Knock-knock jokes will never go out of fashion, won't they?

Today you've the last chance to take part in our IELTS contest! The instructions in case you've forgotten: https://goo.gl/g8h3zd. Our brave warriors have already started reading your essays! :)

It's high time you thought about You-Know-What :)

Hi, guys!

It was a harsh struggle - we were trying to choose the winner of our contest, which turned out to be one of the toughest decisions ever made. Sorry for the waiting, we know, you hate it. However, now we are happy to announce the results:

First place - Sayyor Yusupov, whose detailed essay was full of tips on every single part of the exam.

Second place - Egor Zmaznev, a dedicated student of business faculty from Finland, who managed to pass IELTS after two-week preparation and shared his experience in a captivating way.

Third place - Bekhruz Saparbaev, who passed IELTS twice and shared not only the tips of his best tutor but also his own ones, as currently, he is an IELTS-teacher himself.

These cute followers of our channel receive special gifts from Viola (will be sent pretty soon, we will get in touch with winners (beware - only @tonyprots is trustworthy) - and share photos of presents with you). All other participants won't be left without presents as well - special wooden badges will be sent to everyone.

Last but not least - we will publish extracts from all essays - and full articles of the winners. You will be able to find them using #VIOLA_IELTS tag. Moreover, you will get a full list of tips in one article followed by comments of Violaclub.ru teachers who specialise in IELTS exam. So, the new era of original helpful materials begins :)

P.S. Even though IELTS is one of the most popular exams in the world, we won't forget about any other part of English studies. Besides... we have lots of ideas on new contest :)

English42 has prepared a simple chart which shows you 6 phrasal verbs you can use to talk about your love life – present, past or future.

hook up - to arrange for someone to go out with someone
make out - (slang) to kiss and touch someone in a sexual way
fall out - to quarrel or disagree with someone about something
break up - to end a romantic relationship with someone
shack up - to live with and have a sexual relationship with someone you are not married to
settle down - to get married and settle into a stable way of life

BTW, to put up with someone or something = to tolerate or endure someone or something; to be able to stand someone or something. However, it is usually used in negative context. Don't put up with the rows!

OK, the topic for the week is an army.
(not a army, even though Chuck Norris is not the right person to argue with)

Idioms time!

You and who else? and You and what army?:

a phrase that responds to a threat by implying that the threat is a weak one.

Example:
Bill: I'm going to punch you in the nose!
Bob: Yeah? You and who else?

Tom: Our team is going to slaughter your team.
Bill: You and what army?

This phrase refers to the 1815 battle outside the Belgian town of Waterloo in which Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated by forces commanded by the Duke of Wellington. The term Waterloo quickly became synonymous with anything difficult to master. It was referred to as such the year after the Battle of Waterloo by another English hero - Lord Byron, in a letter to Thomas Moore:

"It [Armenian] is... a Waterloo of an Alphabet."

Yet another English icon, Arthur Conan Doyle, was the first to refer to someone meeting their Waterloo, in Return of Sherlock Holmes, 1905:

"We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson, but this is our Marengo."

This refers to the Battle of Marengo in Italy, in which Napoleon 's forces were surprised by an Austrian attack and came close to defeat.

(via http://lnk.al/3Q2N)

Some of our followers claim that we post fewer idioms than usual. Well, that's wrong, we stick to our guns :)

We were telling you about war and army for too long. This long picture is all about peace :)
(best buds = people who regard themselves as very close friends)

International Women's Day is too close.

Let us provide you with a quote:

The terms matryoshka doll, babushka doll, and Russian nesting doll all refer to the same item. The feature that makes a matryoshka doll unique is that the doll actually consists of many dolls nested within one another. All but the smallest doll have a top and a bottom half that come apart to reveal the next smaller doll. One matryoshka doll may consist of up to 20 dolls. They are a symbol of Russia and of the Russian culture, but have become popular worldwide.

Have you ever heard about International Women's Day? Why do we need a day to celebrate just half the inhabitants of our planet? Find out about this special day by reading the text below.

Long read time - via BritichCouncil

http://lnk.al/3Vb5