Idioms and Colours

U ovoj lekciji doznati sve o kiši, psima, mačkama, bojama i dijelovima tijela koje možemo naći u idiomatskim izrazima te o još ponečemu.

Idioms with colours are very common, and the good news is that some of them exist in Croatian as well as in English. This is especially true of the ones containing the word ‘green’. If you are green (without experience), it will be harder for you to get a green light (get a permission to start or continue with something) for a project you’ve been working on. Another idiom which we also find in Croatian is about being green with envy (very jealous of someone else’s good fortune). Black does not necessarily signify something negative; if you are in the black, for instance, you have enough money in your current account. But being a black sheep of the family is much less fun, at least for the family. If in the black means to have money, what would be the opposite? Think about the colour we associate with danger. Red – exactly! So, not to have money in the account is to be in the red. In the previous lesson, we mentioned red tape (complicated official procedures), something we have to deal with far too often in this country. A thief may get caught red-handed (caught in the middle of doing something wrong) while robbing a safe. Red herring is another useful idiom which describes an unimportant fact or idea introduced to take your attention away from the main subject. Still, there is a bright side to red, for example when you go out with your friends and paint the town red (have a great time).

This is yet another large group of idioms. In the previous lesson we were head over heels in love, so that has been covered. Eyes come next. If you and your friend see eye to eye, you agree on something completely. It is bad if your friend has a big mouth (tells your secrets to others), especially in the company of nosy people (always wanting to know other people’s business). A good friend should not be a pain in the neck (annoying). Sometimes even your best friend can be pulling your leg (joking, playing a trick on you), which can make you sulk or make a face (unpleasant expression). Let us move to the office for a second where an impatient boss is breathing down your neck (paying close attention to what you are doing in an annoying way) about that report, as if he can not see that you are up to your neck in work (very busy), doing the best you can. To end on a sweet note: If you peek into any pastry shop window, you may notice more women than men, as it seems that women more often than men have a sweet tooth (like sweet foods very much). And if you have a sweet tooth for idioms, remember that in the next lesson we will be dealing with idioms in the business context.