Idiom or idiomatic expressions are Greek in origin.

The word idiom means ―a private

citizen, something belonging to a private citizen, personal, and, by extension, something
individual and peculiar.

There are many idiomatic expressions in our language.

One is that several words are combined which lose their literal meaning and express something
very remotely suggested such as;

birds of a feather bed of roses,

blacklist dark horse,
lay up heavy hand
toe the line open house
make out no ax to grind
read between the lines hard row to hoe.

A second statement about idioms is that parts of the human body have suggested many of
them:

burn one‘s fingers step on someone‘s toes

all thumbs rub elbows with
fly in the face of get one‘s back up
stand on one‘s own feet keep one‘s chin up
keep body and soul together keep one‘s eyes open

A third generalization is that hundreds of idiomatic phrases contain adverbs or prepositions with
other parts of speech. Here are some examples:

walk off walk over

walk-up run down
run in run off run out
get nowhere get through
get off

agree to a proposal contend for a principle

on a plan with a person
with a person against an obstacle

Usage should conform to the idiomatic word combinations that are generally acceptable.
Examples of Idiomatic expressions are : accord with ,according to , acquaint with ,adverse to ,
and aim to prove.
Activity 26: WORKING WITH IDIOMS

Directions: Choose the appropriate idiomatic expressions to be used in the following

sentences. Write a piece of cake, odds and ends, pros and cons or ups and down in the blanks
provided.

1. The teacher asked us to talk about the ___________ of industrial development.

2. Do not worry about the problems you have in your business .You know there are always
___________ in business.
3. The police found nothing special in the house of the criminal as he had taken all the
important documents with him leaving just _____________.
4. If you think that doing this math problem is __________, just try it.

Directions: Choose the appropriate word to complete the meaning of the idiom. Write ocean,
music, rags, cold and pie in the blanks provided.

1. All these promises the politicians make are just ____ in the sky.
2. The small amount of money donated is just a drop in the _____ compared to the large sum of
money needed.
3. He has been successful in life. He went from ____ to riches.
4. They had a dispute yesterday. That‗s why she gave him a ___ shoulder.
5. I had to face the ____ all by myself, although I was not the only responsible for the problem.