Chapter Four English Idioms
Chapter Four English Idioms
4.1 Introduction
Idioms, broadly defined, which include allusions, maxims,
metaphorical phrases, slang, colloquialisms, Siamese twins and
proverbs sayings, etc., are inalienable important component of
languages. They are the quintessence in the languages, human
crystallization of intelligence to spread concise languages. They
are certain regular statements (expressions) that take shapes in
the course of using with special meanings which are different from
the meanings of the individual words that form them. So they are
often hard to understand and hard to use. Their proper use in a
language marks ones command of the language. Idioms also contain
abundant cultural and historical information, which reflects
national economic life and prospects national culture psychology,
modes of thinking. So rendering idioms of one language into another
is always complex.
4.2 Origin
Idioms are long standing and well established. They are mainly
from six aspects: (1) from folks (Dont put all ones eggs in one
basket.); (2) from works, such as the Bible (to wash ones hands of,
Judas kiss), Shakespeares works (Coward die many times before their
death. Hamlet, paint the lily, green-eyed monster), Arabian Nights
Entertainments (open sesame) and other famous works; (3) from
Aesops Fables (lions share, sour grapes, to bell the cat, to kill
the goose to get the eggs. God help those who help themselves); (4)
from mythology or legend (Promethean fire, Pandoras box, the touch
of Midas, an apple of discord, Achilles heel); (5) from historical
events (the fifth column, meet ones Waterloo); and even (6) from
other countries (Love me, love my dog. No one can call back
yesterday.), etc..1. Strike while the iron is hot.
2. Many hands make light work.
3. Haste makes waste.
More haste, less speed.
4. Out of sight, out of mind.
5. Birds of a feather flock together.
6. Look before you leap.
7. Two heads are better than one.
8. To carry coals to Newcastle
9. Jack of all trades and master of none
Jack of all trades
10. Know something of everything and everything of
something.
11. If you run after two hares, you will catch neither. To run
after two hares
12. Its no use crying over spilt milk
To cry over spilt milk
13. When the cats away, the mice will play. When the cats
away
14. A stitch in time saves nine.
The stitch in time
15. Where theres smoke, theres fire.
There is no smoke without fire.
16. Where theres will theres a way.
17. Give a person a dose of his own medicine.
18. All good things must come to an end.
19. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
20. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
21. You cant have your cake and eat it too.
22. Let sleeping dogs lie.
23. You cant teach an old dog new tricks.
24. It took two to make a quarrel.
25. A miss is as good as a mile./
26. Gilding the lily
27. Life begins at forty.
28. Better late than never
29. Whats done cannot be undone.
Whats done is done.
30. Make hay while the sun shines.
31. A soft answer turns away wrath.
32. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
33. Cowards die many times before their death.
34. Dont count your chickens before they are hatched.
35. Love me, love my dog.
36. Dead dogs bite not.
37. No one can call back yesterday.
38. He who has not tasted bitter knows not what sweet is.
39. Life is short and time is swift.
40. Life is long if it is full.
41. All is not gold that glitters (glisters) .
42. A tree is known by its fruit. /
43. History repeats itself.
44. The truth is always green
45. The truth will out.
46. All roads lead to Rome.
47. Rome wasnt built in a day.
48. As you sow, so shall you reap.
49. Dont put the cart before the horse.
50. Every dog has his (its) day.
51. Necessity is the mother of invention.
52. He laughs best who laughs last. ,
53. Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind
to it.
54. Lost time is never found again.
55. Now for it!
56. Now or never!
57. Time and tide wait for no man.
58. There is no time like the present.
59. Time cures all things.
60. Time flies
61. Better to ask the way than go astray.
62. Better to do well than to say well.
63. Facts speak louder than words.
Actions speak louder than words
64. Few words and many deeds.
65. Self-help is the best help.
God helps those who help themselves.
66. Like father, like son.
67. Like teacher, like pupil.
68. One mans meat is another mans poison.
69. Like will draw like.
Great minds think alike.
70. Homer sometimes nods.
71. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (wood).
72. If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
73. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is a new day.
74. Dont cross the bridge before (until) you come to it.
Dont cross the bridge till you get to it.
Dont cross your bridge before you come (get) to it.
75. A little learning is a dangerous thing.
A little knowledge is dangerous.
76. He that travels far knows much.
77. Knowledge is power.
78. Live and learn.
79. One is never too old to learn. It is never too late to
learn.
80. There is no end to learning.
81. No news, good news. No news is good news.
82. Seeing is believing
To see is to believe.
83. A good beginning is half done.
A good beginning is half the battle.
The first step is as good as half over.
Well begun is half done (ended).
84. A thousand mile trip begins with one step
The longest journey starts with a single step.
85. The first step is the only difficulty.
86. Diligence is the mother of good luck (fortune).
87. Diligence is the mother (parent) of success.
88. The early bird catches (gets) the worm.
89. A good anvil does not fear hammer.
90. Dont teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
To teach a fish how to swim
91. Nothing venture, nothing have (gain, win).
Nothing ventured, nothing gained .
92. A good medicine tastes bitter.
93. You can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him
drink.
94. One cant please everybody.
95. Who will bell the cat?
96. The grapes are sour.
97. Let bygones be bygones.
98. Nature will out.
99. Unity is strength.
100. Diamond cut diamond.
101. Tit for tat
Eye for eye tooth for tooth
102. One tree does not make a forest.
103. Tall trees catch much wind.
104. To fight to the last man
105. To break the record
106. Under ones nose 107. Armed to the teeth
108. Packed like sardines
109. Sour grapes
110. A die-hard
111. A gentlemans agreement
112. An olive branch
113. The Trojan horse
114. The heel of Achilles
115. The sword of Damocles
116. The open-door policy
117. The most-favored-nation clause
118. The position-of-strength policy
119. Shuttle diplomacy
120. The cold war
121. The hot war
122. A cat has nine lives
123. Blood is thicker than water
124. Barking dogs do not bite
125. A rolling stone gathers no moss
126. To praise to the skies
127. To fish in troubled waters
128. To add fuel to the fire
129. To be on thin ice
130. Walls have ears
131. A drop in the ocean
132. To laugh off ones head
133. To shed crocodile tears
134. To be out at elbows
135. To spend money like water
136. At sixes and sevens
137. Six of one and half a dozen of the other
138. Tweedledee and tweedledum
139. One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no
boy
140. A wet blanket
141. Like a fish out of water
142. Cats-paws
143. To break the ice
144. Born with a silver spoon in ones mouth
145. The die is cast
146. To take French leave
147. A stony heart
148. At ones fingertips
149. To have a hand like a foot
150. As mute as a fish
151. To return good for evil
152. To shut ones eyes against
153. To talk black into white
154. To turn a deaf ear to
155. Practice makes perfect
156. To face the music
157. Plain sailing
158. To be dead drunk
159. Laugh and grow fat
160. To fly into a rage
161. To look for a needle in a haystack
162. A leap in the dark
163. To show ones colours
164. To make a noise in the world
165. To pick holes in
166. To mind ones Ps and Qs pint quart
167. To be at the end of ones rope
168. To flog a dead horse
169. To turn over a new leaf
170. To put all ones eggs in one basket
171. as old as the hills
172. as timid as a hare
173. as cool as a cucumber
174. to fish in the air
175. as bitter as wormwood
176. goose-flesh
177. as light as a feather
178. as red as rose
179. ass in the lions skin
180. The onlooker sees most of the game.
181. Neither fish, nor flesh, nor fowl
182. Neither fish nor flesh.
183. to take a load off ones mind
184. as weak as water
185. in the twinkle of an eye
186. a stream of tears
187. a rat in hole
188. to hold ones head high
189. to touch one on the raw
190. to take wings to itself
191. to make mountains out of molehills
192. a square peg in a round hole
193. as cold as a marble
194. to have a card up ones sleeve
195. armchair strategy
196. to speak to the wind
197. Two of a trade can never agree
198. without a penny to ones name
199. Patience wears out stones.
200. Pride goes before a fall.
201. Facts speak louder than words.
202. One swallow doesnt make a summer.
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