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For I am much ashamed of my exchange:

But love is blind and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit.”

Example #2

PRINCE OF MOROCCO: All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:

Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:

Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

(The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
This example of idiom comes William Shakespeare‟s The Merchant of Venice; suitors from around

the world have come to try for Portia‟s heart. The princes must solve a riddle of choosing the correct
casket of three. The Prince of Morocco chooses the golden casket, and inside he finds the message

beginning “All that glitters is not gold.” He has chosen incorrectly. He assumed that the golden
casket was the most valuable, and thus would be the correct one, but this idiom means that not
everything superficially attractive is valuable.

Example #3

Old Black Joe started crowing out in the henhouse. Then Mother‟s rocking chair cricked for all the

world like she was sitting in it. You know I don‟t take truck with that but it set me minding backwards,
you know how you do sometimes.

(East of Eden by John Steinbeck)

There are several examples of idiom in this short excerpt from John Steinbeck‟s East of Eden,
though it may not appear that way at first glance. Consider the following phrases, though: “For all
the world,” “I don‟t take truck,” and “Set me minding backwards.” These are all idioms. “For all the

world” means definitely seeming a certain way. “I don‟t take truck” means to not have a problem
with something. “Set me minding backwards” means to remember something. This comes from a

letter in which the character Charles is rambling in a somewhat strange way, and Steinbeck‟s usage
of idioms portrays his state of mind and everyday speech patterns.
Example #4

[Jay Gatsby:] “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn‟t take up much of your time and you might
pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing.”

…
[Nick Carraway:] “I‟ve got my hands full,” I said. “I‟m much obliged but I couldn‟t take on any more
work.”