DE'WAYNE SIMPSON... FULL-TIME ACCESS

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Idioms

Figurative language is way of saying things in a more creative way than you normally would.  Figurative language is not meant to be taken literally, meaning it is not meant to be taken word-for-word.  It is meant to get your attention and be memorable, but you must figure out what the speaker/writer is trying to say or imply.  You must figure out what that person means, the point that the person is trying to make.  There are several different popular forms of figurative language.  Some of these are…

• Similes
• Metaphors
• Hyperbole
• Personification
• Onomatopoeia
• Idioms
• Imagery

An idiom is an expression that people use that means something completely different from what's actually being said.  The literal meaning and the figurative meaning often have absolutely nothing to do with one another. 

Idioms are like slang.  When you use slang, you just expect that the other person already knows what the term or phrase means.  When you use an idiom, it's the same assumption.  You assume that other people will already know what it means.  With idioms, unlike most other forms of figurative language, you can't really make them up.  They have to be commonly used expressions.  And unlike slang, they have to be timeless.  Slang comes in style then goes out of style.  Once it's out of style, not many will ever again learn what it means.  Idioms will be known and used forever.

There are soooooooooo many idioms that could be given as examples.  Below, I have listed some of the ones that I hear or use commonly:

1. break a leg... often said to people before they have to perform as a way of telling them to do a good job.  No, you don't want anyone to actually break a leg.
   
   
2. a piece of cake... an expression used to let someone know that something is/was easy.  No, it does not have anything to do with an actual piece of cake.
   
   
3. beating around the bush... an expression people use when someone is saying everything except what he/she really wants to say.  Usually, it is something that the person doesn't want to say, so he/she tries to talk about other things to avoid having to say it.  Bushes and beatings have nothing to do with the meaning of this idiom.
   
   
4. down to the wire... an expression used when someone takes something right down to the very end or the last second.  This is often used in situations like sports games that are not settled until the last play.  There are no wires involved.
   
   
5. count your chickens before they hatch... this just means that you rely on something that hasn't happened yet.  It has nothing to do with chickens.  For example, sometimes people spend money that they don't have because they are expecting to get some soon.  However, sometimes that money never comes, which leaves them in a bad situation.  Well, I would just tell them next time, "don't count your chickens before they hatch."
   
   
6. go for broke... an expression that means you gamble all that you have at one time, or you try to get everything at one time instead of piece by piece.
   
   
7. hold your horses... this expression just means that you need to pause for a second or wait before you get started.  No one actually holds any horses when this is said.
   
   
8. kick the bucket... means simply to die.  No one actually kicks any buckets, usually because they're dead.  ...bought the farm is another idiom with the same meaning.
   
   
9. drop the ball... an idiom that means simply to make a big mistake, usually a costly one.  This phrase is also used when people let others down.  There does not have to be a ball dropped for this phrase to be used.
   
   
10. on the same page... an expression that means that people are in agreement with one another.  Usually when someone wants to know if someone else agrees or is thinking the same thing, he/she will ask if they are on the same page.