What is AN IDIOM?

It is a group of words with a special

meaning which is different from the
meanings of the separate words.

For example, to show a leg ,

regardless of what the separate words
might suggest means TO GET UP.
 TYPES OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

There are various types of IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS.

Some of them are based on:
 CLOTHES
 PAIRS OF WORDS
 WEATHER
 NUMBERS
 INSTRUMENTS
 NATIONALITIES
 COMPOUND
 NAMES
ADJECTIVES
 FOOD
 ALLITERATION
 COLOUR
 IRREGULAR VERBS
 PARTS OF THE BODY
 SIMILIES
 ANIMALS
 PREPOSITIONS
 PAIRS OF WORDS
e.g. safe and sound
(undamaged, safe)
sick and tired(enough of sth)
NATIONALITIES
e.g. to go Dutch (share the cost
of the meal, tickets etc)
Indian summer (the
period of warm weather
towards the end of the
summer or in the autumn)
NUMBERS
e.g. to have second thoughts
(to form an opinion after
reconsidering sth)
a four-letter word (a taboo
word)
NAMES
e.g. Jack of all trades (sb who
has an ability to do a lot of
different jobs)
every Tom, Dick or
Harry (everyone and
anyone, an ordinary person)
 FOOD
PARTS OF THE
BODY
e.g. a piece of cake (sth very
easy) e.g. to be two-faced (to be a
full of beans (full of life hypocrite)
and energy)
to see eye to eye with sb (to
agree)

COLOUR
e.g. out of the blue
(unexpectedly)
ANIMALS
to see red (to be extremely
e.g. a bookworm (sb who spends
angry)
plenty of time reading)
a rat-race (a competition for
success)
 CLOTHES INSTRUMENTS
e.g. a blue-collar worker (sb e.g. as fit as a fiddle (in perfect
who does hard, dirty work) health)
to pull one’s socks up
to blow one’s own
(to mobilise and improve
one’s work)
trumpet (to praise oneself)

WEATHER COMPOUND
ADJECTIVES
e.g. to feel under the
weather (to feel unwell) e.g. broad-minded (willing to
come rain or shine accept opinions of other people)
(always) single-handed (alone,
without anyone’s help)
ALLITERATION
( the repeated use of the same letter or sound)
SIMILES
e.g. wishy-washy (thin, watery (an expression which describes one
coffee, tea) thing by comparing it with
sing-song (a repeated rising another)
and falling of the voice in
speaking)
e.g. as drunk as a lord (very
IRREGULAR drunk)
VERBS as alike as two peas in a
e.g. to beat about the bush
(to avoid saying directly what pod (very alike)
one wants to say)
to make up one’s mind
(to take a decision) PREPOSITIONS
e.g. down the drain (wasted)
out of date (no longer in
use or fashion)
 PHRASAL VERBS,
COLLOCATIONS and
SAYINGS can also be classified
as IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS.
 EXAMPLES OF PHRASAL
VERBS
(groups of words which consist usually of a verb and
preposition):

 to get away with (avoid punishment)

 to look down on (to despise)
EXAMPLES OF COLLOCATIONS

(groups of words which naturally go together

through common use):

 a heavy smoker (sb who smokes a lot)

 peace of mind (freedom from troubling
thoughts)
 EXAMPLES OF SAYINGS
(well-known wise statements):

 The best things in life are free. (You can’t

buy the most precious things like freedom,
happiness, friendship etc)
 Life is no bed of roses. (There are problems in
life)