Idiomatic expressions are a type of informal language that have a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression.
Description
An idiom is a phrase or an expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. Categorized as formulatic language, an idiom's figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning. (Wikipedia)
I usually used some of the idiomatic impression in my daily living. It is quite fun and interesting, at the same time it give colors on the way you communicate since the language are simple but the meaning is deep.
Here are some idiomatic expressions we usually hear and use with their meanings:
Above and beyond
— more than is expected or required
Act one’s age
— to be mature and nit childish
Action speaks louder than voice
— A person’s intention can be judged better by means of what they do rather than what they are saying.
An apple a day keeps doctor away
— eating healthy food will prevent you on getting sick
Apple of the eye
— someone or somethings favorite
A storm in a teacup
— Unnecessary anger or worry about an unimportant or trivial matter
At the drop of a hay
— means without any hesitation or instantly
Bad apple
— a discontented, trouble maker or dishonest person
Barking up the wrong tree
— pointing at the wrong person or looking at the wrong place
Be a cold day in hell
— will never happen
Be head over heels
— be in love with somebody very much
Bed of roses
— comfortable situation
Bedroom eyes
— expression of the eyes that seems to invite in sex
Best of both worlds
— meaning you have it all or all the advantages
Beat around the Bush
— means you are not speaking directly about the issue or avoiding the main topic
Better late than never
— it implies that a belated achievement is better than not reaching a goal at all.
Big cheese
— an important person in a company or organization
Birds of the same feather flocks together
— People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.
Bite off more than you can chew
— Try to do more than one is capable of doing
Bite the Bullet
— To do something even though it involves pain, discomfort, or difficulty
Bite the Hand That Feeds You
— Act badly toward someone who has helped you
Bitter Pill to Swallow
— An unpleasant fact that one must accept
Black Sheep
— A person who does not fit into a group, especially a family
Blow the Whistle
— Reporting an illegal or unacceptable activity to the authorities
Blessing in disguise
— something good happens not accordance to your expectation
Bring Home the Bacon
— Earn money for one’s family
Break a leg
— good luck
Break the ice
— to get something started, particularly by means of social introduction or conversation
Call the Shots
— Make the important decisions in an organization
Can’t See the Forest for the Trees
— Is unable to maintain a wider perspective
Cat Fight
— A fight between two women
Chase rainbows
— to pursue unrealistic goals
Couch potato
— lazy person who watches a great deal of televisions
Cross that bridge when you come to it
— deal with the problem when it is necessary not before
Cry over spilt milk
— means being upset over something that happened which cannot be changed
Curiosity killed the cat
— means to warn someone not to ask too many questions about something because it can leads you to danger
Devil’a advocate
— expressing an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.
Digging around
— looking for
Dog in the Manger
— A person who prevents others from using something, even though the person himself or herself does not want it
Don’t count your chicken before eggs have hatched
— don’t make plab for something that might not happen
Don’t judge the book by its cover
— outward or physical appearance cannot determine someone or something. Do not be deceived by looks
Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
— Do not question the value of a gift. The expression comes from the practice of determining the age and health of a horse by looking at its teeth.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
— do not put all your resources in one possibility
Every cloud has silver lining
— be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days
Face the Music
— Dealing with consequences of one’s actions
Fall on One’s Sword
— To accept blame; to sacrifice oneself
Fat Cat
— A highly placed, well-paid executive
Father Figure
— A mentor, a person who offers guidance
Find Your Feet
— To adjust to a new place or situation
Flew off the handle
— went crazy
Fly High
— Be very successful, especially temporarily
Give the benefit of the doubt
— believing on someone’s statement without proof
Hard to swallow
— difficult to believe
Have Bigger Fish to Fry
— Have more important things to do
Hit the books
— to study
Hot potato
— controversial or difficult project that is best avoided
It takes two to tango
— actions or communications need more than one person
Jack of All Trade
— A person with a wide variety of skills
Keep an Eye Peeled
— Be observant; watch out for something
Kills two birds with one stone
— accomplish two different things at the same time
Larger Than Life
— Conveying a sense of greatness, imposing
Last But Not Least
— What I have just said does not reflect a ranking in importance.
Learn the Ropes
— Become more familiar with a job or field of endeavor; be trained
Lend an Ear
— Listen
Let the cat out of the bag
— accidentally told a secret
Let sleeping dogs lie
— To leave things as they are especially, to avoid restarting or rekindling an old argument or to leave disagreements in the past.
Life is A Bowl of Cherries
— Life is wonderful or very pleasant
Make a long story short
— straighbto the point and leave out details
Miss the boat
— someone miss his or her chance
Not One’s Cup of Tea
— Not something one is interested in
Not a spark of decency
— no manners
Not playing with a full deck
— someone who lacks intelligence
No Tree Grows to the Sky
— Growth cannot continue indefinitely.
One step at a time
— do something slowly and carefully
On cloud nine
— extremely very happy
On the ball
— when someone understand the situation well
Once in a blue moon
— happens very rarely
Pass With Flying Colors
— To succeed brilliantly, as on an exam or other test
Picture paints a thousand words
— a picture can tell more complex ideas
Piece of cake
— a job or task that is easy or simple
Powder Keg
— An explosive situation, a situation in which people are angry and ready to be violent
Put your best foot forward
— try your best in everything you are doing
Quote Unquote
— Ironically speaking; suggesting that if a phrase were written out, it would be in quotation marks to convey sarcasm
Raining cats and dogs
— raining heavily
See eye to eye
— agreeing on something
Set in Stone
— Fixed; unchangeable
Show One’s True Colors
— Reveal one’s true nature
Sit on the fence
— when someone does not want to choose or make decision
Steal someone’s thunder
— to take the credit for something someone else did
Take with a grain of salt
— not to take ehat someone say seriously
Taste of your own medicine
— means something happens to you or is done to you that you have done to someone else
That’s music to my ear
— very happy hearing something
Threw in the towel
— give up
Toe the Line
— Accept authority, follow the rules
Went out the window
— dissappear
When it rains it pours
— When one thing goes wrong, many other things also go wrong.
When pigs fly
— never
By: Maerz
