like and there are another couple of jobs waiting in the wings.” This might be just something that, that’s ready, that, that’s possible, just in case you decide. So, you’re not in such a delicate position. It’s sort of like an abundance.

That’s it!

Ok, there you have it. Five expressions with the word wing.

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