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The Fun of Learning Idioms

2023.06.12
Photo Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko @ Pexels.com

Idioms generally refer to conventionally used phrases whose meanings cannot easily be inferred from their literal meanings. More precisely, the Oxford Dictionary of English defines the word idiom as “a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.” Take a famous English idiom like “kick the bucket” as an example. To those who have never heard this phrase, it only means “to strike an open cylindrical container with the foot,” and none of them could guess that it also has a conventional meaning of “to die.” 

You may say learning idioms is just boring and troublesome because it is a matter of memorization. However, you will find it interesting to deepen your understanding of idioms by looking at the cultural ideas and customs behind them. Where do you think the conventional meaning of “kick the bucket” is derived from? The most common etymology would be that it comes from a scene where a person wishing to commit suicide stands on an upside-down bucket and kicks it to hang himself/herself. On the other hand, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, another etymology explains that “bucket” in this phrase is a homonym that refers to a beam: in the Norfolk dialect, a bucket means a beam that was used to suspend a slaughtered pig by its heels. Another characteristic of idioms is that they often involve metaphors. For example, the expression “have butterflies in one’s stomach,” which denotes uneasy or nervous feelings, gives us a vivid image of fluttering sensations as if real butterflies were flying inside the stomach. Also, “a hot potato” refers to a controversial issue or question that nobody is willing to treat, like people avoiding touching a piping hot potato. 

Interestingly, some English idioms have their analogs in Japanese though their components don’t necessarily correspond with each other. Typical examples include “bite one’s lip (kuchibiru wo kamu)” and “pull the strings (ura de ito wo hiku).” Let’s look closely at another example such as “give someone the cold shoulder.” Apart from its literal meaning, it conventionally means “to ignore or behave unfriendly to someone.” According to the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms and many other English dictionaries, this idiom comes from the idea that serving a visitor a cold roast shoulder of meat represents inhospitality. Although this origin lies in European culture, it also seems convincing to many Japanese speakers because Japanese culture also has a similar idea: remember that the Japanese idiom “hiyameshi wo kuwaseru,” which literally means “to let someone eat cold cooked rice,” has almost the same meaning as “give someone the cold shoulder.” 

Below is a list of other interesting English idioms. Can you explain all of their meanings? If not, look them up in dictionaries. Once you find that conventional meanings of idioms have not arbitrarily been established, you can no longer say learning idioms is just a boring part of English study. 

put oneself in someone’s shoes 
get into a stew 
carry a torch for someone 
let the cat out of the bag 
rain cats and dogs 
take the bull by the horns 
when pigs fly 
water under the bridge 
on the ball 
not rocket science



Questions:

1. According to the writer, the origin of the English idiom “kick the bucket” is already identified. True or False? 

2. According to the writer, a Japanese analog to the English idiom “give someone the shoulder” is_______________. 
A. kata no chikara wo nuku 
B. hiyameshi wo kuwaseru 
C. te wo kasu 

3. The conventional meaning of the English idiom “let the cat out of the bag” is_______________. 


Scroll down ↓ for the answers











Answers:

1. False
2. B
3. reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake 

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