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  Don‟t put all your eggs in one basket. = Don‟t put all your hope in one thing, as it may not work
              out.

             Excuse my French. = Excuse my curse word.
             She has an axe to grind. = She has a problem she wants to dispute with someone.
             Hold your horses! = Wait!

             It takes two to tango. = There isn‟t just one person to blame in this situation.
             Let‟s let bygones be bygones. = Let‟s put the past behind us.

             I‟m on pins and needles. = I‟m waiting anxiously.
             It‟s raining cats and dogs. = It‟s raining a lot.


          Here are some other examples of idioms from Spanish similar to idioms in English, in order to
          compare their literal and figurative meanings:


             Tomar el pelo = Literally: “Take the hair”; Figuratively: Making fun of something (similar to
              “You‟re pulling my leg)
             Estarmássanoqueunapera = Literally: “To be healthier than a pear”; Figuratively: To be very

              healthy (similar to “Fit as a fiddle)
             Empezar la casa por el tejado = Literally: “To start a house at the roof”; Figuratively: To start

              things in the wrong order (similar to “Putting the cart before the horse)

          Significance of Idiom in Literature

          Authors may sometimes be the originator of idioms. This is especially true of William Shakespeare,
          who coined many hundreds of new words in English and created phrases that are still in use today.

          We will see some examples of these below. Authors also may use idioms in their works of literature
          in dialogue to show a character‟s nature and speech patterns.
          Examples of Idiom in Literature
          Example #1


          He at the last appointed him on one,
          And let all others from his heartegon,

          And chose her of his own authority;
          For love is blind all day, and may not see.


          (The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer)
          Geoffrey Chaucer coined the famous idiom example “love in blind” in “The Merchant‟s Tale” from his

          masterpiece The  Canterbury  Tales. Shakespeare  later  used  this  phrase  and  popularized  it  even
          more  by  using  it  in  several  plays,  for  example  in The  Merchant  of  Venice,  where  the  character
          Jessica says,


          “I am glad ‟tis night, you do not look on me,
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