Bottle

Neil So, big presentation today, Feifei! How are you feeling?

Feifei Yeah, I’m ok, Neil. All prepared. I do feel a bit nervous… I just need to remind myself to slow down and take a sip of water when I feel anxious!

Neil Good plan! OK, I’ll see you later. Good luck… Hey! So how did it go?

Feifei Not great.

Neil What happened? You lost your bottle?

Feifei Actually, I took a glass of water.

Neil Oh right. You know the phrase ‘to lose your bottle’ means ‘to lose your confidence and fail to do something, or decide not to do it’.

Feifei

Thanks for teaching me this phrase when I’m feeling awful.

Neil Yes, sorry. You can also simply say ‘to bottle it’ which also means ‘to lose your courage and fail to do something’. Err, examples time?

Examples He was going to ask his girlfriend to marry him but lost his bottle at the last minute. She asked him instead.

I thought about painting my front door bright green but I bottled it. I went for a conservative grey instead.

Feifei Anyway Neil, aren’t you giving a presentation this afternoon?

Neil Err… I was going to.

Feifei Oh? You mean, you’re not going to do it now?

Neil Well, you see, I just had so much work on this week, and I’ve not really had time at all…

Feifei Yeah, yeah, I get it. You bottled it.

Neil You got me. I just hate presentations!

Feifei Well, that makes two of us! Bye.

Neil Bye.