Many idioms—expressions that are not taken literally—are so old and so familiar that we don’t think twice about using them. We say, for example, “it’s raining cats and dogs” to indicate that it’s pouring outside, and “comfortable as an old shoe” to explain an easy and familiar relationship. We can trace the etymology of some idioms to books and sayings that were first used hundreds …
Idioms are expressions whose meanings are figurative and different from the literal meanings of the words within them. For example, the idiom “It costs an arm and a leg” means that something is very expensive. The literal meaning (that something has to be paid for with body parts) isn’t typically considered. English language learners may have a difficult time understanding idioms, since their figurative meaning …
Online Dictionary Shares Most Looked Up Idioms Internationally & Top New Word Requests OAKLAND, Calif., October 18, 2017 – The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence where the chickens come home to roost, catch my drift? If not, you’re in luck – Dictionary.com, the leading online and mobile English-language resource, today released data on the most searched idioms across the globe …
Television has a habit of repurposing and repackaging common sayings into names of shows, from Breaking Bad to Six Feet Under, and it’s easy to understand why: Idioms are packed with rich associations that resonate instantly with viewers, and when applied to titles of the small screen, they quickly communicate the sensibilities of the shows. Take a look at how some of these idiomatic phrases were …
Build your young child’s vocabulary with these fun learning activities focused on different types of vocab. You might even learn a new word or two as well! Learning about figurative language Figurative language is language that contains or uses figures of speech, especially metaphors. And a lot of figurative language is pretty funny when you look at it literally. Guess what the phrase dog days …
