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Use of Idioms
9.3
Use of Idioms
The
study of idioms is not just to know which are idioms and which are not,
but also to understand them correctly in actual context and use them properly
in production. To achieve this, one needs to be aware of the rhetoric
characteristics of idioms such as stylistic features, rhetoric features
and their occasional variations. This section makes an attempt to discuss
such aspects in some length.
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Stylistic Features
9.3.1
Stylistic Features
A
large proportion of idioms were first created by working people such as
seamen on the sea, hunters in the woods, farmers in the fields, workmen
at mills, housewives and cooks in the kitchen and so on, using familiar
terms that are associated with their own trades and occupations. For example,
in deep water, tide over, take the helm were first used by seamen;
kill two birds with one stone, if you run after two hares, you will
catch neither used by hunters; a bull in a china shop, have all
one's eggs in one basket used by farmers; new brooms sweep clean,
wash one's dirty linen in public used by housewives; keep the pot
boiling, boil down used by cooks; jump the bait, a fish out of water used
by fishermen; hit below the belt, play fair used by sportsmen,
etc. Such expressions were all colloquial and informal and once confined
to a limited group of people engaged in the same trade or activity. But
they proved terse, vivid, forcible and stimulating so that later they
broke out of their bounds and gradually gained wide acceptance. As a result,
their early stylistic features faded in part and many became part of the
common core of the language and are now used in different situations.
For instances, of the twenty-one idioms listed in DAI centering around
the verb bring, only one is labelled `formal' (i.e. bring to
pass), three labelled 'informal' (i.e. bring around, bring down
the house, bring home the bacon), and two marked 'colloq & slang'
(i.e. bring down and bring-down). This means that all the rest fifteen
idioms are in common use. In ODCIE, there are all together 29 idioms centering
around dead, only one is marked 'formal' and one 'informal', leaving
27 with no special stylistic differences.
Despite
the fact, idioms are generally felt to be informal and some are colloquialisms
and slang, therefore inappropriate for formal style. Occasionally, we
find idioms which are extremely formal and used only in frozen style.
1.
Coloquialisms
hang
in (there) (not to give up)
[59]
Hang in there, old buddy; the worst is yet to come.
big
wheel (an influential or important person)
[60]
Uncle Ferdinand is a big wheel in Washington, maybe he can help you with
your problem.
make
waves (create a disturbance, a sensation)
[61]
Joe Catwallender is the wrong man for the job; he is always trying to
make waves.
can
of worms (a complex problem, or complicated situation)
[62]
Let's not get into big city politics??that's a different can of worms.
2.
Slang
cancer
stick (cigarette)
[63]
Throw away that cancer stick! Smoking is bad for you!
hit
the sack (AmE go to bed)
[64]
I'm sleepy; let's hit the sack.
dish
the dirt (gossip or spread rumours about others)
[65]
Stop dishing the dirt, Sally, it's really unbecoming!
feel
no pain (be drunk)
[66]
After a few drinks, the man felt no pain and began to act foolishly.
in
the soup (in serious trouble; in confusion)
[67]
When his wife overdrew their bank account without telling him, Mr Cook
suddenly found himself
really in the soup.
3.
Literary expressions
Come
to pass (take place; happen)
[68]
Strange things come to pass in troubled times.
be
it that (even though)
[69]
And be it that indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.
in
the wake of (right after; followng)
[70]
Famine followed in the wake of war.
give
the lie to (call somebody a liar)
[71]
The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during
the robbery.
of
note (notable; well?known)
[72]
Sahgal is a novelist of note in India.
cross
swords (have an argument with; fight)
[73]
That was where I crossed swords with Wilfit in the discussion of financing
the new project.
The
same idiom may show stylistic differences when it is assigned different
meanings. Take screw up for example. When used in the sense of
'make sb nervous, tense', it is informal as in 'Going to the dentist never
seems to bother my wife, but I get terribly screwed up at the mere
thought.' In the sense of 'mishandle, mess up', it is a slang as in 'We
should never have left the arrangements to Smithers. He screwed
the whole thing up from start to finish.' However, this idiom does
not show any particular stylistic colouring in the following context:
'With an impatient exclamation Peter screwed up the second draft
of his letter to the bank and threw it into the wastepaper basket' (=
make into a tight ball in the hands). 'Janice screwed her face
up into an expression of the utmost seriousness' (= tighten the
muscles of the face). In addition, slang expressions are often peculiar
to social or regional varieties. Some may be used only in British setting,
others may be appropriate only in American context, and still others may
be suitable for certain groups of people. All this needs care on the part
of the user in the course of production.
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Rhetorical Features
9.3.2
Rhetorical Features
Apart
from the stylistic features, idioms manifest apparent rhetorical colouring
in such respects as of phonetic manipulation, lexical arrangement and
figures of speech.
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Phonetic manipulation
1.Phonetic
manipulation
(1)
Alliteration
chop
and change (keep changing one's opinion)
might
and main (all one's power and strength)
rough
and ready (acceptable; simple and without comfort)
part
and parcel (most important and essential part)
toss
and turn (keep turning from side to side)
bag
and baggage (with all one's belongings)
sum
and substance (the gist of something)
neither
fish, flesh, nor fowl (difficult to classify)
(2)
Rhyme
kith
and kin (relative)
wear
and tear (damage from continuous use)
toil
and moil (work hard and long; strive laboriously)
by
hook and by crook (by all means good and foul)
fair
and square (just, honest; without deceit)
A
little pot is soon hot.
A
friend is need is a friend indeed.
There
's many a slip between the cup and the lip.
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Lexical manipulation
2.Lexical
manipulation
(1)
Reiteration (duplication of synonyms)
Scream
and shout, cut and carve, pick and choose (select with much care or in
a fussy way), hustle and bustle (do things in a hurry, with some fuss),
rough and tough, odds and ends (remnants or things of little value), bits
and pieces (odds and ends), push and shove (make one's way through by
pushing, jostling), ways and means (methods and/or resources), by leaps
and bounds (at a rapid pace).
(2)
Repetition
By
and by, out and out, such and such, neck and neck, lots and lots, round
and round, day by day, all in all, face to face, shoulder to shoulder,
hand in hand, word for word, from time to time, year in year out.
(3) Juxtaposition (of antonyms)
Here
and there, up and down, hit or miss, rain or shine, weal and woe, first
and last, high and low, back and forth, right and left, sooner or later,
play fast and loose (take advantage by telling lies), move heaven and
earth (do anything possible), from head to foot, from start to finish.
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Figures of speech
3.Figures
of speech
Idioms
are terse and vivid because of the copious images created by them. Large
numbers of idioms are used in their metaphorical meaning. Since idioms
are peculiar to the native culture and language, many images appear alien
to foreign learners but may be expressive, impressive and effective.
(1)
Simile
(As)
mute as a fish, as dead as a doornail, as graceful as a swan, like a rat
in a hole, eat like a horse, sleep like a log, Time flies like an arrow,
spend money like water.
(2) Metaphor
In
some idioms, animals are used to refer to people, e.g. black sheep (the
member thought to be a disgrace in the family), a dark horse (a person
who tends to keep their activities, feelings, or intentions secret, and
who may have unexpected qualities or abilities), grey mare (the wife rules
her husband), snake in the grass (hidden enemy); inanimate things to refer
to people, e.g. new broom (a person who has newly come to office), flat
tire (AmE a boring person), the salt of the earth (the few of the highest
excellence); things to refer to something else, e.g. bed of dust (grave),
crocodile tears (signs of insincere sorrow), a wet blanket (something
that spoils the pleasure, etc), black bottle (poison); actions, state
to refer to abstract ideas or other actions, state, etc. e.g. sit on the
fence (take impartial attitude), cut the ground from under sb (destroy
someone's success by taking his ideas, acting before him), fall from grace
(deteriorate or commit crime), and so on.
(3) Metonymy
This
refers to idioms in which the name of one thing is used for that of another
associated with it, e.g. in the cradle (in one's childhood), live by one's
pen (live by writing), from cradle to grave (from birth to death), make
(up) a purse (raise money, etc.
(4) Synecdoche
Both
metonymy and synecdoche involve substitution of names, yet they differ
in that the former is a case of using the name of one thing for another
closely associated with it and the latter is that of substituting part
for the whole and vice versa, e.g. earn one's bread (make a living), fall
into good hands (good people), two heads are better than one (two people)
and so on.
(5)
Personification
Failure
is the mother of success.
Actions
speak louder than words.
The
pot calls the cattle black.
Fire
and water are good servants, but bad masters.
(6)
Euphemism
The
call of nature (the need to pass water or empty the bowels), sleep around
(be free with one's sexual favours or behave promiscuously), powder one's
nose (go to the rest room).
Some idioms are always used in a humourous way like kick the bucket
(die), give leg-bail (run away); some are ironic and sardonic in
tones, e.g. big deal (exclamation suggesting something not very
impressive or interesting), perfumed talk (indecent talk); some
are derogatory, e.g. a big cheese (sb who is, or believes he is,
a very important person). There are instances of hyperbole such as a
world of trouble (a lot of trouble) and a flood of tears (plenty
of tears).
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