Idioms and idiomatic expressions in English


Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be taken literally. In other words, when used in everyday language, they have a meaning other than the basic one you would find in the dictionary. Every language has its own idioms. Learning them makes understanding and using a language a lot easier and more fun!


Here are some examples: “break a leg” is a common idiom which means do your


best and do well. ‘To rain cats and dogs’ means to rain heavily and not a situation where cats and dogs are fal- ling from the sky. ‘Over the moon’ means extremely happy. ‘To sit on the fence’ can literally mean that one is sitting on a fence. However, its idiomatic meaning is that one is not making a clear choice regarding some issue. Similarly ‘be the apple of someone's eye’ means be some- one's favorite person.


The origins of the word 'Idiom' The origins and meanings of the word "idioms" are from the Latin word 'idioma' meaning individual peculiarity of language and the Greek words 'idiousthai (to make your own) and idios' dictionary meaning own, personal, pri- vate.


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