The Day of Reckoning, Aiming For Something, Hopping Mad, You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

The Day of Reckoning
Literally, the Day of Reckoning (capitalized) is, in Christian religion, the day of God's final judgment upon all nations. Figuratively speaking, the day of reckoning (not capitalized) for a person accused of a crime is the day upon which a verdict is rendered, finding the accused guilty or innocent.

Example: In medieval English law (let's say, 1066 to 1350 A.D.), an "appeal of felony" was a private prosecution against a person for some kind of crime. With rare exception, the appeal had to be made by the person harmed by the action. In the case of a murder, the wife of a murdered man could make the "appeal of felony."

In these times, such lawsuits were usually for some kind of financial compensation. These lawsuits were usually settled before the day of reckoning. If both sides came to terms, money or some other form of compensation was paid to the spouse of the victim.

That is to say, usually, a settlement would be reached before a judge decides whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. If found guilty of murder, the defendant would be executed through hanging! Clearly, there would be little point in settling the case after the day of reckoning, with the defendant either found innocent (and owing nothing) or guilty (and paying with his life!).


Aiming For Something
To "aim for" something is to work towards a particular goal.

The goal must be specific for the word "aim" (or "aiming") to have any meaning. Taking aim is as in archery or marksmanship; it is to identify a specific, particular target and aim a weapon at it, preparing to fire. Thus, figuratively, this means to move closer to one goal, rather than many.

Example: U.K. Universities Minister David Willetts urged high school graduates who did not successfully obtain a place at a university (when trying to do so) to do volunteer work to improve their resumes and to consider aiming for heavily attended (high student population), less exclusive, less prestigious universities. This would give students refused entry to better universities an opportunity to get some kind of university education, rather than nothing.


Hopping Mad
This idiom creates the image of someone hopping (jumping) up and down, enraged and furious.

This expression comes from the early 1800's and has been a regular feature of English since. It is not meant to be taken literally, but to be a vivid expression of intense emotion.

Example: "The boss was hopping mad when he found out that someone had been stealing from his department. He's very determined to fire the person responsible."


Getting Under Someone's Skin
To figuratively "get under someone's skin" is to annoy that person, as if you are a bad itch.

Example: "That used car salesman really gets under my skin. He's so annoying when he talks like he's your best friend, especially when he's trying to trick you into something. I wish he'd just go away."


You've Gotta Be Kidding Me
This is a modern, informal version of "You must be joking." It is an expression of disbelief regarding something another person has said.

Example: "I heard that Mary-Ann is going to marry Frank in two months." "You've gotta be kidding me! There's no way she'd get together with a boring man like that!" This is an expression of complete disbelief.

Although idioms in general are not "formal English," expressions like "gotta be" ("have got to be") are informal; they are slang, and should never be used in formal situations. This particular idiom/ expression is nonetheless extremely common in American English.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary .