For
writers to communicate well, they will need to master the use of idioms. In skimming a copy of Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms
by Marvin Terban, I came across over 700 sayings and expressions. This book reaffirms
the fact that we casually insert idioms into our everyday speech and thinking,
perhaps to a point that we no longer pay attention to it. But let’s think a bit
on the old phrases we bandy about without giving any deep thought to.
For
instance, do you catch yourself saying things like:
“pull
out all the stops”
“pulls
no punches”
“hit
the books”
“throw
a curve”
“throw
in the towel”
“pull
the rug out from under you”
“tighten
your belt”
“throw
your hat into the ring”
“lose
your shirt”
“eat
your hat”
“put
all your eggs into one basket”
“takes
the cake”
“in
a pickle”
“no
cup of tea”
“apple
of your eye”
“chew
the fat”
Idioms
are phrases with a meaning, but not a literal one. No one is really a lame duck and no one is
really sitting on a hot seat. It never
rains cats and dogs and no one burns the bridges behind them.
Newspapers,
magazines, and books often use idioms or play off of them in their headlines or
titles. The book that I came across not
only identified and explained hundreds of commonplace idioms, but it showed the
derivation for how each one came to be.
Some of these phrases are easily centuries old and yet remain relevant
and understandable today.
Idioms
manage to express a kind of truism that is based on customs or events past, yet
they ring true in today’s high-tech, global, selfish, fast-paced, terror-filled
world. Who would think that “putting the
cart before the horse” could hold value in an era where horse-drawn carts have
not existed for several generations? But
once you understand the concept of a horse pulling a cart you easily grasp and
appreciate the idea that someone may prematurely be doing or thinking something
when they reverse the natural order of things.
But
idioms need updating. I’m sure the
current decade could create many idioms for future generations to quote and
interject into everyday communications.
But
as our society becomes more mechanized, science-dependent, and moves from
nature to machinery, our language and idioms will likely follow suit. Our words, even our conceptionalizations of
the world, tend to stem from whatever is going on in the developing world. The Internet is recreating our world, so why wouldn’t
it also impact our idioms?
Idioms
don’t just reflect language or the times we live in – they reflect a value or
philosophical approach to things. The
reason a bird in hand is worth two in the bush is because it speaks about the
value that one should not hold out in hopes of more when they could come away
empty by waiting. Don’t be greedy – take
what you can easily get. The same goes
for waiting to kill two birds with one stone.
It’s all about efficiency. If you
can knock off two things from your to-do list with one act, why not? If you can do one thing, but benefit twice
from it, wouldn’t you do it?
But
maybe these need a revamping. Perhaps overthinking needs to be challenged or changed.
Why should we settle, out of fear, insecurity or desperation. Hold out and you may get 10 birds instead of the
one in hand. And instead of attacking stacking two problems with one action, maybe take your
time to customize each problem with a different act – in hopes of permanently
eradicating these issues.
How
many idioms have an anti-idiom, or an equal but opposite answer? We say what’s good for the goose is good for
the gander or two can play at that game.
Maybe it’s best for the goose and gander not to do anything that
potentially hurts the other. What do you
value – and how can you express it in an idiom?
Writers
need to study idioms and use them when appropriate – or seek to come up with
ones to counter or update them. Language
is valuable to writers, but idioms are one of the biggest prizes to authors. Rethink the phrases you’ve heard since
childhood and think about which ones still ring true to you. Embrace idioms and help others understand
life’s values by showcasing these phrases that have exhibited some real staying
power.
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