WORD POWER
Earthly matters
Prerana Trehan

The elements — earth, air, fire and water — make up our universe. Some believe that the human body is also made of these elements. So pervasive is their presence that it is hardly surprising that they have found their way into the English language in the form of idioms. Today we deal with the idioms that have to do with the first of the elements, earth.

Salt of the earth: a very good and honest person.

He is the salt of the earth. He will never take even a rupee that doesn’t belong to him

Hell on earth: an extremely unpleasant place or situation.

Survivors of Hitler’s concentration camps described them as hell on earth.

Bring someone (back) down to earth: have to deal with routine everyday matters after a period of excitement and enjoyment.

The weekend break in the nearby hill station was fun, but Monday morning brought me back down to earth.

Disappear/vanish off the face of the earth: disappear completely.

I haven’t heard from her in ages. She seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Go to the ends of the earth: do anything possible.

He will go to the ends of the earth to make sure his son gets admission in a good college.

Nothing on earth: very strange.

I have no idea what that dish is called, but it tastes like nothing on earth.

Move heaven and earth: do everything you can to achieve something.

I want that assignment so much that I am willing to move heaven and earth to get it.

Promise someone the earth: promise something impossible.

He is ready to promise her the earth if she agrees to marry him.

The four corners of the earth/world: every part of the world.

Dignitaries came from the four corners of the world to attend Prince Charles’ wedding

The scum of the earth: the worst type of people.

Many people tend to agree that politics is for the scum of the earth.

Rewrite the following sentences using idioms:

He is the sort of person who will make impossible promises to get what he wants.

She is such a dedicated doctor that she will do anything possible to save her patients.

Rajasthan in the middle of a drought is a terrible place to be in.

The Olympics in Athens later this year is expected to attract spectators from all over the world.

I can never understand my teenage son’s liking for rock music. It sounds extremely strange to me.

(Reference: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms)