This article is dedicated to helping you ‘get your head around’ idioms. (P.S. ‘get your head around’ is an idiom.) We’ll explain what they actually are, what the different types are, and provide you with several examples. Then we’ll cover how and when to use them before explaining what the difference is between an idiom and a cliché, and a proverb. We’ll also run through your most frequently asked questions on the subject,
Our hope is that by the end of the article, you’ll feel like an expert on the subject. And without further ado, let’s get straight to it…
What exactly is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase where you cannot decipher the meaning simply by knowing the meanings of the individual words included in the phrase. Instead, you can only understand the meaning of the phrase by looking at it in whole.
In fact, there’s an idiom which explains the concept quite well. Have you heard of the phrase ‘Can’t see the woods/forest for the trees’? This is an idiom and a metaphor. Not understanding an idiom because you are only looking at the individual words is like not seeing a forest, or the whole thing, because you are only looking at individual trees.
Although idioms exist in every language, for the purpose of this article, we will be discussing idioms in the English language. Native and fluent speakers of English automatically understand English idioms, but for learners, if they try to understand an idiom simply by looking at the individual words rather than the saying as a whole, they will struggle.
The word ‘idiom’ is derived from an ancient Greek word ‘idioma’ which translates to ‘peculiar phraseology’ which is quite appropriate, because it can be likened to having a wrongly written mathematical formula, that is still able to generate the correct answer from a native English speaker. Again, it’s about the phrase as a whole, not the individual parts.
The purpose of idioms is to add personality to communication.
What are the different types of idioms?
There are four main types of idioms, and we will go through each of them in turn. There are people who believe that clichés and proverbs are types of idioms, but this is not, in fact, the case. We’ll explain this shortly.
Pure Idioms
A pure idiom is a typical one. The components of the phrase bear no literal translation to the meaning of the phrase. For example, the pure idiom ‘Kill two birds with one stone’ has nothing to do with cruelty to animals and throwing stones. Instead, it’s about achieving two goals with one action. A pure idiom can also be described as an entire idiom as opposed to a partial one.
Binomial Idioms
A binomial idiom is a phrase where two words are joined by a conjunction (e.g. and, but, if) or a preposition (e.g. on, after, for). Some examples include ‘more or less’ which means ‘approximately’, ‘fair and square’ which means ‘in an honest manner’, and ‘on and off’ which means ‘intermittently’.
Partial Idioms
A partial idiom, as the words imply, is an incomplete idiom. One that has been shortened and is expressed as the first part of a longer idiom. Some examples include ‘If the shoe fits’, which is a shortened version of ‘if the shoe fits, wear it’ which means ‘you should accept the criticism’ and ‘time flies’ which is a shortened version of ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ which means ‘time feels like it goes quickly when you’re enjoying yourself’.
Prepositional Idioms
A prepositional idiom is one that combines a verb (e.g. agree, stand, make) and a preposition (e.g. on, by, to, with, up) to create a verb with a distinct and specific meaning. Some examples include ‘agree to’ which means ‘to accept’, ‘stand by’ which means ‘to be present’, and ‘make up’ which means to reconcile.
Examples of idioms
Here follows several examples of well known idioms and what they mean:
- By the skin of one’s teeth – barely managing it
- Getting out of hand – getting out of control
- Beat around the bush – avoiding saying something
- Give someone the benefit of the doubt – trust what the person says
- Once in a blue moon – rarely
- Go back to the drawing board – start again from the beginning
- You can say that again – that’s very true
- Let someone off the hook – stop holding someone responsible for something
- Under the weather – not feeling great
- It’s not rocket science – it’s not complicated
- Speak of the devil and the devil appears – the person we were talking about has shown up
- We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it – we’ll solve that issue when the time comes
- The best of both worlds – ideal, featuring the best features of both
How are idioms structured?
English idioms have peculiar phraseology, and they don’t always follow the rules of traditional English grammar. Normally, the English language has specific syntax, or in other words, the grammatical elements, such as verbs, adjectives and nouns, should follow a specific order in a clause or sentence. But this does not apply as strictly to idioms. The binomial idioms mentioned earlier are excellent examples of this.
What’s more, the structure of an idiom can vary between different regions that speak the same language. For example, in New York, people use the idiom ‘it’s mad brick’ to mean that it’s cold, but outside of New York, the phrase is not well known.
When are idioms used?
You can use idioms whenever you want to ‘spice up’ or ‘add a splash of colour’ to your communication, whether verbal or written. The purpose of idioms is to add more personality to your communication. Using idioms in language not only provides variety to a conversation or article, but is also great for adding emphasis.
For example, instead of saying to someone ‘that’s correct’, you could say ‘you hit the nail right on the head’, or ‘that’s spot on’ or ‘you’re dead wrong’.
Idioms are less formal than traditional speech, and are perfect for casual dialogue and informal chatting with friends, family and colleagues. However, if you want to come across as very formal and professional, you’d usually be better off steering away from idioms in favour of more traditional language with proper syntax, as mentioned earlier.
Collocation
Collocation is a subtype of idiom usage. Collocations are a combination of words that have a specific meaning. Examples include ‘fast food’ which refers to food that can be made quickly, and ‘pay attention’ which means ‘to give your attention’.
Idiom versus cliché
An idiom is a phrase where you cannot decipher the meaning simply by knowing the individual words included. A cliché is a phrase that has been so overused that it lacks any real impact. This means that a cliché can be an idiom, but an idiom isn’t always a cliché.
A typical example of a cliché would be telling someone that ‘there are plenty more fish in the sea’ following a relationship breaking up. Such a remark is not going to make anyone feel better in that scenario. This cliché is also a phrase, an idiom, and a metaphor.
Idiom versus euphemism
To reiterate, an idiom is a phrase that you cannot decipher just through the individual words included in the phrase, instead the phrase has to be interpreted as a whole. A euphemism is a type of idiom that’s used to discuss a sensitive or taboo topic in a polite or understated way.
People use euphemisms when they feel too uncomfortable to use more precise language. Euphemisms can include innuendos. An innuendo is an insinuating, indirect remark frequently associated with veiled sexual comments. However, it can also refer to something negative and degrading. Examples of euphemisms include ‘tomming’ instead of ‘cheating’, ‘big boned’ instead of ‘fat’, and ‘spin the truth’ instead of ‘lie’.
Idiom versus proverb
An idiom is a phrase where the meaning of the phrase can only be interpreted by the phrase as a whole, and the meaning cannot be derived from the individual words alone. A proverb is used to give advice to someone. Like idioms, the meaning of a proverb cannot always be deciphered by looking at the individual words alone, and you have to take the phrase as a whole.
For instance, a popular English proverb is ‘actions speak louder than words’. When someone says this, they are advising a person, or people, to act on something rather than merely talk about it.
What makes idioms so challenging for those learning English?
When learning a new language, it is typical for people to learn lists of vocabulary, such as colours, and the names of days and months and types of buildings or sports. However, in order to be able to use a language in the same way that a native would, you’d need to be able to understand whole phrases.
If someone learning English were to look up each individual word in an English sentence, they would usually be able to decipher most English sentences, like putting together a jigsaw. However, when it comes to idioms, this sort of decoding won’t work because idioms are phrases that bear no literal translation to the actual meaning of the phrase.
And to add insult to injury (which is another idiom which means ‘to make things worse’), there are no hard and fast (another idiom which means definite) rules when it comes to the syntax of idioms because they don’t always follow the traditional rules of English grammar.
Then there’s the issue of confusing idioms with the likes of clichés, proverbs and euphemisms, but hopefully by this part of the article, or by clicking on the links provided, you should now know where you are with that.
FAQ
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase that cannot be deciphered simply by knowing the meanings of the individual words included. It has to be taken as a whole.
Why do people use idioms?
People often use idioms in informal and casual dialogue. Whether they are chatting or writing an article, using an idiom can help to add variety, colour and personality to what is being said. Occasionally throwing in the odd idiom into a conversation or article can help prevent using the same words or phrases over and over, which can sometimes be seen as repetitive. Variety is always appreciated in conversation across many languages. Idioms can also be used to add precision and/or emphasis in conversation.
Final Word
So, to summarise, an idiom is basically a phrase that you cannot translate simply by looking at the individual words that make up the phrase because the meaning of the phrase is not literal. This makes them tricky for language learners. However people will surely continue to keep using idioms to make their speech or writing more interesting and varied.
So, if you want to be able to speak and write English like an expert, you would do well to learn some of the more common idioms to better improve your understanding of the language. You can learn much more about phrases and different types of phrases such as specific idioms by browsing the site. Any phrase you come across that you’re not sure of, simply type it in the search bar of our Phrase Finder and you’re sure to find an answer.