To cotton on

To cotton on: to get to know or understand something.

Origin 
(from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cotton-on.html)

The phrase 'cotton on to', with the above meaning, appears to be limited in usage to the UK and other countries that were previously part of the British Empire, notably Australia and New Zealand. In the USA, especially in the southern states, 'cotton to' is used, with the slightly modified meaning of 'take a liking to'.

As early as 1648, in a pamphlet titled Mercurius Elencticus, mocking the English parliament, the royalist soldier and poet Sir George Wharton used 'cotton', or as it was spelled then 'cotten', as a verb meaning 'to make friendly advances'. 'Cotten up to' and 'cotten to' were both used to mean 'become friendly with'. Whether this was as a reference to the rather annoying predisposition of moist raw cotton to stick to things or whether it alluded to moving of cotton garments closer together during a romantic advance isn't clear. John Camden Hotten, in his Slang Dictionary, 1869, opted for the former derivation:

Cotton, to like, adhere to, or agree with any person; "to COTTON on to a man," to attach yourself to him, or fancy him, literally, to stick to him as cotton would.

Green with envy

Green with envy = jaloux comme un pou

In many Western cultures the feelings of envy or jealousy are commonly associated with the color green. A greenish facial tint has long been associated with illness, as suggested by the phrase "green around the gills. (avoir mauvaise mine)" As a person who is very envious is considered by many folks to be unwell, these people have been described as "green (or sick) with envy." 

Long before Shakespeare connected green with jealousy, the color was more commonly used to describe illness. The early Greeks interchanged "green" and "pale" to mean sickly. The Greeks thought that when you were ill or jealous, the body produced too much bile, giving the skin a green tint.

Double Dutch

Double Dutch (slang) = charabia

Witty retort

Witty retort, clever comebacks: répartie intelligente

Witty 

1. Possessing or demonstrating wit in speech or writing; very clever and humorous.
2. Characterized by or having the nature of wit; funny or jocular: a witty saying.
3. Quick to discern and express amusing insights or relationships.
4. Entertainingly and strikingly clever or original in concept, design, or performance: a witty sculpture; witty choreography.

Tapping into the Positive Side of Conflict

Tapping into the Positive Side of Conflict
by Diane C. Decker
http://qualitytransitions.com/tapping-positive-side-conflict/
(American English)

Tap into the positive side of conflict. Do any of these three examples of brewing conflict sound familiar? 1) You share your experiences and perspectives on an issue with a co-worker, and you are dismissed, with the statement that what you are saying doesn’t make sense or apply. 2) You send an email requesting information to complete a project deadline, and the person never responds. 3) Even when you say you are busy, a co-worker stays in your work area to chat about personal topics or complain about your boss and the company.

Conflict is inevitable. Often the source of the conflict is because of our differences. There are countless ways that people are different, including backgrounds, preferences, opinions, and personalities. Most of us think of conflict in negative ways. Yet, when we use positive communication techniques to address conflicts, we can reap the benefits. The potential benefits include improved relationships, less stress, more creativity, higher productivity, and better results. 

Groundhog Day

A comedy based on an humoristic metaphor that tells how we can be prisoner of the googles through which we look at our surrounding and events in our life, repeating the same errors again and again...

The film, Groundhog Day, is based on a popular US legend concerning the groundhog, an animal that hibernates. The legend is that, when the groundhog comes out of his den for the first time, at the end of winter, if he does not see his shadow there will be an early spring, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. Traditionally, Groundhog Day is 2nd February and a ceremony is held to determine whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow. It is necessary to know that story in order to understand the concept of the film.

Plot ( source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_(film) American English)

Self-centered TV meteorologist Phil Connors (Murray) is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting "rat" (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the 'following' day he discovers that it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realisation that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing EVERY day.

Genre:Comedy/Fantasy
Director:Harold Ramis
Cast:Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott

To prank ;=)

Try to play the "google gravity" prank on someone,  it works :=)
www.mrdoob.com/projects/chromeexperiments/google_gravity/


a prank - une farce
A prank is a michievous trick, usually played by children on adults

to play a prank on someone
- jouer des tours à quelqu'un, faire une farce

It takes two to tangle

a variation: "It takes two to tango" - il faut être deux pour....
is a standard expression that is typically used in cases of adultery or accusations of adultery, where one party accuses the other of seduction. It really means that both parties are equally responsible for their actions.

Derivative meaning:
It means also that if you want to reach an agreement between two parties, both sides need to be willing to do so. 
Each has to be open for a compromise, 'give and take' a bit, otherwise you end up stale-mate (dans une impasse), without a proper outcome. 

The tango image is a good one, no matter how good one partner is, if the other is a klutz (slang: empoté), it won't be much of a tango.

A 1952 song popularized the phrase “it takes two to tango”; and it was quickly applied to everything that required two parties, from romance to fighting.

“It takes two to tangle” will seem the normal phrase to some people, a clever variation to a few, and an embarrassing mistake to many people you might want to impress...