Welcome to English in a Minute.

If you have heard American English or watched an American TV show, you probably have heard this:

"Hear a pin drop."

What does this phrase mean?

Let's see whether we can find out by listening to an American English conversation.

A: I can't believe he said that. And then the room was so quite. Nobody said a word.

B: Really?

A: Yeah, I mean it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Pins are small and don't make noise when they fall to the floor. So when you say you can "hear a pin drop," it means that the room is silent. Usually, that's because the people are surprised or excited about something.

And that's English in a Minute.