Word of the Week Idiom (i-dee-um): Word combinations that mean something different from their literal meaning. In other words, they’re phrases that don’t actually mean what they say. They can be very confusing if you’re not familiar with the saying! It comes from the Greek word idio, meaning “personal”.
Yassou!
It’s Idiom Week! That means that we all get to become a little more familiar with this confusing kind of speech. There are so many different types of speech in the English language. Similes. . .metaphors. . .idioms. In honor of this week, I am only going to focus on idioms. I’ll save the others for another time.
Can you think of an example of an idiom? Which one pops into your mind? For me? A piece of cake. It basically means that something is easy. Can you think of another one with a similar meaning? It also has something to do with a dessert. . . Easy as pie. The funny thing is, I can’t seem to find where either saying originated! Anyone who enjoys baking cakes or pies knows that they are not the easiest to bake, which really makes me wonder who came up with them!
Here are a few idioms that I was able to gather a little more information on:
Once in a blue moon. A “blue moon” is what they call the second full moon to fall in the same month. It’s a pretty rare thing and only happens once every 2-3 years. That’s how the name came to be! Meaning: Very rare
Straight from the horse’s mouth. Back in the 1900’s, buyers would try to guess a horse’s age by checking its teeth. Meaning: To get information from a reliable source
Flying off the handle. In the 1800’s, poorly made axes would literally come loose and the blade would detach from the handle! Meaning: To suddenly become really angry or enraged
Big wig. In the 18th century, important political people would wear the biggest wigs. Meaning: Someone very important
Put a sock in it. People used to stuff wool socks in the horn of their record player in order to turn the volume down, because there was no volume control in the late 19th century! Meaning: Stop talking
As you know, I have two very special animals in my life. I decided to give them a little shout out by leaving you with a fun idiom worksheet where you will match the idiom to its meaning. . .and all of the idioms I chose are dog and cat themed!
I challenge you to try to create your very own idiom! Here's one I came up with.
Did you come up with something great? Please share it by e-mailing LJMadwish@gmail.com