Idioms – not for idiots!

Next time you have a conversation in English, try dropping in a few of these expressions.

By: Nichola Jones

What are idioms? Well, idioms are common phrases or expressions and every language has them. Of course, it is important to remember that they shouldn’t be taken literally as their meaning would be seriously distorted, and an idiom in one language may not necessarily work well in another. There are funny ones, strange ones, wise ones and some often used in the wrong context – but it’s always handy to have a few at your disposal… As my Scottish grandmother used to say, “Ye cannae haud whit’s no in yer haun!” Translation? “You can’t hold what’s not in your hand,” a favourite of hers, proudly announced after passing wind in the middle of the street or in a bus queue. (A teenager at the time, I was quite mortified when she did this in public!)

Here are a few more of Granny’s favourites:

“Her lugs are flappin” (“Her ears are flapping”): when someone is eavesdropping on a conversation.

“Whit’s the matter? Yer face is trippin ye” (“What’s wrong? Your face is tripping you”): discontented facial expression OR my grans’ way of noticing that you feel down and making you feel worse!

“Ye don’t get owt for nowt”: You don’t get anything for nothing.

“Aye well, whit doesnae kill ye, only makes ye stronger!” (“Yes, well, what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger!”):That would be my gran justifying her awful cooking!

You might not have heard of those but how about these?

Take the popular movie Forrest Gump for example where Tom Hanks’ character coined the phrase “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”  You probably know that this refers to the surprises that life deals you, but have you heard these English idioms? Next time you have a conversation in English, try dropping in a few of these expressions. But choose wisely, it’s all about context…

“Kill two birds with one stone”: Taken literally, one would need pretty good aim and sadistic tendencies! But it actually means to do two things at the same time, or get two things accomplished with one action.

“The pot calling the kettle black”: A person accusing someone else of the same thing that they are also guilty of.

“There’s six of one, half a dozen of the other”: it doesn’t matter which one you choose as they are both the same! (A dozen=12, so half a dozen=6).

“Actions speak louder than words”: Anyone can say what they are going to do, but it is more important that they actually do it.

“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched”: Obviously you can’t count those chicks before they are born, unless you have laser vision! But still, be careful of being too confident that something will be successful.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”: Make the best of what you are given, especially in difficult times.

“I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning”: I’m feeling very fresh and alert this morning. (In Danish this could be: “frisk som en havørn!”)

“The glass may be half-empty or half-full”: At some point in your life you have literally had a half full or half empty glass, but how you see it depends on whether you’re prone to optimism or pessimism.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall”: The more prominent someone is, the more dramatic their failure.

“A taste of their own medicine”: To do the same bad thing to another person so they know just how unpleasant it feels.

“Break a leg”: This one certainly isn’t meant or taken literally! It’s actually a superstitious way of saying “Good luck” before a performance, but can be applied to wishing someone well before an interview or the like.

“Never judge a book by its cover”: Don’t be too hasty to make a judgement; you can’t always tell from the outside what may be on the inside.

“You have to walk the talk”: This is quite a strange one, but it’s similar to other common idioms, “practice what you preach” and “put your money where your mouth is.” In other words, be consistent with your words and actions.

“He went down for the count”: Like a boxer who can’t get up before the count ends, this means that someone that has lost a struggle or, quite literally, has passed out.

“Look what the cat dragged in”: A friendly exclamation if you see someone that you didn’t expect to meet, especially if they appear looking a little dishevelled.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”: Led any horses lately? Probably not. This really means that you can give someone an opportunity, but you can’t force them to take it.