BONA

FIDE
 BREAK
THE LAW
BUILD A
CASE
BY THE
BOOK
 CIVIL
ACTION
 DUE
PROCESS
 FALSE
WITNESS
LAY DOWN
THE LAW
POWER OF
ATTORNEY
IN GOOD
FAITH
PRIMA
FACIE
 TURN A
BLIND EYE
SHOW
CAUSE
UNDER A
CLOUD
SKIP BAIL
 Idioms/
Idiomatic
Expressions
•Idioms are expressions
which have a meaning
that is not obvious from
the individual words.
•It is a phrase that has
a figurative language
in meaning.
Why do we need to
learn idioms?
 To improve our
level of English
 To understand
native speakers
 Types of idioms:
1) Some idioms are imaginative
expressions such as proverbs and
sayings. “Too many cooks spoil the
broth.”
2) Other idioms are short expressions
that are used for a particular
purpose. “Get lost!”
Types of idioms:
3) Similes: “white like a chalk”
4) From grammatical point of view we
distinguish: verb + object/
complement, phrase, clauses or
sentences. “to cut a short story long”
5) Euphemisms.
He spilled the beans

He told
the
secret.
Get off my back!

Leave
me
alone!
We were in stitches!

We were
laughing
very
hard!
Go fly a kite!
Go
away!
She was dressed to kill

She was dressed in her finest clothing.

