While idioms are more commonly used in America, idioms are also often used in the English language on TV shows, movies, written literature and other media.įamiliarizing yourself with the meaning behind common idioms is important as idioms don’t often make literal sense. Instead, ‘piece of cake’ is a figurative expression for saying that something is easy to do. To put it simply, idioms mean something different than the words do individually.įor example, the phrase: “writing an idiom is a piece of cake” does not mean that writing an idiom is a literal ‘piece of cake’ that you can eat. Idioms are often put into the class of figurative language, which is when words are used in an imaginative or unusual manner. Main Article Photo: Official U.S.An idiom is a group of words that are used as a common expression whose meaning is not easily deduced from the literal words within. If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: “As Mad As A Hatter”, “Break A Leg” And 3 More Expressions With Crazy Origins When negotiating peace, Native Americans would literally bury all their weapons (hatches, knives, tomahawks, clubs) to make them inaccessible and convince their enemy of their good will. This phrase dates back to an era when Native Americans were in conflict with Puritans. “To end the conflict and make peace, settle your differences” 1. Bury the hatchet Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Sometimes, this ‘something’ was a bullet covered in clothes, hence the expression “bite the bullet”. “Accept and have the strength to face something difficult or inevitable”īack in the old days, when doctors didn’t have effective anaesthetics to give to soldiers during a battle, they would give them something to bite down in order to help them endure the pain. Bite the bullet Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division The expression started gaining popularity after a 1961 newspaper headline that read “Boston goes the whole nine yards” that was used to report the accomplishment of American athlete Ralph Boston who broke the long jump record of 27 feet 1/2 inch (8.24 m).Ģ. Despite being in existence since at least 1907, it seems that it wasn’t widely used before 1961. Even though there are a lot of proposed origins for this idiom, none of the theories is backed up with evidence.
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