A bed of roses
When pig’s fly
Miss the boat
Apple of my eye
Playing devil’s advocate
You must’ve heard these phrases by native speakers a lot! What are these phrases and how are they used?
Welcome to the never ending world of idioms. An idiom is a phrase or saying that is a type of metaphorical expression. The phrase itself has no literal meaning word for word but idioms use figurative language and the meaning is derived through popular usage. The definition of an idiom comes from the phrase as a whole and the cultural meaning that English speakers have of it.
So you might wonder, why are idioms important? Idioms make a language exciting and dynamic. They bring exemplary insight into an individual’s use of the language, vocabulary and thought process.
Idioms are not just fun but are extremely helpful when it comes to English comprehension skills. They are essential and are the key to sounding like a professional or native English speaker. They help you form a deeper understanding of the language.
So what makes idioms difficult?
The answer is their meanings. Idioms are not easy to understand – especially for non-native speakers, because their intentions are usually symbolic. This characteristic makes them strange and difficult to understand for English learners.
So let me help you breeze through (do a task with ease) some popular English idioms
You might have heard ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, ‘Birds of a feather flock together’ or ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.’ Similarly, there are many common phrases that we hear or use. Here are some Idioms and their meanings:
Jack is feeling Under the weather which means he is feeling ill. Don’t be fooled by
this common phrase, so If someone says they’re feeling under the weather, your response should be ‘I hope you feel better!’, not ‘Would you like to borrow my umbrella?’
‘The ball is in your court’ is an idiom you can use in professional meetings or while making decisions with your significant other. This idiom refers to life rather than support and It means ‘It’s up to you and the decision is yours.’
‘It’s the best thing since sliced bread’ is an idiom that means something is really really good. In England, bread was revolutionized and something eaten with as much love as drinking tea so it was set as the benchmark for delicious items.
‘Take it with a pinch of salt’ is an idiom that means ‘Don’t take something too seriously’. For example, the words of the boy who cried wolf was taken with a pinch of salt because no one believed him after the third time.
‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ is an idiom that means ‘Good things come after bad things.’ If your child is having a bad day at school, you can reassure him with this statement. Afterall, life is a long journey with an equal share of ups and downs.
Now, everyone gets a taste of their own medicine. How you treat someone will be the way you’ll be treated in return. This idiom is usually used in a negative context.
When you ignore someone, the idiom parallel to that would be to ‘Give someone the cold shoulder.’ Maybe your friend is giving you the cold shoulder after a big fight.
When we say ‘it’s not rocket science’, it doesn’t always mean everyone thinks rocket science is hard. It’s an idiom for ‘it’s not complicated.’ Some people may actually find rocket science easy so it’s not the best idiom to use around rocket scientists!
Let’s say you forgot your passport somewhere in the house. You could use the idiom ‘Leave no stone unturned’ which means to ‘look everywhere.’
And that’s a wrap! It’s an idiom that is used to say something is at its end, often the filming of a movie scene or show. Here we’ve indicated the end of this blog.
Keep practising idioms and speak English like a professional in ‘lightning speed’!