I’m at the end of my rope!
I am so frustrated!
You have to bite the bullet

You need to put up with this

difficult situation.
Teachers always stick to their guns

Teachers never
change their
opinions.
 Money talks

Money influences a
lot of people.
We can divide idioms into different
categories:
• Body parts
• Animals
• Nature
• Food
• Money
• Sport
• Colors
 Body parts
• two-faced = someone deceitful or
insincere
• take the words out of somebody's
mouth = to say exactly what
someone else was going to say
• catch somebody's eye =
someone you find attractive
• all ears = you are listening very
attentively
 Body parts
• a pain in the neck = a person who
is very irritating or annoying
• to get cold feet = to begin to
hesitate about doing; (you are no
longer sure whether you want to
do it or not)
• keep someone on their toes =
make them stay alert and ready
for action at any time
 Body parts
• give them a cold shoulder = to
deliberately ignore.
• on the tip of your tongue = a word
or an answer that you're sure you
know but have difficulty finding it
• have your hands full = you are
very busy or you have a lot to do
• keep your fingers crossed = hope
that something will be successful
 Animals
• like a bat out of hell = something
that moves very quickly
• kill two birds with one stone = to
succeed in doing two things at the
same time
• as the crow flies = This expression
refers to distance measured in a
straight line
 Animals
• let the cat out of the bag =
reveal a secret, often not
intentionally
• raining cats and dogs = it's
raining very heavily
• work like a dog = very hard
 Animals
• sounds or smells fishy = you are
suspicious about it
• pigs might fly = expresses disbelief,
or the idea that miracles might
happen but are extremely unlikely
• a snake in the grass = refers to
someone who pretends to be your
friend while actually betraying you
 Nature
• in the dark = someone who is kept or left
in the dark about something, is not
informed about it
• save (something) for a rainy day = to keep
an amount of money for a time in the
future when it might be needed
• Once in a blue moon = something that
occurs very rarely
 Nature
• chasing rainbows = Someone trying to get
something they will never obtain
• storm in a teacup = refers to something you
think people are making a lot of unnecessary
fuss or excitement about and is unimportant
• face like thunder = someone who looks very
angry
• under the weather = not feeling very well
 Food
• cool as a cucumber = a person who is not
anxious, but relaxed and non-emotional
• spill the beans = reveal a secret or talk
about something private
• the icing on the cake = an extra benefit
that makes a good situation even better
 Food
• food for thought = something that makes you
think very hard about something
• hot potato = a very sensitive and controversial
matter which is difficult to deal with
• easy as pie = something that it is very easy to do
• The proof of the pudding is in the eating =
means that something new can only be judged
after it has been tested.
 Money
• burn your fingers = suffer financially as a result
of foolish behaviour
• cost an arm and a leg = something that is very
expensive
• feel the pinch = begin to suffer from a lack of
money
• golden handshake = generous sum of money
given to a person when they leave a company
or retire
 Money
• money to burn = People who have so
much money that they can spend it on
anything they want
• money talks = means that people with a
lot of money have power and influence
• nest egg = a reserve of money which you
put aside for future needs
• be paid peanuts = have a very low salary
 Sport
• have a ball = to have a good
time or enjoy yourself
• the ball is in your court = it is
your turn to speak or act next
• play the game = to accept to
do things according to the
rules laid down by others
 Sport
• paddle one's own canoe = to do what
you want to do without help or
interference from anyone
• sail through something = (e.g. a test
or an exam) to succeed in doing it
without difficulty
• skating on thin ice = doing or saying
something that could cause
disagreement or trouble
• take someone for a ride = to deceive
or cheat someone
 Colours
• black mood = to be irritable, angry or
even depressed
• blue chip company = refers to a
company with a solid reputation for
the quality of its products and the
stability of its growth and earnings
• blue-eyed boy = somebody's
favourite
 Colours
• golden opportunity = a favourable
time or excellent occasion which
should not be missed
• silver spoon = to be born with a silver
spoon in your mouth means that your
family is very rich and privileged
• to have green fingers = to be good at
gardening
EUPHEMISM
 Euphemism is a substitution of an
agreeable or less offensive expression
in place of one that may offend or
suggest something unpleasant to the
listener.
 Euphemism it carries a
connotative meaning. Its
opposite is the dysphemism.
 Euphemism
• Made up of three bound morphemes:,
all Greek in origin:
eu (good) +
phem(voice) +
ism (act/result)
USAGE
• It is used by the Ancient Greeks as
euphemism meaning “to keep a holy silence”.
• It is used to avoid words considered rude;
USAGE
• used for dissimulation, to refer to taboo
topics(such as disability, sex, excretion, and
death) in a polite way, and to mask
profanity.
 TYPES
OF EUPHEMISM
 ABSTRACTION :
Some euphemisms serve to
distance people from unpleasant
or embarrassing truths, as when
we say that a dead person
passed away.
Ex : Passed away for die.
 INDIRECTION :
A euphemism may replace an explicit
description of an action, as when
people speak of going to the bathroom
or of others sleeping together.
Ex: Hide the sausage instead of sex your
place or mine? - when offering sex
 LITOTES :
Sometimes, euphemism occurs in the
form of this rhetorical device in which
the gravity or force of an idea is
softened or minimized by a double
negative.
Ex: "not so big" for short "not exactly a
supermodel" for ugly "not true" for a lie
 MISPRONUNCIATION :
Alteration of pronunciation so as not
to offend people by using profanity
(figurative or literal). : These types of
euphemisms, involving rhyme,
alliteration, or shortening.
Ex: shoot instead of shit
gosh instead of god
 MODIFICATION :
A bluntly offensive noun can be
transformed into a euphemism
by converting it to an adjective.
Ex: "...makes her look slutty"
instead of "...is a slut"
 PERSONIFICATION :
One form of euphemism is when
things that some people prefer
not to mention candidly, such as
genitals, are assigned personal
names.
Ex: "Dick" for penis
 SLANG :
Much of slang, derived to
produce a vocabulary exclusive
to a social group, is euphemism.
Ex: "screwed up" is a
euphemism for fucked up
Examples of Euphemisms
1.garbage man sanitation engineer
2. old people senior citizen
3. pregnant in the family way
4. die pass away
5. the dead the deceased /the late
6. burier undertaker
7. lunatic asylums mental institutions
Examples of Euphemisms
1. Correctional facility jail
2. differently abled handicapped
3. Relocation center prison camp
4. on the streets homeless
5. pregnancy termination abortion
6. put to sleep Euthanize
7. adult beverages liquors/ beer
 EUPHEMISM IDIOMS
a substitution for an an expression, word,
expression that may offend
or phrase that has a
or suggest something
unpleasant to the receiver,
figurative meaning
using instead an agreeable that is comprehended
or less offensive in regard to a
expression, or to make it common use of that
less troublesome for the expression that is
speaker.  separate from the
literal meaning or
definition of the
words of which it is
made. 
 Common Idiomatic Phrases &
Expressions
Idiom Meaning
1. This idiom is used as a way of asking
1. A penny for your someone what they are thinking about.
thoughts 2. To make a bad situation even worse.
2. Add insult to injury 3. When something happens very rarely.
4. idiom is used to say that two (or more
3. Once in a blue moon people) agree on something.
5. This means ‘to hear a rumor' about
4. See eye to eye something or someone.
5. Hear it on the grapevine 6. This idiom is used to say that someone
missed his or her chance at something.
6. Miss the boat
 Common Idiomatic Phrases
Idiom
& Expressions
Meaning
1. This means ‘to do two things at the
1. Kill two birds with one
same time'.
stone
2. When someone understands the
2. On the ball situation well.
3. Cut corners 3. When something is done badly to
save money.
4. To hear something straight
from the horse's mouth 4. To hear something from the
authoritative source.
5. Costs an arm and a leg 5. When something is very expensive.
6. The last straw 6. The final problem in a series of
problems
Choose the right answer.

1) I don't trust Jack. I find him ………………

a) two-headed
b) three-eyed
c) two-faced

2) I entirely agree with you. You took the words out of my …………
a) head
b) mouth
c) hand

3) When Dad is really angry, he has a face like …………

a) thunder
b) storm
c) cloud
4) Good news! I get the job and the ……… on the cake is
that I get a company car too.
a) cherry
b) cream
c) icing

5) Don't mention that subject during the negotiations or you could be …………
on thin ice.
a) running
b) walking
c) skating

6) Don't expect any sympathy from him. He's as hard as …………

a) nails
b) hammer
c) stone
7) I'm doing my driving test tomorrow. Keep your …………
crossed for me.
a) fingers
b) fists
c) toes

8) Young people today tend to go ………… when they go out together.

a) French
b) Dutch
c) Danish

9) It's usually safe to invest in a …………-chip company.

a) golden
b) blue
c) white
 KEY
Choose the right answer:
1) C
2) B
You should not try to guess!
3) A If you did, we can say:
„It was just a blind guess.“
4) C
5) C
6) A
7) A
8) B
9) B