A common figure of speech often uses an inanimate object to give a figurative instead of a literal meaning.
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| Cartoon by Ella Baron in the Times Literary Supplement on Twitter. |
Did you know? Figures of speech in the picture above:
1. Put all eggs in one basket = Having all of your resources in one place; putting your money or hopes or future into one thing
2. Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve = display one’s emotions openly
3. An ace up one’s sleeve = a surprise or secret advantage, especially something tricky that is kept hidden until needed.
4. The joker in the pack= If you describe someone or something as the joker in the pack, you mean that they are different from the other people or things in their group, and can be unpredictable.
5. Don’t trust one’s own shadow= not believe or trust people easily
6. Coming out of one’s ears= (figurative) very numerous or abundant. (As if people or things were coming in great numbers from many sources including unlikely ones.)
7. Spill the beans= reveal the secret
8. Red herring= A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion.
9. Big cheese= the most important person
10. Time flies= time passes quickly
11. Piece of cake =very easy to be done
12. Can’t make an omelet without breaking an egg= If you say you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, you mean that it is impossible to achieve something important without there being some bad effects. Note: `Omelette’ is usually spelled `omelet’ in American English.
13. Like a cat chasing its tail= chase (one’s) tailTo take action that is ineffectual and does not lead to progress. Refers to how a dog or a cat can exhaust itself by chasing its own tail.
14. Tie the knot= to get married
15. To be born with a silver spoon in your mouth or born with a silver spoon in your mouth= If you think that someone has a lot of advantages because they have a rich or influential family, you can say that they have been born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
16 Bird’s eye view= a view from a high angle as if seen by a bird in flight or an overall or cursory look at something
17 A stitch in time saves nine= if you sort out a problem immediately, it may save extra work later
18 Tough nut to crack (plural tough nuts to crack) = A problem that is challenging to solve. (idiomatic, by extension) A situation, person, group, etc. which is difficult to deal with. (idiomatic) A place, opportunity, etc. to which it is difficult to gain entry. An amount that is difficult to finance.
19 Ride one’s coattails= To benefit from someone else’s success; to use someone else’s success as a means to achieve one’s own.
20 Get cold feet= hesitate or have second thoughts about sth
21 Sth is full of holes= Unsound or flawed; having many faults that do not stand up to scrutiny or criticism. Alludes to a leaky, porous vessel—hence the related expression,”doesn’t hold water.” Also: If an argument, theory or plan has more holes than Swiss cheese, it has very many faults and problems.
22 The cherry on the cake= A desirable feature perceived as the finishing touch to something that is already inviting or worth having. Related Idioms : a bite at the cherry. an attempt or chance to do something.
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| Taken from here. |
23 Kick the bucket = to die, pass away
24 Hit the nail on the head= do or say something that is precisely right
25 Cat got one’s tongue= Used when someone has nothing to say.
26 An earworm= (informal) a song that you keep hearing in your head
27 Pull your socks up = If someone tells you to pull your socks up, they want you to improve your behaviour or work.
Now visit these websites to find out about the surprising origin of most of these idioms. Then, use this information to write as many example sentences as possible in the comments below.
The Idioms – Largest Idioms Dictionary
