1. (1) Colloquialisms (informal)
9.3 Use of Idioms
1.Stylistic Features
(1) Colloquialisms (informal)
He is the wrong man for the job, for he is always trying
to make waves. (create a disturbance, a sensation)
Let’s not get into big city politics------that’s a different
can of worms. (a complex problem, or complicated
situation)

2. (2) Slang (informal)
Don‘t have a cow! I’ll pay for the damages.
别大惊小怪的！我会赔偿损失的。
What he has just said is completely over my head.
他刚才说的我完全不懂.
I blew it on that last exam.
我上次考试考砸了。

3. (3) Literary Expressions (formal)
Strange things come to pass in troubled times.
(take place, happen)
The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had
been at home during the robbery.
(call somebody a liar)

4. The same idiom may show stylistic differences when it is assigned different meanings.
screw up
a. make sb nervous, tense
Going to the dentist never seems to bother my wife, but I
get terribly screwed up at the mere thought. (Informal)
b. mishandle, mess up
We should never have left the arrangements to Smithers.
He screwed the whole thing up from start to finish. (Slang)
c. make into a tight ball in the hands
With an impatient exclamation Peter screwed up the
second draft of his letter. (Neutral)

5. 2. Rhetorical features
1) Phonetic Manipulation
a. Alliteration
black and blue遍体鳞伤
toss and turn辗转反侧
deaf and dumb又聋又哑
rant and rave大谈特谈
b. Rhyme
bear and forbear一忍再忍
near and dear亲近的
toil and moil辛苦的工作

6. 2) Lexical Manipulation
a. Reiteration (duplication of synonyms)
并列关系
hue and cry 叫喊
part and parcel 部分
scream and shout 大喊大叫
b. Repetition 重复关系
by and by 不久,渐渐地
again and again 再三地,反复地
out and out 十足的,彻底的
c. Juxtaposition 对立关系
pro and con 正反两方面
back and forth 前后来回
here and there 到处

7. 3) Semantic Manipulation
a. Simile
drink like a fish牛饮
sleep like a log 睡的熟
as timid as a rabbit 胆小如鼠
as cunning as a fox 狡猾
b. Metaphor
dark horse
a flat tire
black bottle
c. Metonymy
from cradle to grave
live by one’s pen

8. d. Synecdoche
earn one’s bread
two heads are better than one
e. Personification
Actions speak louder than words.
f. Euphemism
answer the call of nature
powder one’s nose

9. 3. Variations of Idioms
1) Replacement
a. Verbs
take/lose heart
catch/seize hold of
b. Nouns
a drop in the ocean/bucket
c. Adjectives
by all/no means
d. Adverbs or prepositions
drop in/by
turn on/off
e. Articles, pronouns, numerals
in a/some sort
talk thirteen/nineteen to the dozen
lay a/one’s course

10. 2) Addition or deletion
(for) all night
from (the bottom of) one’s heart
3) Position shifting
day and night=night and day
young and old=old and young

11. 4) Shortening
Jack of all trades=Jack of all trades but master
of none
5) Dismembering
‘The leopard! But he did change them.’
‘He did not, he had no spots to change.’
The leopard never changes his spots.
江山易改,本性难移
6) Parody 仿化
A friend in need is a friend to be avoided.
Not so loud, you fool-----people have ears.

12. Thank you!