Archive for the 'Idioms' Category

Over the time I have been writing on this blog I have written a series of articles about idioms. Idioms are those colourful expressions we use liberally in our speaking and writing, but if taken literally they become rather silly.
For a longer discussion on idioms, read my article called What is an idiom?
To read […]

This week’s idiom: As free as a bird.
Most birds are free to go where they please. Unless they are in a cage or aviary, in which case they are not as free as a bird.
Meaning:
If someone is said to “be as free as a bird” they are able to go wherever they please without any […]

It has been a long time since my last article about idioms. It is time to get back on track, to let the cat out of the bag and to turn over a new leaf before my readers think I’ve abandoned them with egg on their faces and that I’ve cooked my own goose.
In earlier […]

This week’s idiom: ‘An ugly duckling.’
Meaning:
An awkward, ungainly, unattractive child who develops into a graceful, beautiful adult is said to be an ugly duckling.
Origins:
The expression comes from the Hans Christian Andersen story called The Ugly Duckling. It was first published in 1843 and is widely regarded as a classic children’s story.
A mother duck hatches her […]

This week’s idiom: “A sitting duck.”
Meaning:
Someone or something that is ‘a sitting duck’ is an easy to hit target. Someone who is a ’sitting duck’ is open to an easy physical or verbal attack.
Origin:
This expression quite obviously comes from hunters, and duck shooters in particular. A sitting duck, on merely bobbing on the surface of […]