11.3. Etymology of Idioms

Why is English so heavily idiomatic? The most probable reason is that as we develop new concepts, we need new expressions for them, but instead of creating a brand new word from the sounds of the language, we use some already existent words and put them together in a new sense. This, however, appears to be true of all known languages. There are, in fact, no known languages that do not have some idioms. The idiom the die is cast! Means “I made an irreversible decision and must live with it”. We can try to reconstruct how this idiom came into being: the image of the die that was cast in gambling cannot be thrown again; that would be illegal; whether you have a one, a three, or a six, you must face the consequences of your throw, that is, win or lose, as the case may be. (Some people may know that the phrase was used by Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon, an event that led to war).

3. 11.4. How to Learn Idioms and Practice Them

It’s great to learn as many idioms as possible, but the most important thing is to use them correctly – in sufficient volume and in proper place. First of all, we should wait until we hear an idiom from a native speaker in a natural context; we should not experiment with using an idiom until we have mastered the basics of English grammar. Once we have heard the idiom being used more than once, and fully understand its meaning, we can try using it by ourselves. Imagine that you have two job offers, one sure, but lower paying, and one that pays more, but is only tentative. Because of nervousness and fear of having no job at all, you accept the lower paying job, at which moment the better offer comes through and naturally you feel frustrated. You can then say Oh well, the die is cast… If you try this on a native speaker and he looks at you with sympathy and does not ask “what do you mean?” – you have achieved your first successful placement of a newly learned idiom in an appropriate context. This can be a rewarding experience. English people can definitely tell us how fluent we are and between foreigners and natives just by the fact of using idioms. If a person always uses a bookish, stilted expression and never uses an idiom in the right place, he might develop the reputation of being a dry, unimaginable speaker, or one who is trying to be too serious and too official. The use of idioms is, therefore, extremely important. It can strike a chord of solidarity with the listener. The more idioms we use in the right context, the more at ease English people will feel with us and the more they will think to themselves “this is a nice and friendly person – look at how well he expresses himself!” So, searching for idioms, finding and learning those, practicing in speech and catching their meaning when somebody else is speaking should become our second nature as interpreters/translators. If we come across or hear the idiomatic expression which is not fixed yet in special dictionaries make up your own notes of these idioms.

Non-native speakers of English can reach a point in their knowledge of the language where they feel comfortable with standard literary speech; however, they’re liable to find themselves in hot water when confronted with idiomatic expressions. When hearing an idiom or colloquialism they may feel frustrated and confused, since the true meaning of the idiom generally cannot be determined by knowledge of its component parts. In many cases an attempt on the part of the learner to tie down a definition of an idiom that would work in all instances is a futile undertaking.

When used by native speakers, idioms sound natural and fit the occasion, since Americans instinctively feel the imagery and impact of what they are saying. A non-native speaker of English, on the other hand, may know the basic meaning of such expressions as “I gave it my best shot” or “dressed to kill”, but not be able to use them appropriately. For example, if at a formal gathering an American says to the wife of a foreign diplomat that her gown is elegant, or that she looks lovely, and in appreciation for the compliment her answer is, “Thank you, I gave it my best shot!” or “Thanks, I dressed to kill!”, the chances are that the American would be trying his hardest to hold back peals of laughter. Even with a fairly accurate idea of the meaning of an idiomatic expression, the non-native lacks the intuitive feel for its impact or for the “picture” it creates.

To bridge the gap between “meaning” and “thrust” of American colloquialisms situations should be provided, so that the imagery created by the expression can be felt, rather than simply learned as a stock definition.

Questions for discussion:

1. How can we learn to speak liked natives?

2. Comment on grammatical nature of idioms.

3. Comment on etymology of idioms.

Practical assignment

Below there is a list of idioms on the left and their interpretation – on the right. Try to memorise the following modern American idioms and give their adequate translation: