When you say one thing, but everyone knows you really mean something else, that’s an idiom. It’s an expression peculiar to itself that cannot be understood from the definitions of its individual words. For example, in the sentence “Fred kicked the bucket”, we know we aren’t talking about someone kicking an actual, physical bucket—the phrase can’t be understood compositionally. It doesn’t say that Fred died, but that’s exactly what it conveys. If your editor says, “We’re on the same page” you would know that he probably isn’t talking about your book, rather that the two of you have come to an understanding.
A native English-speaker knows thousands of idioms and uses many every day. They are in the very air that we breathe, and we assimilate them effortlessly, but idioms don’t translate well—when translated directly word-for-word, either the concept is changed or it becomes entirely absurd. Idioms can also be regional—one that makes sense in some regions might not be understood in others. Or they can be generational—something that works for your grandparents could make you scratch your head and stare.
What do idioms mean?
Idioms often use words in a manner that differs from the norm. Consider make over, make up, make out, give over, give up, give out, give way, and give in. You’ll notice each phrase has nothing to do with the usual idea of over, up, out, way, and in, so how do you figure out their meaning? You probably didn’t study them in school—unless you were in a linguistics class.
Fortunately, some idioms have backstories that help.
- Axe to Grind—having a hidden agenda or motive
- There’s a story about a passing stranger who admires a youth’s grindstone and dupes him into sharpening his axe. Once the axe is sharp, the man walks away, laughing, having used his appreciation of the grindstone to cover up his real agenda—getting his axe sharpened.
- A little bird told me—refusing to name the source of information
- This one traces its written origins to Ecclesiastes 10:20: “…curse not the rich…for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.”
- Brass tacks—details of immediate practical importance
- Instead of holding out a piece of cloth along an arm’s length, cloth was measured between brass tacks set into a shop’s counter. “There was a little square counter, heaped with calicoes and other gear, except a small space clear for measuring, with the yards tacked off with brass tacks.”
Unfortunately, some have changed to suggest the opposite of the original.
- Lead foot—motorist driving at high speeds
- Originally a lead-footed person moved slowly due to lead being a heavy metal.
- Put Out to Pasture—force someone to leave a job because of old age
- Originally it referred to bringing the animals out to feed for the day.
Why do we care?
Using idioms in dialogue can help establish the character’s background, but be careful—using idioms incorrectly will only confuse the reader.