There are 25,000 idiomatic expressions in the English language. People from foreign lands who want to learn English must hear these idioms on television and in our every day speech and think, "What is that suppose to mean?" Was it an insult or a compliment? Does changing one word change the entire meaning? It is not a bad thing to have cultural history, but what if the English language were to transform itself into something more sophisticated where we said what we meant and there were less misunderstandings?
Let's start with a few of the obvious ones and then jump into how any English-speaking person might interpret these expressions.
"It's a piece of cake" generally means that something is easy. However, for someone who has never heard this expression, they might be inclined to think that what they are looking at is a literal piece of cake! Too obvious? How about another?
"It's raining cats and dogs!" Perhaps there is a foreign language equivalent to this, but why do we not say, "It's raining frogs and pigs"? Fish and mice? How is it that family pets can start falling from the sky, but no one questions it? At least, use some water-related species. It's raining sharks and octopuses, tuna and cod, or seaweed and sardines! It must have been when "someone let the cat out of the bag" that it started raining so hard...
Okay, to get back on track. How about when someone is feeling "under the weather"? Has anyone ever been above the weather? All of these idioms have their own personal historical meanings. Yet, their relevance is lost on today's youth. So, why do we continue to figuratively say what we mean?
Here are some other ways thay the English language can be so confusing! "One in the hand is worth two in the bush", "beating around the bush", "two birds with one stone", "bite the bullet", "dodge a bullet", "magic bullet", "sweat bullet", "silver bullet", and "get the bullet" all have very different meanings! What hope does someone wanting to learn our language have to keep these idioms straight?
Then, there are the expressions that can be interchanged, such as "sweating buckets" or "sweating bullets"; stop on a dime" or "stop dead". While "hold your tongue" and "cat got your tongue" are complete opposites! If you are trying to immerse yourself in the native language, you may be finding that there are many ways to say the same thing, yet none of these idiomatic methods actually infer any literal meaning in today's culture.
It turns out that the only literal way to say "try your best" would be to use words like aim, tackle, endeavour, seek, contend, essay, and the list goes on...However, none of these words can convey the true expression of "try your best". So, if you wanted to eliminate idioms from your life, the next time your kid has that big test or tryouts at school, you could simply say, "I hope you tackle that challenge ahead of you today." Rather than the usual encouraging slogan where we tell them to "do their level best".
We all know that technology allows us to search any idiom in any language to eliminate any confusion. Unfortunately, we cannot erase a history of words that were said to make sense at the time. Now, we hear the same expressions passed down from generation to generation, without adding value to our language or making it any easier to learn. Eventually, we could see the elimination of idioms in the English language. We are already being told to avoid them in professional situations. But, the question we must ask ourselves is this: Is the English language strong enough to survive without the use of idioms in our every day life, without losing the meaning with which we wish to express ourselves?
Other things to ponder...
Is it called a sweater because we sweat in it?
Slippers because we slip around in them?
Hoodies, because, if you wear one, you are from the 'hood?
Bar-B-Que because we have to line up to cook food?
Pineapples because they look like pinecones?
Are we naughty because we know NOT to behave that way?
Is a grape to a raisin as a plum is to a prune?
Is it Godzilla because he is a God or or was he created by God?
Why does a loonie have a loon on it but a toonie doesn't have a toon on it?
What's in a name, for a rose by any other name would still be a flower...?!
If you kick a football with your foot, do you kick a soccer ball with your sock?
Do you have to cook a cookie? What about edible cookie dough?
We're tomatoes invented by a man named Tom?
Do popsicles ever pop out of their mould?
What is the difference between jelly and jam?
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, unless the goose is obese...
Does a loaf just sit around all day?
Is it true about assumptions? That when you assume something, you...?
Close but not as close as a cigar!
The money shot is different than being big money.
Sugar and spice and something nice so salty and bland gives you something bad.
That steak was a MIStake!
According to Marshall Mathers, we stand at a window watching the people we love walk away. That's why they call it window pain.
A semi-detached house shares a wall but a house is just called a single dwelling. Why not just an attached and a detached home?
Why do eagles line to soar but birds just fly?
A picture is worth a thousand words; one in a million; a needle in a haystack; another day, another dollar.
A penny for your thoughts.
A showdown is a duel between two conflicting parties, but a showoff is someone who boasts about themself.
Half in the bag means you're drunk!
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush means, don't be greedy.
A rolling stone gathers no moss. I always thought this was no mass - like, if it keeps rolling, it won't stop to collect dust. But, it is moss, algae, pollen. Keep on rolling!
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