Jul 24, 2026 · 15 min · 9 segments
Time idioms are some of the most commonly used expressions in everyday English — and some of the most confusing for non-native speakers, because the words have nothing to do with their meaning. "Kill…
So to unpack this, starting with the past just feels, well, logical.
Oh, definitely.
Start at the beginning.
Right.
And the past is fixed.
The events are already done, which gives us this sense of safety.
So the vocabulary we use leans heavily on nostalgia and forgiveness.
Yeah.
And the classic one for nostalgia is in the good old days.
Right.
Like you might hear someone say in the good old days, everything was so much cheaper.
But it doesn't refer to a specific year, does it?
Exactly.
No, it's a blanket phrase.
It relies on the psychological filter where we just smooth out all the bad stuff and only remember the pleasant parts of the past.
Like building a safe harbor.
We make up this generalized good time to contrast with whatever is stressing us out today.
Yeah, perfectly said.
But then, you know, what happens when something from that era suddenly invades your present? Like we call that a blast from the past.
I love that phrase.
It's so visceral.
It really is.
Like picture walking through a store and suddenly a song from your high school graduation starts playing.
So to unpack this, starting with the past just feels, well, logical.
Oh, definitely.
Start at the beginning.
Right.
And the past is fixed.
The events are already done, which gives us this sense of safety.
So the vocabulary we use leans heavily on nostalgia and forgiveness.
Yeah.
And the classic one for nostalgia is in the good old days.
Right.
Like you might hear someone say in the good old days, everything was so much cheaper.
But it doesn't refer to a specific year, does it?
Exactly.
No, it's a blanket phrase.
It relies on the psychological filter where we just smooth out all the bad stuff and only remember the pleasant parts of the past.
Like building a safe harbor.
We make up this generalized good time to contrast with whatever is stressing us out today.
Yeah, perfectly said.
But then, you know, what happens when something from that era suddenly invades your present? Like we call that a blast from the past.
I love that phrase.
It's so visceral.
It really is.
Like picture walking through a store and suddenly a song from your high school graduation starts playing.
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3 of 6
Who Controls Time?
Consider what our words reveal about us
Killing Time Exposed
Ever notice how we 'kill' spare minutes
Cowardly Future Idioms
Why future talk makes us sound timid
+3 more clips · 2 min 4 sec of audio in all
7 of 25
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