Idioms Figurative versus literal meaning What is an

Idioms Figurative versus literal meaning

What is an idiom? • An idiom is a phrase that does not mean what it says. • Idioms are used as a form of expression, to exaggerate a point.

Animal idioms

Examples • • • to bark up the wrong tree to badger someone a bull in a china shop cat got your tongue a catnap to let the cat out of the bag to cry wolf to get on one’s high horse horsing around to hold your horses

Color Idioms Out of the blue

• • Examples • • • to see things in black and white the black sheep of the family to be green the grass is always greener on the other side to be green with envy to feel blue out of the blue to paint the town red a red-letter day to see the world through rose-colored glasses to catch someone red-handed to roll out the red carpet to be tickled pink a white lie

Body Idioms

Examples • • • • to button/zip your lip by the skin of your teeth to hold your tongue to know by heart to bury your head in the sand to pick the brain of to see eye to have a big head to cost an arm and a leg to get off on the wrong foot to get your feet wet to give a hand a green thumb to pull your leg to put your foot down to put your foot in your mouth

Popular Idioms

Examples • • • hit the roof hit the hay hit the road piece of cake to rain cats and dogs rock the boat dressed to kill two birds with one stone get the axe to bug you to be in hot water kick the bucket

More Examples • • • on the ball broke to beat around the bush sick as a dog to eat like a horse clear as mud to burn the midnight oil to have a ball to have money to burn to have four eyes butterflies in my stomach