What separates someone who is learning a language from someone who is fluent? It’s simple: understanding how to use idioms.
Every language has its own unique “flavour” – the words, jokes and turns of phrase that no one else uses and that can’t really be translated into any other language. These quirks also play a big part in the personalities of native speakers.
Take Italian, which is packed with wonderful food-related idioms to express all kinds of joys, problems and frustrations in life – and just can’t be translated literally into English.
In Italian, the beautiful word “abbiocco” describes that contented, sleepy feeling you get after a big meal. The closest phrase in English is “food coma”, as in “I ate an entire Domino’s Pizza to myself and spent the rest of the day in a food coma”.
Or the wonderful phrase “cavoli riscaldati”, which literally means “reheated cabbage”. In Italian, this means a relationship which you try to save even though it’s really time to throw it away, and that ends up being disappointedly like wilted cabbage warmed up in the microwave. To express the same idea, an English speaker might say “flogging a dead horse”, which literally means you are still hitting a horse to try and make it run, even though you know it’s already dead.
And then the Italians have the lovely phrase: “Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco” meaning “not all doughnuts come out with a hole.” The idea is that things might turn out the way you expected, but that doesn’t mean the result is bad, just different. Again, an English speaker might express the same idea with the popular idiom: “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”.
These idioms reflect the culture of the language they come from. As you can see, while in Italian you’re more likely to use phrases that are to do with enjoying food, English speakers are more likely to use idioms that often use disturbing images for comic effect. These idioms and metaphors often reflect the sense of humour you find in English-speaking countries, especially in Britain, which tends to be quite dark!
Using idioms that are unique to your culture is a big part of your identity, but the better appreciate how idioms are used in the English language, the better you’ll understand how English speakers think and talk to one another. The faster you begin to use these idioms correctly for yourself, the faster you’ll be able to have meaningful conversations and build friendships with native English speakers, too.
Here are some popular English language idioms to get you started:
Twisted my arm: This is a phrase that’s typically (although not always) used in a humorous way to say that someone has forced you to do something against your will. For example, if you say that you had better go home and your friend suggests that you have one more drink first, you would say “Oh, okay, you twisted my arm”.
Let the cat out of the bag: To reveal a secret or a piece of information that you would keep hidden. This is a very old expression that comes from the days when people would go to the market to buy a pig. Sometimes, a dishonest market seller would put a worthless cat in the bag instead. In modern times you might say something like “I told Julie I’d see her in the pub later. I think I let the cat out of the bag about her surprise party!
Stab someone in the back: To betray someone who trusted you in order to get something for yourself. For example, “He didn’t give me any credit for helping to win that contract. He really stabbed me in the back to get his promotion”.
Put all your eggs in one basket: This means that you put all your effort, money or resources in one place, so if it all goes wrong, you could lose everything. For example, “I can’t believe she sold her house to fund her new business. I told her not to put all her eggs in one basket!”
Beat around the bush: Avoiding talking about the most important thing, e.g. “Don’t beat around the bush. Just tell me if you like the idea or not”.
Barking up the wrong tree: Accusing the wrong person. E.g. “You’re barking up the wrong tree – I’m not the one that stole your sandwich from the fridge!”
What’s your favourite English idiom? Let us know in the comments section below!
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