Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta BODY IDIOMS. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta BODY IDIOMS. Mostrar todas las entradas
sábado, 6 de diciembre de 2014
BITE ONE'S TONGUE
MEANING
To
forcibly prevent oneselffrom speaking, especially in order to avoid saying
something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute. The equivalent in Spanish
would be “morderse la lengua”.
ORIGIN
Biting
one’s tongue is seen as an act of containment, due to the fact that the bitten
is painful and doesn’t allow the speaker to talk fluently.
EXAMPLES
- I wanted to tell him what I exactly thought of him, but I had to bite my tongue.
- When my son told me he wanted to become an artist, I had to bite my tongue and accept his decision.
LET ONE'S HAIR DOWN
MEANING
ORIGIN
Letting
one's hair down
was a commonplace part of women's daily activities in the 17th century. The
hair was normally pinned up and was let down for brushing or washing. The term
used for this at the time was dishevelling. Anyone who is unkempt and generally untidy
might now be described as dishevelled but then it applied specifically to hair
which was unpinned.
The first reference I could find
was John Cotgrave’sThe
English treasury of wit and language, 1655:
"Descheveler, to discheuell; to pull the haire about the eares"
EXAMPLES
- It's nice to let your hair down once in a while and feel free to do what you want.
- I was so fed up with staying at home and studying at weekends, that I decided to let my hair down and went partying with friends.
BREAK SOMEONE'S HEART
MEANING
A
broken heart (also called heartbreak) is a metaphor meaning intense and
overwhelming grief especially through disappointment in love. The equivalent in
Spanish would be “romperle el corazón a alguien”.
ORIGIN
This idiom comes from the traditional idea that feelings and emotions
are located in the heart, so whenever we have a strong grief or disappointment
it is symbolized with the breaking of this organ.
The issues of pain surrounding a broken heart have been used for a long
time, as we can see for instance in the
Bible:
- Psalm 69:20. Insult have broken my heart and left me weak. I looked for sympathy but there was none.
- Psalm 34:18. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
EXAMPLES
- He broke my heart when he told me he didn't love me anymore.
- What a sad story-It's so heartbreaking!
Perhaps you
have ever wondered which the point of learning idioms is: there are lots of
them and they don't often appear on English books at school.
Idioms are
really important because they are present on natives' lives (conversations,
films, songs...). Here you have a song as an example of one of the idiom we
have just seen: Don't Go Breaking My Heart, by Elton John and Kiki Dee. Hope
you enjoy it!
viernes, 5 de diciembre de 2014
FACE THE MUSIC
Meaning: when a person receives punishment; to accept
the unpleasant results of one's actions.
Origin: A commonly repeated assertion is
that 'face the music' originated from the tradition of disgraced officers being
'drummed out' of their regiment. A second popular theory is that it was actors
who 'faced the music', that is, faced the orchestra pit, when they went on
stage. A third theory, less likely but quite interesting none the less, was
recounted with some confidence by a member of the choir at a choral concert I
attended recently in Sheffield. It relates to the old UK practice of West
Gallery singing. This was singing, literally from the west galleries of English
churches, by the common peasantry who weren't allowed to sit in the higher
status parts of the church. The theory was that the nobility were obliged to
listen to the vernacular songs of the parishioners, often with lyrics that were
critical of the ways of the gentry. The equivalence in Spanish would be “pagar
el pato” or “afrontar las consecuencias”.
Example: Kate broke a father’s radio and had to face the music when her father got home.
LEARN BY HEART
Meaning: to learn something so well that it
can be written or recited without thinking; it means to memorize something too.
Origin: Many times, when one memorizes
something, it is referred to as "learning by heart." But why is it
attributed to the heart and not to the head? It seems to be due to a mistaken
analysis of anatomical functions made by the ancient Greeks
The ancient Greeks believed that the heart, the
most noticeable internal organ, was the seat of memory and intelligence, as
well as emotion. This belief was passed down through the ages and became the
basis for the English expression learned by heart.
Learn by heart was used by Chaucer in Troilus
and Criseyde, and must have been proverbial long before that. The
equivalence in Spanish would be, ‘’aprender de memoria’’.
