Idioms
If you say, "the cat's out of the bag" instead of "The secret is given away," you're using an idiom. the meaning of an idiom is different from the actual meaning of the words. Here are some popular idioms.
On cloud nine. This idiom comes from the National Weather Bureau, which ranks clouds according to their heights. Since the highest ranking for a cloud is nine, people on cloud nine couldn't feel happier.
Dot the i's and cross the t's. Before typrewriters and computers were invented, people hand wrote letters and other documents. It was important to write carefully, especially letters like i and t, which were easy to confuse. the idiom has come to mean to pay attention to details.
Saved by the bell. In 17th-century England, a guard at Windsor Castle was accused of falling asleep at his post. He proved that he was wrongly accused by saying he had heard the church bell chime 13 times at midnight. Townspeople supported this claim and he was not executed. The idiom means rescued at the last possible moment.
Bury the hatchet. Native Americans used to bury weapons to show that fighting had ended and enemies were at peace. Today, the idiom means to make up with someone after an argument or a fight.
A close shave. Barbers once used straight-edge razors to shave customers. Too close a shave could mean a cut or worse. Now, a close shave is a narrow escape from disaster.
Shed crocodile tears. Crocodiles have a reflex that makes their eyes tear when they open their mouths. So it looks like they are crying while devouring their prey. In fact, neither crocodiles nor people who shed "crocodile" tears feel sad.
If you say, "the cat's out of the bag" instead of "The secret is given away," you're using an idiom. the meaning of an idiom is different from the actual meaning of the words. Here are some popular idioms.
On cloud nine. This idiom comes from the National Weather Bureau, which ranks clouds according to their heights. Since the highest ranking for a cloud is nine, people on cloud nine couldn't feel happier.
Dot the i's and cross the t's. Before typrewriters and computers were invented, people hand wrote letters and other documents. It was important to write carefully, especially letters like i and t, which were easy to confuse. the idiom has come to mean to pay attention to details.
Saved by the bell. In 17th-century England, a guard at Windsor Castle was accused of falling asleep at his post. He proved that he was wrongly accused by saying he had heard the church bell chime 13 times at midnight. Townspeople supported this claim and he was not executed. The idiom means rescued at the last possible moment.
Bury the hatchet. Native Americans used to bury weapons to show that fighting had ended and enemies were at peace. Today, the idiom means to make up with someone after an argument or a fight.
A close shave. Barbers once used straight-edge razors to shave customers. Too close a shave could mean a cut or worse. Now, a close shave is a narrow escape from disaster.
Shed crocodile tears. Crocodiles have a reflex that makes their eyes tear when they open their mouths. So it looks like they are crying while devouring their prey. In fact, neither crocodiles nor people who shed "crocodile" tears feel sad.
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