3rd Class English Idioms, Phrases and Proverbs Idioms, Phrases and Proverbs

Historical Preview

"Bury the hatchet."

Native Americans used to bury weapons to show that fighting had ended and enemies were now at peace. Today, the idiom means to make up with a friend after an argument or fight.

"Raining cats and dogs."

In Norse mythology, the dog is associated with wind and the cat with storms. This expression means it?s raining very heavily.  

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This lesson will help you to:-

understand what idioms, phrases and proverbs mean.

apply them in writing.

understand their importance in day to day communication  

 QUICK CONCEPT REVIEW

Idioms

Idiom is an expression of two or rnore words that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. Idioms are used to replace a literal word or expression. Definition: An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words.  

For example:

He cried crocodile tears because he wanted his dad to buy him something. Just as a crocodile cannot cry, the boy was not crying at all! He was just acting! People use idioms to make their language richer and more colourful. Idioms and idiomatic expressions can be more precise than the literal words, often using fewer words but saying more.  

Phrases

A phrase is a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion.  

Example:

He disposed off his car for a small sum. Here the phrase 'disposed off can easily be replaced with "sold", so, that's how we use a  

 PROBERBS

A short well-known statement that gives advice or expresses something that is generally true. Take the famous proverb: Slow and steady wins the race. 'A penny saved is a penny earned' is another example of a proverb.  

 AN INTERESTING FACT

Every proverb has a story behind it.

Here's a story about the Hare and the Tortoise:  

STORY

Once upon a time, there were two good friends the hare and the tortoise. One day the hare told the tortoise "tortoise are too slow, I can run much faster than you.? The tortoise replied, fine! Let's run a race. We'll see who wins it. On a fixed date and time, they ran the race. The hare was so confident that he started taking short naps in between the race. The tortoise plodded along. After he had slept for the third time, the hare opened his eyes to see that the tortoise had won the race.

Lesson: Slow and steady wins the race.  

TIP

The best way to remember this proverb is to remember the story associated with it.  

Amazing Fact

To "shed crocodile tears."

Crocodiles have a reflex that causes their eyes to tear when they open their mouths. This makes it look as though they are crying while devouring their prey. In fact, neither crocodiles nor people who shed "crocodile" tears feel sory for their actions.