An idiom (Latin: idioma, "special property", from Greek:
δίωμα – idíōma, "special feature, special phrasing, a
peculiarity", f. Greek: διος – ídios, "one’s own") is a
phrase or a fixed expression that has a figurative, or
sometimes literal, meaning. An idiom's figurative meaning is
different from the literal meaning. There are thousands of
idioms, and they occur frequently in all languages. It is
estimated that there are at least twenty-five thousand
idiomatic expressions in the English language.
The following sentences contain
idioms. The fixed words constituting the idiom in each case
are bolded:
1. She is pulling my
leg. - to pull someone's leg means to trick
them by telling them something untrue.
2. When will you drop them a
line? - to drop someone a line
means to send a note to or call someone.
3. You should keep an eye out for
that. - to keep an eye out for something means to maintain
awareness of it so that you notice it as it occurs.
4. I can't keep my
head above water. - to keep one's head above
water means to manage a situation.
5. It's raining cats and dogs. -
to rain cats and dogs means to rain very heavily (a
downpour).
6. Oh no! You spilled the beans! -
to spill the beans means to let out a secret.
7. Why are you feeling blue? - to
feel blue means to feel sad.
8. That jacket costs an arm and a leg.
– an arm and a leg means something is very expensive.
9. It is not rocket science. – not
rocket science means something is not difficult.
10. Put a cork in it. - put a cork
in it is an impolite way to say, "shut up!" (another idiom),
be quiet, and stop talking.
11. I'm screwed . - to be screwed
means that one is doomed, is in big trouble, or has really
messed up. -
Wikipedia
