idioms

What is an Idiom? Definition, samples of English Idioms

Idiom Definition: An idiom may be a figure of speech established by usage that features a meaning not necessarily deductible from those of the individual words.
What is an Idiom?
Idioms are a kind of figurative language, which suggests they're not always meant to be taken literally. Idioms express a specific sentiment, but they are doing not literally mean what the individual words themselves mean.

An idiom may be a saying that's specific to a language. for instance, an idiom in English doesn't translate to an idiom in Spanish.
Idiom Example
The grass is usually greener on the opposite side. This idiom doesn't literally mean that the “other side” will always have greener grass. There might not even be a literal “other side” to the topic at hand—or grass for that matter.

The meaning of this idiom is that folks think the opposite person, or someone during a different situation, has it better, or easier, than they are doing.
Popular Idiom Examples
what is an idiom There are thousands of samples of idioms in English alone? Each language has a minimum of an equal amount, so this list is by no means exhaustive.

That said, here are a couple of common English idioms.

Common English Idioms:
Common English Idioms:



Beauty is within the eye of the beholder.
Origin: the old saying has existed for hundreds of years in various forms; main creditor: Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, 1878
Meaning: What looks beautiful to at least one person might not look beautiful to a different.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Origin: Samuel Butler poem, 1663
Meaning: don't calculate something before it's come to be.
No crying over spilled milk.
Origin: unknown
Meaning: don't be upset about something that can't be changed. OR: don't be upset about something that's really just a little matter.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Origin: proverb; Jonson play, 1598
Meaning: Being too curious or inquisitive is often dangerous.
It’s raining cats and dogs.
Origin: unknown
Meaning: there's an important downpour.
Back to the drafting board.
Origin: possibly artist Peter Arno, 1941
Meaning: Time to start out over. we'd like to start out from the start.


The hay is within the barn.
Origin: unknown
Meaning: The action is complete. it's finished.
A penny for your thoughts.
Origin: perhaps English ruler Penda, c. 640
Meaning: What are you thinking?
Beat around the bush.
Origin: Medieval Period
Meaning: Someone is avoiding the subject.
You can’t judge a book by its cover.
Origin: mid-19th century
Meaning: don't assume you recognize someone or something by how he or it appears.
That costs an arm and a leg.
Origin: unknown
Meaning: that's very expensive.
Idioms aren't Always Grammatical
idioms examples Since idioms are born out of popular usage, they aren’t always logical, and that they don’t always follow traditional grammar patterns.

This is because the phrase itself carries the meaning of the idiom, and not the individual words within the phrase, no matter each word’s grammatical function.

For example,

This is a life-and-death situation.
Something that's life-and-death is extremely important, but that phrase itself is illogical. A situation can’t be ­life and death.

Similarly, a phrase like it’s not you, it’s me is technically ungrammatical.

Idioms aren't Complete Thoughts
idiom definition for teenagers like any phrase, an idiom itself doesn’t create an entire sentence. They require additional context to offer them meaning.

For example,

beat around the bush
This idiom isn't an entire sentence. It’s the thought itself that's the idiom. One might make it into an entire sentence by saying:

Don’t beat around the bush.
-OR-

He’s beating around the bush.