IDIOMS are flavoured picturesque language. Vivid and forceful, they give a deeper understanding of the use of language. Created by the innate playfulness of the human mind and rooted in folk tradition, an appropriate choice of idiom reflects both style and substance in language use. Though word-order is fixed in an idiom, its meaning is quite and sometimes completely different from the literal meanings of the individual elements.

Idioms are more rigidly collocational in structure than collocations themselves i.e. pattern of ‘what goes with what’ which are more loosely put together. For example, in a collocation you can ‘make’ or ‘take a decision’ but in the idiom ‘the apple of his eye’ the word ‘apple’ cannot be replaced by ‘cherry, grape, pear’, etc; neither can the word ‘eye’ by head, mouth or ear.

Unpredictability of meaning along with a fixed word-order and lexical items make idioms difficult to learn and use. Nevertheless exposure to English through listening and speaking the language, seeing films, reading newspapers, magazines and books ensures friendly encounters with idioms, makes easy the process of linguistic enculturation and helps increase the learner’s repertoire of idioms.

Now try your hand at idiom usage. Choose the appropriate idiom to complete the following sentences.

1. Look at that lovely house! Some rich person owns that because it must have cost a —-

A. dainty dime.

B. pretty penny.

C. delightful dollar.

D. proud pound.

E. shocking shilling.

2. The company called in several outside mediators who had no —————- to settle the dispute between them and the workers.

A knife to sharpen

B razor to strop

C plane to set

D axe to grind

E hatchet to have

3. The clerk at the enquiry counter was rude to the old lady so she gave him a ———-

A bump to her liver

B piece of her mind

C slice of her tougue

D sight of her teeth

E buzz in his ear.

4. No one can stand Mr Picky because he is always —————— telling everyone who he is and what he has done.

A conducting his own orchestra

B beating his own drum

C writing his own music

D blowing his own trumpet

E humming his own tune

5. The soldier was warned that if he disobeyed the orders of a superior, he would find himself in ——

A hot water

B the frying pan

C boiling oil

D the fire

E thickest soup

6. I’m afraid I just can’t appreciate classical music, abstract painting and existential novels. My tastes are rather ————-, I like detective novels and pop music.

A flat — footed

B open — mouthed

C lowbrow

D thick-skulled

E soft-brained

7. Gita, there’s no need to —————- Just because I ask you to come and help me in the kitchen

A keep a stiff upper lip

B put your tongue in your cheek

C keep your fingers crossed

D pull a long face

E laugh on the wrong side of your face.

Check answer key for your score!

What you say is important but how you say it is more important.

Answer key

1-B, 2-D, 3-B, 4-D, 5-A, 6-C, 7-D.