A Brief Look at the Origin of English Idioms

Idioms appear in all language and their importee is often confusing. Beca mathematical function the heart and soul of the whole group of language taken to make forher has little to do with the meanings of the words taken ane by superstar. In order to understand a language, one moldiness know what idioms in that language mean. If we want to figure out the meaning of an idiom literally, word by word, we will get befuddled as we sacrifice to know its hidden meaning. Most of the idioms do non coincide with their direct meanings exactly hundreds of years ago they actually did.If we look into the origin of the idioms, we can obtain a great deal of tuition somewhat that nations culture, history and even policy. Idioms come from distinguishable sources, from the Bible to horse racing, from antediluvian patriarch fables to modern slang. roughtimes noted authors such(prenominal) as Homer, Geoffrey Chaucer, or William Shakespeare made them up to add spark to their writings. Some idioms came from Native-American customs and others from African-American speech. Several usual idioms began as folksy sayings apply in particular regions of the country and spoken in local dialects.However, the label of the first author or speaker who used particular expressions is non often obvious. Some idioms go stomach in time to the ancient Greeks and Romans, thousands of years ago. For instance, Achilles heel- the meaning is the weakness, fault or vulnerable spot in ones strong character. But the origin of this idiom goes back to the times when Greek poet Homer wrote his famous work Iliad. In the Iliad the famous story about the Trojan struggle Achilles was a great belligerent and warrior. However, he had one weak spot, the heel of one foot.When he was a baby, his mother wanted to be trustworthy that her son could never be harmed, so he dipped little Achilles upside-down in the wizardly river Styx. Wherever the water touched his body, he became invulnerable. But sinc e she was holding him by his heel, that part of him never got wet. Years later Achilles was killed in the Trojan War by the enemy who shot a poisoned arrow into his heel. Nowadays, this idiom is motionlessness used to show ones weakness. For theoretical account, I like indicateing historical books, solely science fiction is my Achilles heel.There is in addition another example of the idiom which originates from the most famous poem by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge The verse of the Ancient Mariner, written in 1798. Albatross more or less your neck- the meaning is a very difficult impression you cant get rid of. In the poem a young sailor shoots a large sea biddy called mollymawk. In those days that was considered very lucky. A consider of bad things happen to the ship, and the crew blames the young sailor. They hang the dead bird around his neck.From that time, this idiom is used to speak about a burden or a reminder of something you did that was wrong. Wherever I g o, my sister follows me. She is an albatross around my neck. We can find a lot more examples of idioms which chip in very interesting origin and give us new information of that time customs. For instance, Wear your heart on your sleeve-the meaning is to show ones emotions and feelings openly. William Shakespeare used this expression in his famous tragedy Othello around the year 1600. In those days, it was the custom for a young lady to conjoin a ribbon around the arm of her boyfriend.The boy then wore this prefer on his sleeve, one of the visible parts of his clothing, to display the feelings of his heart for the replete(p) world to see. Today, it is used not only to show love, but as well as another emotion too. Everyone in our office knows that Mel doesnt get on with the boss, because he wears his heart on his sleeve. another(prenominal) such example is, suck up the wool over your eyes-the meaning is to fool, deceive, or trick someone. In nineteenth century Europe many men wore wigs made of wool. In British courts today, some lawyers and judges still wear them.If you pulled the wig over the psyches eyes, he or she couldnt still see what was misadventure and could easily be tricked. It was said that if a clever lawyer fooled a judge, he was pulling the wool over the judges eyes. Now, we use this expression to describe any act of cheating or trickery. Jacob was trying to pull the wool over his mothers eyes by saying he was working at the library with his friends. Some idioms have originated from political actions and their origin can give us information about certain historical events. For example, Read the rioting-the meaning is to severely scold or warn someone.In 1714 the British Parliament passed what was called the sedition Act. It said if twelve or more people gathered illegally, riotously, and tumultuously, a magistrate could command them to break up and leave just by reading the opening words of the Riot Act. If they didnt leave within an h our, they were guilty of breaking the law and were prone a severe punishment. As the years went by, reading someone the riot act came to mean warning a person in the strongest potential terms of severe punishment if he or she did not tolerate a certain activity.When students came to class unprepared, the teacher read her the riot act. Another example is Dime a dozen-the meaning is very common and affordable easy to get and available anywhere. In 1786 US Congress officially named the ten-cent coin a dime. The dime soon became a popular coin. Millions were minted and everyone had them. Since they were so cheap and so common, the phrase a dime a dozen became a natural way to describe any ordinary thing that was easy to get and of small value.And dime and dozen dispirit with the same letter, which makes the saying catchy through alliteration. I thought those books were rare, but they were a dime a dozen. All above mentioned examples show us that idioms teach us not only the langua ge but also give us information about customs and traditions of a certain time. When we learn idioms, we should also take into consideration not only their meaning, but also their origin. Learning the origin of idioms will help us read and speak with new understanding.