Is this an idiomatic expression?

[Nathan_Yell]

Hello!

I just read an article from CNN about Manny Pacquiao and I got confused by this sentence:

"For Arum, that charity is a tangible example of Pacquiao's faith. "He's constantly calling me on the advances, on the upfront of his purse and so forth, because he spending the money on good things."

The context is about Manny's donation to charity. His promoter, Bob Arum, said this in support of what Manny is doing.

Is "calling on the advances" an idiomatic expression? Does "advances" mean the money you get before the the actual amount is given?

Here's the link to the original: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/17/the-prayerful-pugilist/#comments

Thanks!

[Joe Carillo]

I checked the link you provided and read the whole story, which is about Manny Pacquiao's deep faith in God. I'm sure that "calling on the advances" isn't an idiomatic expression at all in the context of his promoter Bobby Arum's statement. Instead, it's quite a literal statement--certainly not a figurative one--to the effect that Manny is always following up Bob by phone to check on the releases of the cash advances or down payments for his fights. Manny wants to get the funds as early as possible so he can meet the great demand for donations for various charitable causes, including those from religious groups.

[Nathan_Yell]

Thanks, Sir! That was quick. I'm still trying to find my way through English idioms and it's not unusual that I over read literal statements. Is immersion the best way to learn idioms?

[Joe Carillo]

Yes, definitely, immersion is the best way to learn the idioms of English and of any language for that matter. In the case of English, you can easily and conveniently get this immersion from good English-language TV shows, radio programs, and fiction as well as nonfiction books. Every time you encounter what sounds like an idiomatic expression, check out its meaning from a good book of English idioms. Your nearest bookstore should have several good titles to choose from.   

To get a better idea of the learning terrain for English idioms, you may want to read two essays of mine that I posted in this Forum several months back, "The nature of true idioms" and "Learning the English idioms." Simply click the indicated links.

Good luck in your quest for mastery of the English idioms!