The word idiom comes from ancient Greek word, "idios", which translates to "personal". Like so many Greek words, it was altered in 16th century France to "idiome" 1580s, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place;" meaning "phrase or expression peculiar to a language". Few are more aware of idiom's than ESL teacher's who have to explain to their students what "on the horns of a dilemma" means. It's also a favorite class in both High School and college English classes. When you inspect the challenges a foreigner encounters when they dissect the words, it can make you laugh, or at least smile. Most people know what a horn is on an "animal". What kind of animal is a "dilemma"? Let you imagination go:)
Here is a short list of common American/English idioms:
Hold your horses.
Couch potato
Got your goat
The Elephant in the room
Cock and Bull story
Tail wagging the dog
Have your ducks in a row
Pie in the sky
Go banana's
By the skin of your teeth
When. Pigs fly
Put a sock in it
Its raining cats and dogs
Cat got your tongue
Cool as a cucumber
Head in the clouds
Dead as a door nail
Kick the bucket.
From the lands down under: He’s got a kangaroo loose in the top paddock.” otherwise known as → “He’s got a screw loose”.
Cuban: ¡Se formó tremendo arroz con mango!”
…which literally translates to “This turned into a serious bowl of rice with mango.”
Swedish for gigantic: “Skita i det blåa skåpet.”
…which roughly translates to “Answer nature’s call in a blue locker.”
and; Idiom: Skägget i brevlådan.
Literally: Caught with your beard in a mailbox.
English equivalent: To be caught with your pants down.
Aramaic: Idiom: التكرار يعلّم الحمار (At-Tikraar yu’allem al- Himaar.)
Literally: Repetition teaches the donkey.
English equivalent: Practice makes perfect.
Czech: Idiom: Jedním uchem tam, druhým ven.
Literally: Like water on a duck’s back.
English equivalent: In one ear, out the other.
Italian: idiom: Ogni morte di papa.
Literally: Every death of a pope.
English equivalent: Once in a Blue Moon.
Farci: Idiom: Gooreto gom kon!
Literally: Go lose your grave!
English equivalent: Get the hell out of here!
Brazilian: idiom: Estou cagando e andando.
Literally: I’m shi*ing and walking.
English equivalent: I couldn’t care less.
German: idiom: Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund.
Literally: The morning hour has gold in its mouth.
English equivalent: The early bird gets the worm.
AI will have a very hard time translating our Idioms. It's sometimes funny to imagine the outcome of such endeavor's. What do male chickens and male cows have to do with a story line? Tune in today, hopefully with less storm interference of my Wi-Fi, for comedy and music on Pan'sDiscourses, found on my face book account under StevenBailey. Here is the link:
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