3.11.3

Idiomatic Expressions

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Idioms

An idiom is an expression in a language that everyone understands but doesn’t make any literal sense. The words or ideas contained in them are hard to interpret unless someone explains them to you.

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How common are idioms?

  • There are hundreds of examples of idioms used in English.
  • The meaning of an idiom often cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words used.
  • This means that idioms have to be learned. Usually, we pick them up by listening to people use them in speech or by seeing them in books, adverts or on the internet.
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Why use idioms?

  • Using an idiom in your writing can:
    • Help to engage the reader.
    • Add impact to your writing.
    • Express a very specific meaning which is difficult to get across without an idiom.
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Idioms as metaphors

  • Idioms are metaphors.
  • They provide an alternative way of thinking about something, and their use makes our language interesting.

Examples of Idioms

Here are some examples of some common idiomatic expressions:

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‘It’s raining cats and dogs’

  • This does NOT mean that cats and dogs are falling out of the sky!
  • This means that it is raining very hard.
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'It cost an arm and a leg'

  • This does NOT mean that something cost two limbs to purchase!
  • This means that something was extremely expensive.
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'To get cold feet'

  • This does NOT mean to have cold feet.
  • This means to become nervous. For example, you could say 'I've got cold feet ahead of my wedding next week.'
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'To kill two birds with one stone’

  • This does NOT mean to grab a stone, throw it and happen to kill two birds at once.
  • This means to achieve two results in one action.
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‘It was a blessing in disguise’

  • This means that even though the outcome initially seemed bad, something good came from it.
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'She was over the moon'

  • This does NOT mean that she was travelling in space!
  • This means that she was extremely happy.

Jump to other topics

1Spelling

2Punctuation

3Grammar

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