What are idioms?
Idioms are words that are a group of words that have a meaning different than the direct meaning of the words themselves. For example, if something is a piece of cake, it doesn’t mean that it’s actually like a cake! It means that it’s very easy to do.
With POC English, learning English is a piece of cake (learning English is easy).
So, if you know the meaning of “piece” and the meaning of “cake”, it doesn’t help you. You need to know the meaning of the phrase “piece of cake”. That’s why you have to learn idioms.
Funny Idioms
In your mother tongue, however, you might have some funny idioms that convey a specific meaning. As your native language, English is no exception. There are a lot of seemingly hilarious idioms that sometimes imply special meanings that are mainly used in informal situations. These idioms are combinations of some words that initially sound bizarre to you because you are not familiar with them. Understanding the meaning of these ostensibly peculiar idioms not only would help you to understand native speakers easily but enables you to become a more professional speaker. For instants “to smell a rat” might not make any sense to you because you may think that you will never smell a rat. But the meaning of this funny idiom is to feel that something is wrong, something is not right. So, let’s learn some more funny idioms together.
1- To smell a rat: it means to feel that something is wrong, something is not right according to some evidence or your feeling. Rat, here, is a symbol of something wrong or inappropriate, and when you smell it you would understand what is wrong in a situation. For instance, imagine you dine out with your family, and when you come back home your father says “Hey! Look at the window! It’s broken. I smell a rat! Someone might have intruded on our house and stolen valuable items. We should call the police right now!” Here, your father understood that something is going wrong here because of the broken window.
2- To spill the beans: this is another funny idiom with an ingredient (for more idioms with the food you can check POC English YouTube Channel or Website). It means to reveal a secret, to tell someone a secret. In this idiom, beans can symbolize the secret that is spilled or revealed. For instance, I was planning a surprise anniversary celebration for my husband. But his friend and colleague, jack, spilled the beans and told him about the celebration (Jack told my husband that there is going to be a secret surprise celebration).
3- To get off somebody’s back: ostensibly this means to sit on someone’s back but the idiomatic meaning of it is to annoy or bother somebody. For example, last night I was craning for the exam but my little brother started to get off my back. As a result, I failed the exam.
4- To scratch somebody’s back: Obviously it is a little hard for anybody to scratch his or her back, and when someone do this for you it would make you happy. The meaning of the idiom, thus, is to do someone a favor. It also means to return a favor. You do something for someone and he or she compensates for you. For instance, you want me to teach you swimming? Ok, only if you teach me English. If you scratch my back, I will scratch yours!
5- kick the bucket: this idiom means simply to die. For example, my grandfather is very sick and he is about to kick the bucket very soon.
6- To cough something up: when someone gets something from you and you are unwilling to give it to him or her you actually cough it to him or her. For instance, last night, on my way from work to home, two thieves attacked me and asked me to give them all money I had and I had to cough it up!
Follow the link below to learn more about the funny idioms in the English language:
https://pocenglish.com/funny-idioms-in-english/
Idioms with CAT
There are some idioms made up of the names of animals which are mostly funny. In what follows we are going to learn some idioms by cat!
1- To let the cat out of the bag: this means to reveal a secret by accident or by mistake. Imagine a friend of yours shares some crucial and personal issues with you and asks your opinion about them. However, while he insisted you not talk about these issues to anyone else, you reveal his secret in your friend gathering. For instance, while I emphasized the importance of this issue being secret, my colleague simply let the cat out of the back in speaking with his wife.
2- There is more than one way to skin a cat: Come on! We are not going to harm animals, especially cats! It would be so brutal. The idiom means there is more than one way to achieve something or to do something. You should keep going. Imagine your friends and you are working on an important project. You shouldn’t give up if your first attempt failed because there is more than one way to skin a cat. You must keep going.
3- Cat got your tongue? When we might ask this idiomatic question? When we want to ask somebody why he or she is not saying anything and are being quiet. Imagine you are in an important meeting with your friend and everyone has to give his opinion. But you see your friend, Jack, has been completely silent throughout the meeting. All of a sudden someone asks him “Cat got your tongue?”
4- To take/have a catnap: As human beings, cats also take naps. The idiom has a similar meaning to its appearance; it means a short sleep during the day. When you back home from work and feel so frustrated, taking a catnap would help you to relax.
5- To bell the cat: the meaning of this idiom is so different from its appearance. It means doing something difficult or risky that can benefit a group of people. Imagine you have an aggressive teacher at university who is not flexible at all when he receives criticism. But you are fed up with the situation and want to change it. So, the important question is who will bell the cat?
6- A cat in gloves catches no mice: if you are in pursuit of an outstanding achievement in your life and are not willing to take risks, you will not succeed like a cat that is trapped in gloves and catches no mice. For instance, establishing a new company requires me to take risks and be out of the box; a cat in gloves catches no mice.
7- to be like a cat on a hot tin roof: when a cat is in this situation it is so anxious. So, the idiom means to be extremely nervous and anxious. For instance, after 2 months my brother is going to receive his exam results; it’s quite natural for him to be like a cat on a hot tin roof.
Click on the link below and learn more idioms with the word cat in English:
https://pocenglish.com/idioms-related-to-cats/
There are numerous idioms in English that can make you a more professional speaker. So, you should start learning them and trying to put them into practice so that you become a more native-like English user.
