Give power to your writing and talk by using idiomatic expressions

Give power to your writing and talk

by using idiomatic expressions

Lesson: Interpret each idiomatic expression (two sets)

 and cite an example to illustrate each.   

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog

We encounter idioms everyday, they are part of our conversation and writing. They carry our messages more effectively, often with a touch of diplomacy. Idioms create "pictures" in our imagination, and broaden the scope of our message to the point of delivering a lesson. It may sound moralistic in some cases: "Sour grapes!" "Save for the rainy day." Or apologetic: "To err is human." "Bato-bato sa langit, ang matamaan ay huwag magalit."

Idioms drive what we want to say straight to the point, like "hitting the nail on the head," or "hitting two birds with one stone." Instead of "going around the bush."

There are hundreds of idiomatic expressions in the English language, and thousands in other languages and dialects. 

Here are example of idioms in Tagalog:

1.  Pagputi ang uwak 

2.  Itaga sa bato  

3.  Suntok sa buwan 

4.  Ilista sa tubig 

5.  Gatas sa labi

6.  Buto't balat

7.  Butas ang bulsa 

8.  Magaan ang kamay

9.  Kabiyak ng dibdib

10. Matigas ang katawan

11. Bulaklak ng dila 

12. Mahaba ang kamay

13. Maitim ang buto

14. May nunal sa paa

15. Bilog ang buwan

Have a ready list of sayings and idioms to guide you in delivering a speech, in participating in debates and discussions, in writing news and feature stories, or simply in everyday conversation. 

Common idiomatic expressions

1. The best of both worlds
2. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth
3. Burn the midnight oil
4. Once in a blue moon
5. Blessing in disguise
6. To kill two birds with one stone
7. To kill a mockingbird
8. Bite off more than you can chew
9. To cost an arm and a leg
10. Cry over spilt milk

11. To cut corners
12. At the drop of a hat
13. Take with a grain of salt
14. Add insult to injury
15. Curiosity killed the cat
16. Your guess is as good as mine
17. You can’t judge a book by its cover
18. Speaking of the devil
19. Devil's Advocate
20. Don't put all your eggs in one basket

21. Rotten tomato in a basket full of tomatoes
22. Count the chicks before they hatch
23. Every cloud has a silver lining
24. Back to the drawing board
25. See eye to eye
26. Drop like hot potato
27. Barking up the wrong tree
28. Cut corners
29. Hit the nail on the head
30. Sour grapes

31. When the crow turns white
32. Beat around the bush
33. Give the benefit of the doubt
34. It takes two to tango
35. Jump on the bandwagon
36. Sit on the fence
37. Last straw
38. Straw in the wind
39. Pin in a haystack
40. Make a long story short

41. Miss the boat
42. Picture paints a thousand words
43. Straight from the horse's mouth
44. Taste of your own medicine
45. Let the cat out of the bag
46. Sleep like a log
47. Hold your horses
48. Chin up
49. Pull your leg
50. Raining cats and dogs

     

Acknowledgement: Internet