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What is an Idiom?


An idiom is a phrase or expression, which has a figurative meaning, rather than a literal meaning.


The difference between Literal and Figurative Meanings


A literal meaning is exactly what the phrase says.

A figurative meaning is not intended to be taken literally. It is a figure of speech.

Let's look at an example:


Spill the Tea


The literal meaning of this phrase is to spill tea.

Imagine mum made a cup of tea and said, ''I'll walk slowly, so I don't spill the tea.''

In this case, she would be referring to it's literal meaning - the exact words she said.

The idiom 'Spill the tea' means to share news, tell a secret or reveal information.

Imagine two friends met up for a drink and one said to the other, ''Spill the tea!"

In this case, they would be referring to the figurative meaning and asking their friend to share their news.


10 more Idioms and their Meanings.


Idiom: A heart of gold
Meaning: A pure heart that is kind.
Sentence: Jack is helpful and has a heart of gold.

Idiom: Silver lining (sometimes said as 'Every cloud has a silver lining')
Meaning: Something positive to come out of a challenging situation, or a situation that didn't go as planned.
Sentence: I missed the train, but the silver lining was I ran into Fred.

Idiom: Get the ball rolling
Meaning: To begin an activity.
Sentence: Our group met up, to get the ball rolling on our art project.

Idiom: A piece of cake
Meaning: Something easy.
Sentence: I finished the puzzle quickly because it was a piece of cake.

Idiom: Break the ice
Meaning: To create a more relaxed environment at the start of an event.
Sentence: We played a name game at the start of the party to break the ice.

Idiom: Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait
Sentence: I know you are keen to go but hold your horses, I'll be ready soon.

Idiom: In the same boat
Meaning: In the same situation
Sentence: We're all learning Italian for the first time, so we're in the same boat.

Idiom: Raining cats and dogs
Meaning: Raining heavily.
Sentences: The grass is soaking because it's raining cats and dogs.

Idiom: Under the weather
Meaning: To feel unwell.
Sentence: The piano teacher won't be in, as she is under the weather.

Idiom: Crack up / Crack me up / Crack you up
Meaning: to laugh
Sentences: Every time Jim laughs, I crack up. Jim cracks me up.
This comedian is so funny. He'll crack you up.


Our favourite book for teaching idioms is More Parts by Tedd Arnold. More parts is a fun, rhyming story, loaded with idioms.

The sequel Even More Parts, by Tedd Arnold, is also packed with idioms.

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