An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be guessed from the literal definition or the meaning of its individual words, but has a figurative meaning that is known only through common use, which is sometimes difficult to understand. If someone says, for instance, that there is too much red tape, how are we to know that it means there is too much bureaucracy? To many, they are just mumbo-jumbo (nonsense; not easily understood). There are many thousands of idioms in English. Sometimes the same or similar idioms can be found in many other European languages. Who was the first to think of them and how did they cross the borders? That is an interesting question but, leaving sociolinguistics aside, let us take a closer look at some much used idiomatic expressions. Of course, memorizing ten or twenty of them is just the tip of the iceberg (a small part of a much larger whole).
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I’m afraid you are still green (without experience).
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I am still waiting for the green light (a permission to start or continue) for my project.
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She is green with envy (very jealous).
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This the first time I’m in the black (I have money in my account).
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Be careful, you may get caught red-handed (caught in the middle of doing something wrong).
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He is head over heels in love (very much in love).
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A good friend should not be a pain in the neck (annoying).
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Sometimes even your best friend can be pulling your leg (joking, playing a trick on you).
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My boss is always breathing down my neck (pays close attention to what I’m doing in an annoying way).
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I have a sweet tooth (like sweet foods very much).
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Match the idioms in column A with their definition in column B.
| | a. a piece of cake | b. once in a blue moon | c. down-to-earth | d. to go Dutch | e. in the same boat |
