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SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

                                                   ENGLISH – CLASS VII

          LESSON NOTES – Module 20
          Topic:Idioms

                                                 LESSON NOTES

                                                       MODULE

          Definition of Idiom

          An idiom is a saying, phrase, or fixed expression in a culture that has a figurative meaning different
          from its literal meaning. An  idiom gains that  meaning through repetition in a culture, and is often
          introduced via literature, media, famous people, or associations that originally make sense but lose

          their literal meaning.
          There are examples of idiom in almost all languages, and many thousands unique to English. It can

          be fun—and difficult—to learn idioms in other languages, which introduce us to different ways of
          thinking  and  challenge  our  own  idiomatic  understanding  of  things  in  our  own  language.  For
          example, in English we say something is a “piece of cake” when it‟s easy; Spanish speakers may

          say something is “pan comido” when it‟s easy, which  means “bread that‟s eaten.” Also note that
          some idioms may be popular in, for example, New York, but completely unknown in London. Thus,

          some idioms are dependent on dialect and colloquialism.
          The definition of idiom comes from originally from the Greek word idíōma, which means “a special
          feature, a special phrasing, or a peculiarity.”
          Common Examples of Idiom


          As stated above, there are many thousands of idiom examples in English. Many of these we use
          every day. Here are some common idioms:


             It‟s all Greek to me. = I don‟t understand it; it‟s as if it were written in the incomprehensible
              language of Greek.

             It costs an arm and a leg. = It‟s expensive.
             You‟re barking up the wrong tree. = You‟re making a mistake by trying to achieve something in

              the wrong way.
             You should bite your tongue. = You should be quiet.
             Break a leg! = Good luck, as said to performers (it‟s considered a jinx to directly wish a perform

              “Good luck!”)
             You‟re close, but no cigar. = You‟re close to the solution, but not quite there.

             Don‟t cry over spilt milk. = Don‟t worry about something that‟s already happened.
             I‟ll play devil‟s advocate. = I‟ll argue the opposite side of something, just to push the argument
              further.
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