What’s an idiom? This article will give you examples of idioms and teach you how to use them. Read on for information on the meaning of idioms.

What is an idiom? You probably use idioms every day and don’t even know it! In this article, you’ll familiarize yourself with all kinds of idioms.

First, we’ll start with the definition and origin of the word idiom. Then, you’ll learn about examples of idioms and translations of idioms. So, keep reading to learn all about idioms!

What Does Idiom Mean?

According to Dictionary, an idiom is a figure of speech in which a figurative meaning of a phrase is used instead of a literal one. Since the meaning of the group of words is not decipherable from the words’ actual meanings, they are established through colloquial usage. The pronunciation of idiom is ˈɪdiəm.

Idioms are often phrasal verbs or nouns, but idioms can also be other parts of speech, like adverbs. Many times, idioms are phrases made up of individual words. The adjective form of the word idiom is idiomatical. Idioms are very common in everyday speech.

What Are Examples of Idioms?

The easiest way to learn idioms is to look at examples of idioms. You probably use many idioms in everyday speech that you might not even realize are idioms!

Take a glance at these example sentences using common idioms from Your Dictionary. Next to the idiom, you will learn what its meaning is!

Break a leg // good luck
Once in a blue moon // once every so often.
Raining cats and dogs // raining very hard
Wolf in sheep’s clothing // A person who pretends to be nice but is not
Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched //Don’t get ahead of yourself
Stir a hornet’s nest // To cause a lot of trouble
To make a mountain out of a molehill // To make something unimportant into a big deal
I’m all ears // You have my full attention
Have second thoughts // Have doubts
Different kettle of fish // Something completely different
As easy as ABC // Something is very easy
A gray area // Something unclear
Put a bug in his ear // Make a suggestion
Add fuel to the fire // To add more to an existing problem
Birdbrain // Someone who is not very smart
Get your act together // Behave properly
Mumbo jumbo // To call something total nonsense
When pigs fly // To say something is impossible
I’ve got your number // To say that someone can’t fool you
Snail’s pace // To move extremely slow
Fill in the blanks // Provide more information
To let the cat out of the bag// To tell a secret
Play it by ear // Improvise
Get a kick out of something // Really enjoy or like something
Second to none // The best
Hold your horses // Wait a minute
Top banana // First place, in charge
Doggy bag // A bag to take home leftovers from a restaurant
Out of the blue // With no warning
Bee in her bonnet // She is upset
Have mixed feelings // Be unsure of how you feel
Horse of a different color // Something that is quite different, a separate issue
Call it a day // Time to quit

What Is the Etymology of the Word Idiom?

The word idiom entered the English language in the mid-1500s. This term comes from the French idiome, Latin idiōma and Greek idíōma. These terms come from the Greek stem idioûsthai.

When you learn the origin of certain words and what their root words mean, it can make it easier to decipher the meaning of those words. Can you think of any root words that you know?

What Are Translations of Idiom?

Often, idioms are specific to different languages. Many American English idioms will only make sense to English speakers, so it is important not to use English idioms in other languages or to non-native speakers.

Do you know any idioms in other languages, and do they make sense in English? Take a glance at this list of translations of the word idiom from Nice Translator to expand your knowledge.

Russian: идиома
Hindi: मुहावरा
Hungarian: idióma
Spanish: idioma
Chinese (PRC): 成语
Gujarati: રૂ id
Filipino: idyoma
Latvian: idioma
Amharic: ፈሊጥ
Indonesian: idiom
Lithuanian: idioma
Italian: idioma
Catalan: idioma
Swahili: idiom
Urdu: محاورے
Greek: ιδίωμα
Turkish: deyim
Slovenian: idiom
Polish: idiom
Czech: idiom
Croatian: idiom
Vietnamese: cách diễn đạt
Korean: 관용구
Arabic: لغة. مثل
German: Idiom
Portuguese (Portugal): idioma
Ukrainian: ідіома
Thai: สำนวน
Danish: idiom
Romanian: idiom
Bulgarian: Идиом
Chinese (Taiwan): 成語
Hebrew: נִיב
Portuguese (Brazil): idioma
French: idiome
Marathi: आयडिओम
Estonian: idioom
Welsh: idiomau
Malayalam: ഭാഷാശൈലി
Kannada: ಈಜಿಯಂ
Slovak: idiom
Tamil: முட்டாள்தனம்
Japanese: 熟語
Swedish: idiom
Telugu: ఇడియమ్
Basque: esapide
Bengali: idiom
Serbian: идиом
Dutch: idioom
Finnish: idiomi
Norwegian: form

Conclusion

The definition of an idiom is a type of language that uses the figurative meaning of a phrase rather than a literal one. Idioms are used in everyday life, as well as in poetry and literature.

Do you have a favorite idiom or an idiom that you use all the time? With this article, learning the use of idioms and idiomatic expressions is a piece of cake!

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.