What are Idioms?

Iako naslov ne obećava mnogo lekcija koja slijedi mogla bi biti najzanimljivija do sada. Stoga, poslužimo se idiomatskim izrazom ‘hold your breath’ ili zadržite dah prije nego što odustanete.

An idiom is an expression whose meaning can not 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, memorising ten or twenty of them is just the tip of the iceberg (a small part of a much larger whole)…

Here are a few idioms in English with similar counterparts in Croatian. Some people are down-to-earth (sensible and practical) types, others have their head in the clouds most of the time (don’t care much about the “real” world). But when we fall in love, we are all in seventh heaven, on cloud nine or over the moon (extremely happy). Still, be careful with love – putting your cards on the table (being honest about something) may not always be the wisest thing to do. But then, a smart guy or girl will put two and two together (guess the truth about the situation) anyway. If your job is lousy and your partner impossible, it may be time to turn over a new leaf (start over again). And so on… there are many more similar idioms. For those less similar check the practice section, and for more of the same stuff, including idioms in a business context, don’t miss the next two lessons.

| English | Croatian |

|———|———-|

| platiti svatko za sebe | platiti svatko za sebe |

| okrenuti novu stranicu | okrenuti novu stranicu |

| praviti od muhe slona | praviti od muhe slona |

| na sedmom nebu, izvan sebe od sreće | na sedmom nebu, izvan sebe od sreće |

| dječja igra, mačji kašalj | dječja igra, mačji kašalj |

| imati glavu u oblacima | imati glavu u oblacima |

| stajati s obje noge na zemlji, biti realističan | stajati s obje noge na zemlji, biti realističan |

| jednom u sto godina | jednom u sto godina |

| koštati k’o svetog Petra kajgana | koštati k’o svetog Petra kajgana |

| staviti karte na stol | staviti karte na stol |

| kap koja je preliša času | kap koja je preliša času |

| vrh sante leda | vrh sante leda |

| nerazumljive besmislice | nerazumljive besmislice |

| u istoj kaši | u istoj kaši |

| pametnjaković | pametnjaković |

| (početi) od početka, od nule | (početi) od početka, od nule |

| zaljubljen do ušiju | zaljubljen do ušiju |

| zatran posom | zatran posom |

| zbrojiti dva i dva | zbrojiti dva i dva |

More Idioms for Wise Guys Complete the following idioms with the missing words. It may not be a piece of cake (very easy) though…

• blue, Dutch, arm, nutshell, mountain, scratch, under, straw, heels, boat

• in a _____ (in a few words)

• to go _____ (to share the bill in a cafe or restaurant)

• head over _____ in love (very much in love)

• the last _____ (the thing that finally makes you angry)

• in the same _____ (in the same situation)

• once in a _____ moon (almost never)

• to cost an _____ and a leg (be very expensive)

• to make a _____ out of a molehill (make a big problem out of a small problem)

• to be snowed _____ (have a lot of work to do)

• start from _____ (start right at the beginning)