We all need to paddle our own canoe.

[Igal1]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #292 "English Slang Idioms (14)", question 4

His girlfriend got mad at him when he said she should stop supporting her lazy brother. He said that we all need to ......... our own canoe.

(a) steer
(b) control
(c) row
(d) paddle

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #292 "English Slang Idioms (14)", answer 4

His girlfriend got mad at him when he said she should stop supporting her lazy brother. He said that we all need to paddle our own canoe.

Correct answer: (d) paddle

Your answer was: incorrect
His girlfriend got mad at him when he said she should stop supporting her lazy brother. He said that we all need to control our own canoe.
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could you please explain this?
thanks in advance

[Torsten]

It's just an idiom. It means that everyone has take responsibility of their financial situation themselves.

TOEFL listening discussions: What will the student try to do with his next essay?

[Alan]

For the record if you don't manage, you find yourself up a creek without a paddle.
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Esl_Expert]

[Kati Svaby]

ESL expert, did you think the English equivalent of "полная жопа "? If you don't speak in Russan as me, but its translation was there.
It is good that you didn't write it because you could have received from Our Tort that: you have a potty mouth.
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Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

[Our Tort System]

[Kati Svaby]

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I 've written for ESL Expert, and not for you, and for my own pleasure. I didn't know the word creek so I tried to understand everything.
Alan wrote:"For the record if you don't manage, you find yourself up a creek without a paddle."
creek = a small area of water where the sea flows into the land. AmE:a small river or stream
up the creek (without paddle)=in a difficult, bad situation.
This sentence was an additional riddle. What can it mean?
I found:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/up+the+creek
up the creek (without a paddle) and up a creek; up shit creek
Inf. Fig. in an awkward position with no easy way out. I'm sort of up the creek and don't know what to do. You are up a creek! You got yourself into it, so get yourself out.

As ESL Expert enigmatic answer was a further riddle. In this dictionary I received the answer.Why did she put points in front of 'the creek'???

The Free dictionary gave the answer. I learned the expression of "potty language" from you, you used this expression for a teacher who wanted to teach an informal expression which exists in the English.

How could I read a modern book if I didn't know these kinds of expressions.

For example:J. D. Salinger:The Catcher in the Rye

xxxxxxxxxxx

Up the creek without paddle = I know what a difficult situation is to be without paddle not in figurative sense.Long ago happened that I was sunbathing on the beach of the Danube after lunch. Nobody was on the beach. Once I saw that a boat without paddle drifted very quickly on the Danube, and a little girl- about 10 -cried for help! I jumped immediately in the water, and I could reach the boat, but only I couldn't draw back only I stopped it and tried to reassure the scared to death little girl. She reassured. For our luck the ferrymen saw this unlucky situation and they turned on the motor and came to save us. It was terrible because it wasn't a creek but a running river and I could be only an anchor and, a psychologist but nothing else. The bank was so deserted, and it was the end of the village that the ferrymen wouldn't have noticed us I don't know what had happened with us.

Since this little girl could be 40 but when we see each other we are laughing because all thing comes to life again.
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Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

[Kati Svaby]

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I didn't know that it is an idiom:

(just) for the record
1 used to show that you want what you are saying to be officially written down and remembered.
-Just for the record I would like to clarify something my colleague said earlier.

2 used to emphasize a point that you are making, so that the person you are speaking to takes notice
And, for the record, he would be the last person I'd ask.
_________________
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.