Idioms in English Eve Tamela ICC-523 Midterm Project

This Lesson At the end of this lesson, you will be able to: describe what an idiom is in English; give the meanings of at least three commonly used English language idioms.

What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the separate words.

For example, to break the ice with someone does not mean to chop ice into pieces ! It means getting over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing.

Some Common Idioms Ants in his pants = Nervous excitement Kick the bucket = To die Let the cat out of the bag = To tell a secret See red = To become very angry Pulling a leg = To joke with someone Take the bull by the horns = To deal with a problem directly

When you take the bull by the horns, you deal with problems directly. Can you can guess the meaning of these common English idioms ? True False

Can you can guess the meaning of these common English idioms ? When you are very angry, you kick the bucket. True False

Can you can guess the meaning of these common English idioms ? When you let the cat out of the bag, you are able to keep secrets. True False

N When you take the bull by the horns, you like to deal directly with a problem.

When someone kicks the bucket that means they have died. N

When you let the cat out of the bag it means you cannot keep a secret. N

Great Job !!

Which idiom is it? Click on the idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. footloose and fancy free pulling my leg getting his feet wet My uncle was [joking around] when he said that he had won a large amount of money. landing on his feet No Yes No No

Which idiom is it? Click on the idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. a cold fish ants in his pants the world as his oyster No Yes a snail’s pace No No The little boy was sitting in the office with [nervous excitement].

Resources Using English website: ESL Resource Center website: Pictures courtesy of Fotosearch & Clip Art websites: The Idiom Connection website: