Test your skill and win a prize!

“For what it’s worth”, in this competitive world of teaching English, we don’t plan to “fall flat on our faces”, in fact we will be the “dark horse” who not only “comes out on top” but “comes up smelling like a rose” to be the “cream of the crop” in “delivering the goods” when comes to innovative teaching of “sparkling” English.

1. For what it’s worth - This is a phrase that used as a preface to a comment or statement that may not be needed and is something extra, just in case it helps the situation at hand.
2. Fall flat on our faces - means to fail at something. As in people saying, “Don’t do it or you’ll fall flat on your face.
3. Dark horse - Hard to see at night and pertains to the unknowns in the industry. Our blog is a “dark horse” starting out but by word of mouth and you helping to spread the news, we will soon be a success.
4. Comes out on top - refers to winning and being first. If we are successful in teaching you new and different things, despite the competition, we will come out on top.
5. Cream of the crop - refers to the cream that always rises to the top of the bottle of milk. Cream being richer and more prized, is considered better than ordinary.
6. Comes up smelling like a rose - when it looks like it’s going to be damaging to the reputation or success, one emerges even better than before. Some people can fall into a pile of do-do and still “come out smelling like roses.”
7. Delivering the goods - now refers to being able to do something, to succeed in some effort or enterprise. I guarantee you, whatever I promise, I can deliver.


We shall be having weekly contests where you will have the opportunity of creating sentences with the most idiomatic expressions used in one sentence properly. Once a month, we will have the same contest for the most idiomatic expressions used in a paragraph that is linked in a meaningful way.

Weekly prize winners will have an essay corrected free of charge and Monthly prize winners will receive half an hour of FREE consultation through Skype on whatever subject they choose pertaining to learning English. So, put on your “thinking cap” and “squirrel away” those “golden nuggets” for your “shot at the prize”. “Early birds usually get the worm”.

Entries should be sent to: Ms.Mae@SparklingEnglish.com