what are Idioms ? definition and examples

what are Idioms ? definition and examples

Definition of Idioms:

An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual grammatical rules of  language or from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket  “to die.”
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.

Why we use Idiom?

We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English.

Some example of Idioms:

*University of life:

- The daily life and work where you learn more than from going to university

Ex: My father began to work on the family farm when he was twelve and learned everything from the University of Life.

·         In my opinion, Sometimes University of Life is better than University of study.

*Cross Your Fingers: 

To hope that something happens the way you want it to.Ex: Good luck on your test tomorrow. We'll be crossing our fingers for you.

* Take the roll:

- To call the names of students in an attendance book and expect them to answer if they are there

Ex: The Boss took the roll and then we started the conference.

*Brainstorm (something):

- To try to develop an idea or think of new ideas.

Ex: The students got into groups to brainstorm ideas for the school play.

*Catch up to (someone or something):

- To move fast or work hard to reach someone or something that is ahead of you.

Ex: After my illness, I had to work very hard to catch up the rest of the work.

*Count noses

- To count the number of people

The waitress stopped to count noses several times during the wedding ceremony.

*Three R's

- The three basic skills for a basic education (reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic)

Ex:  My brother studied in a small country school where they studied the three R’s.

*With flying colors.

-If you do something such as pass an exam with flying colors, you do it very successfully.

Ex: She got into the University of her Choice because she passed all her exams with flying colors.

Separate sheep from goats :

- Examining a group of people and deciding their suitability

Ex: Audition test was conducted by the director to separate sheep from goats.

 Waiting in the wings :

-Waiting for an opportunity to take action, mostly to replace someone else in their job.

Ex;The senior manager is going to retire in next 2 months. Two of his juniors who are waiting in the wings will have a fierce competition.

How can I learn idioms?

It is best to learn idioms as you do vocabulary. In other words, select and actively learn idioms which will be useful to you. Write the idiom in a relevant and practical sentence so that you will be able to remember its meaning easily. If you can, record the idioms in your file and on a card along with other words and idioms which have similar meanings.