Idioms & Phrases
Understand why an idiom has a conventionally understood figurative meaning that differs from the literal meanings of its individual words.
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Idioms and Phrases: Figurative Meaning
Understand why an idiom has a conventionally understood figurative meaning that differs from the literal meanings of its individual words.
Open article →Idioms as Whole Expressions
Read an idiom as one conventional unit and use context to distinguish its intended figurative meaning from an impossible or misleading literal reading.
Open article →Once in a Blue Moon and On the Ball
Use sentence context to understand once in a blue moon as something rare and on the ball as understanding a situation well.
Open article →Food Idioms and Their Meanings
Learn bad egg, a piece of cake, in a nutshell and the apple of my eye through textbook meanings and application sentences.
Open article →Sport Idioms and Their Meanings
Learn the ball is in your court, saved by the bell and hat trick through their mapped meanings and contextual application sentences.
Open article →Number Idioms and Their Meanings
Learn four number idioms for difficult choices, great happiness, disorder and last-moment action through mapped meanings and examples.
Open article →Phrases as Literal Conceptual Units
Contrast idioms with phrases, which keep literal meaning and form short or long conceptual units without the subject-verb pairing of a clause.
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