The fun side of English
You may have many memories that you are not very fond of which are filled with endless hours in tuition classes and English periods where you all seemed to be learning grammar and grammar only causing you to go into vivid day dreaming and waking up drooling when you get hit on the head with a chalk piece your strict English teacher most impressively aimed at. Grammar might have bored you to death. And you might have thought that English is all about grammar. But dear readers, it is much more than that. Just like in any language English too has its witty and fun sides. So let’s have some fun with English.
Idioms
One of the most interesting and engaging sections in this language is idioms. It is used figuratively and one cannot understand the meaning of a certain idiom just by the words in it because they might seem nonsensical. But by knowing the story behind it we can understand how they are used exactly.
Behind each idiom there is a fun and exciting story. Many historical incidents have paved way for the origin or idioms. Most native speakers have formed these from day to day activities they carried out. Their livelihood and essence is contained in these expressions. And to this day we use them while we are speaking. It keeps the language alive and gives it a sense of flavor. So let’s see how some of the most famous idioms came into life.
- Spill the beans
This idiom is used to express the act of leaking a secret.
This idiom is said to be derived from ancient Greece. In the governing table at a time of an election people would vote their preference by the use of coloured beans. A white bean would mean ‘yes’ while a black bean would mean ‘no’. and by the end of the election all the beans are collected in a vase. So if someone were to spill the vase and let the beans out before the proper time of counting the votes, people would easily know who won before the intended time. And that is how this idiom came into usage.
When someone leaks a secret people would just say that they spilled the beans.
Sarah spilled the beans about the surprise part to John before his birthday.
- Butter someone up
This means to praise or flatter someone with the purpose of gaining a personal favor.
And this idiom is said to have originated from ancient India where people used to throw butter bowls at the statues of Gods to ask for good fortune. It was considered as a customary religious act in India.
She buttered him up to get the car keys
- Riding shotgun
This means to ride in the front seat of the vehicle next to the driver.
And it was originated in the wild west ( a 19th century era of settlement in Western United states where it said that people used to live lawlessly and in a disorderly manner.) where the person sitting next to the driver in a coach is supposed to carry a shotgun to shoot at any robbers who came at the coach.
- Bite the bullet
This idiom is used to express the endurance of a painful and unpleasant situation.
It originated in 1800 where anesthesia was not common in surgery. Those days’ patients had to bite down on a bullet to cope with the pain during the surgery.
- To turn a blind eye.
This idiom is used when one consciously ignores unwanted information.
This originated with Admiral Horatio Nelson who was blind in one eye. He would knowingly look through his telescope at his superiors with his blind eye to avoid their signals of telling him to withdraw from battle.
Proverbs
Proverbs are wise sayings which people built from daily experiences. They are generally used to express the obvious truth about certain situations. They were passed down from generation to generation and to this day we use them because the sayings hold general truths about the way of life and human behavior which hasn’t changed much from those days.
- A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
This says that the things we already have with us are more valuable than the things that we hope to achieve in the future.
2. Actions speak louder than words.
This proverb teaches us about the importance of our actions which are the reflections of one’s character. A person can say many things about what he hopes to do but words doesn’t matter as much as the actions do. It is only when that person carries out what he said, makes an impact.
3. A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
This says that a person who is in a very bad situation or trouble will take any available opportunity to get out of that bad situation.
4. A fool and his money are soon parted.
We say this to people who carelessly spend or lose their money since foolish people are not adapt to deal with matters of money.
5. A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.
However big the task or journey at hand is it always start with that single first step which is also the most important. So we should focus on that single first step rather than shifting our focus on the enormity of the task or situation.
Simile
These are figures of speech where two objects are compared with the use of words ‘like’ and ‘as’. They are used in everyday conversations and writing. And mostly used in poems and many other literary pieces.
Some of the most common examples of simile are,
- Blind as a bat
- Light as a feather
- Like watching paint dry
- Works like a charm
- Old as the hills
- Pretty as a picture
- Hurts like the devil
- Strong as an ox
- Fight like cats and dogs
- Sparkle like diamonds
- Cheeks like roses
- Flat as a pancake
- Eyes like glass
- Sweet as sugar
- Dull as a doorknob
- Bright as the sun
- Tough as nails
- Smart as a whip
- Mad as a hatter
- Happy as a clam
Other than the above there are some famous examples of simile used by authors, singers and poets in their creations. And with those they came into conversation among people and are sometimes used as quotes.
These help the progression of the language and add a unique beauty to this language because they are so relatable with the experiences of people.
- Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. (Albert Einstein)
- Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die. (Anne Lamott)
- Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom. (Arthur Schopenhauer)
- Life is like writing with a pen. You can cross out your past but you can’t erase it. (E.B. White)
- We are like roses that have never bothered to bloom when we should have bloomed and it is as if the sun has become disgusted with waiting. (Charles Bukowski)
These are some of the most interesting literary devices which can make the language fun to learn. So learn more about them to keep the learning process fun and exciting. Use them in writing and speaking to get more familliar with them. And when you come across new such expressions though books, films and poems add them to your collection.