WHAT ARE IDIOMS?

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WHAT ARE IDIOMS?
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MIAMI-DADE COMMUNITY COLLEGEESL, AND FOREIGN
LANGUAGES DEPT.

• PREPARED BY
• JAMIL ISTIFAN

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DEFINITION

• IDIOMS ARE IN EVERY LANGUAGE.
• NO LITERAL MEANING.
• WE INFER THE MEANING FROM THE CONTEXT.
• AN IDIOM COULD BE A WORD OR A PHRASE.
• IDIOMS SPARK YOUR WRITING

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WHERE THE IDIOM COMES FROM?

• DIFFERENT SOURCES.
• ANCIENT FABLES.
• AMERICAN CUSTOMS
• COLLOQUIAL SPEECH, SLANG.
• PROVERBS AND FOLKSY SAYING

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CLICHÉ

• AN OVERUSED EXPRESSION IS CALLED CLICHÉ.
• IN ACADEMIC WRITING, WE TRY TO AVOID CLICHÉ.
• STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE CREATIVE.

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THE MOST POPULAR IDIOMS

• SPAM, FISHY, ALL EARS, BANDWAGON
• TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, MONKEY BUSINESS
• CROCODILE TEARS
• PIECE OF CAKE
• DUTCH TREAT
• TO BARK UP THE WRONG TREE
• ONE ROTTEN APPLE SPOILS THE BARREL

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MORE IDIOMS

• HIT THE ROAD, KNOCK ON WOOD
• ONCE IN THE BLUE MOON
• GIVE ME 5, TWO-FACED
• ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE
• BUGG OFF, BUGGING ME
• CEST LA VIE, PLAYING WITH FIRE
• EYE FOR AN EYE AND TOOTH FOR A TOOTH