Have you ever heard of such word as ‘’idiom’’ where the last letter is not ‘’t”? J If yes , — you are lucky, if no, — in this article we are going to have a closer look at at and spot the importance as well as magic features of what we all call an “idiom”.
What is it?To start off with “idioms” are set words, phrases or expressions which are in most cases hard to be translated directly into Russian or Ukrainian languages. Therefore, one has to remember them as they are and use appropriately in certain situations.
Why to use it? Generally speaking, idioms are not mandatory to use in every context, however they add a kind of sophisticated and interesting hue to your speech.
If you can put an idiom into proper context, it will definitely enrich its meaning, showing a higher level of your language. Compare these two sentences and try to find where the idiom is:
- He visits his parents very seldom.
- He visits his parents once in a blue moon.
The answer is — #2 has got an idiom. Sounds unusual? As matter of fact “once in a blue moon” is one of many idioms related to time and means “very seldom, occasionally.” Take a look at some other examples which you can use speaking about time:
- When pig fly- sth. that will never happen
- Time heals all wounds – means that all the grief and sorrow will leave us as time passes by
- Kill time – means to do sth. that is not really interesting to pass time
- A whale of time – to have a great time/fun
However, you have to be watchful about idiom usage writing formal letters or e-mails, giving speech in the format of not colloquial style, as such sorts of utterance are obligatory to be written in a strictly organised way. By and large idioms make your thoughts and ideas more vivid and jazzed up; one of my favourites fall into category of “colour”.
- E.g. Last night we painted the town red – means that we had a great time yesterday;
- Kids were caught red-handed stealing candies from the plate. – doing sth. wrong/illegal;
- The sun appeared out of the blue after such a long-lasting rain. – unexpectedly;
- I passed my exam with flying colous. – with distinction.
So don’t waste your precious time and take the golden opportunity to learn new idioms. Good luck!