Example: The piano player had to learn the
piece of music by heart so it was amazing!
LIPS ARE SEALED
Meaning: when you are promising to keep
a secret.
Origin: this is related to the mouth,
because with the lips of the mouth we pronounce and say words. When we close
our mouth, nothing can escape from there. The equivalence in Spanish would be “ mis labios están sellados” or “soy
como una tumba”.
Example: "Oh and please don't tell him
you saw me here." "Don't worry. My lips are sealed!!".
martes, 2 de diciembre de 2014
ARMED TO THE
TEETH
It means
to be heavily armed. In Spanish this expression would be "armarse hasta
los dientes". An example may be:
The
meaning of this expression is to subject someone to strong and painful
persuasion; use maximum pressure. An example of this idiom may be: “The only way you'll get him to agree is to
hold his feet to the fire.”
It's an expression that means perfection. In Spanish
is something like "ser el mejor". An example of this idiom may be: "Try this chocolate. It's the bee's knees,
it really is."
It means
to be heavily armed. In Spanish this expression would be "armarse hasta
los dientes". An example may be:
"Don't even think about going into Chicago's
housing projects unless you are armed to the teeth."
ORIGIN:
This
idiom is a pirate phrase with its origin in Port Royal Jamaica in the 1600's.
Having only a shot black powder weapons, they would carry many of these weapons
to fight. In addition, they also carried a knife in their teeth to have more
arms capability.
HOLD YOUR FEET TO THE FIRE
The
meaning of this expression is to subject someone to strong and painful
persuasion; use maximum pressure. An example of this idiom may be: “The only way you'll get him to agree is to
hold his feet to the fire.”
ORIGIN:
This
phrase is related to torture used in the Crusade's. As a method to achieve a
confession for heresy. Non-believers were placed in a way that allowes the
inquisitor to burn the feet of the accused until the accused confessed or died.
BEE'S KNEES
It's an expression that means perfection. In Spanish
is something like "ser el mejor". An example of this idiom may be: "Try this chocolate. It's the bee's knees,
it really is."
ORIGIN:
In the 1920s there was a great popular phrase,
although its actual origin has not been determined, there are several theories:
some people believe that it's related to the fact that bees carry pollen in
sacks on their knees, and that the expression alludes to this concentrated
goodness. Others theories said that this idiom is related just a corruption of
the word 'business'.
A KICK IN THE
TEETH
Meaning: If you get a kick in the teeth, you
mean that a person treats you badly and unfairly, especially at a time when you
need their support.
Origin: 1350-1400; Middle English. The
origin may come from the pain produced by a hit in the teeth, as is so painful,
even more than in the ass (also ‘a kick in the ass’), it means that a person
have treated you very badly. This idiom was used by Walt Disney becoming part
of one of his famous quotes. The equivalent in Spanish used to be (‘una patada
en el culo’).
Example: I'd just lost my job, so hearing
that I had to move out of my apartment as well was a real kick in the teeth.
TO GIVE A SLAP ON THE WRIST
Meaning: If someone gives you a slap on the
wrist, they give you a mild punishment for making a mistake or doing something
wrong.
Origin: At least since the 18th century the
word "slap" was used figuratively as well as literally. A certain
action could be a "slap on the face".
Some naughty behaviors are worse than others, so a literal slap on the
wrist is still a feasible way to punish mildly. The equivalent in Spanish is
(‘dar un tirón de orejas’).
Example:
The tribunal didn't think it was a serious offence, so they just gave
him a slap on the wrist. All he got was a warning.
TO BE A SIGHT
FOR SORE EYES
Meaning: a way of saying that you are very
pleased to see someone or that you think someone is very attractive.
Origin: It appears to date back to at least
the 1700s, although it may have been used earlier. As is often the case with
well-known idioms, the phrase has been borrowed by industry, as a casual survey
of optometry offices will reveal. The equivalent in Spanish is (‘ser un regalo
para la vista’).
I hope you enjoy this funny image made by me! =D
(CLICK HERE TO SEE CORRECTLY THE EXERCISE) BODY IDIOMS
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body idioms
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