Idioms and Proverbs

Every language has its own collection of wise sayings and expressions. They may offer advice about how to live, and they also transmit some underlying ideas, principles, and values of a given culture or society. We call these sayings idioms and proverbs. Both are part of everyday speech, and they are therefore important to learn.

But what is the difference between idioms and proverbs?

You can distinguish an idiom from a proverb by looking at the length of the saying and its content. Idioms are fixed expressions with a figurative meaning, without expressing advice or a moral. They are not complete sentences, but phrases that you include as a part of your own sentences.

One common idiom is the expression 'to let the cat out of the bag'. It means to reveal a secret, sometimes carelessly or by mistake. For example, you could say 'John let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party next Saturday'.

Like idioms, proverbs often convey something beyond the meaning of the individual words that are put together. Proverbs are short, often metaphorical sayings, and express a basic truth or practical precept, based on common sense. Unlike idioms, they give advice about how you should behave, or they express a belief that is generally thought to be true. Proverbs are often longer than idioms - usually full sentences.

'Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones' is a proverb that is also used in Norwegian. What the sentence literally says is usually not very relevant, but in a figurative sense you will understand that it tells you that you should not criticise others for something when you are vulnerable to the same kind of criticism yourself. For example: 'If you failed your exam you shouldn't make fun of John for failing his. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'.

Many idioms and proverbs have been in the English language for a very long time and have interesting background stories. Here are a few of them:

Let the cat out of the bag
(to reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake)

This idiom is first recorded in the 16th century. It stems from shifty farmers at markets trying to fool pig buyers by putting a cat into the bag instead of the piglet they were buying. The deceit was uncovered if you let the cat out of the bag. In Norwegian we use the idiom å kjøpe katta i sekken. It stems from the same context but means to buy something without inspecting it first and being fooled.

Burning one's bridges
(to do something that makes it impossible for you to return to an earlier situation or relationship)

To burn bridges has been a common military tactic throughout history. In ancient Roman times, when armies crossed a river to invade a new territory, the generals would order the bridges burnt to make sure that their troops couldn’t retreat. There was no escape, and they had to fight to save their lives. Today, the expression is often used to point out that when you move on in life, you shouldn't destroy relationships and make it impossible to return one day.

Dead as a dodo
(to no longer be important or popular, to no longer exist)

The dodo was a bird that lived on the island of Mauritius. It couldn’t fly and was hunted to extinction by the natives. The last live specimen was seen in 1662, and they are thought to have died out completely by 1690. We don’t know exactly what the dodos looked like, but discoveries of skeletal remains of the birds have enabled biologists to reconstruct their form, and it is believed that the bird looked a bit like a turkey.

You will also hear other variants of this idiom with the same meaning, for example dead as mutton, dead as a doornail and dead as a herring.

Mad as a hatter
(to be very silly or stupid)

This term originates from the hat-making industry in the Middle Ages. Hat makers would use highly toxic mercury nitrate in the hat’s rim. After many years working with mercury, people who made these hats would suffer from poisoning, which would result in trembling fits and strange behaviour.

A bigwig
(a person in an important or powerful position)

This term stems from the 17th century, when wig wearing was at its peak. People would keep their hair short and instead wear a wig. Wigs were expensive to buy, and the richer you were, the larger the wigs you could afford. The term 'bigwig' quickly became associated with the rich and powerful.

Some people have contributed to developing the English language more than others, William Shakespeare being the most prominent. He is one of the most influential playwrights of all times and also responsible for having coined some well-known idioms that are still used in the English language today.

These idioms are all taken from William Shakespeare's many plays. Do you know what they mean?

• a wild goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)

• apple of my eye (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

• it’s Greek to me (Julius Caesar)

• eating me out of house and home (Henry IV)

• to have a heart of gold (Henry V)

• to kill with kindness (The Taming of the Shrew)

• laughing stock (The Merry Wives of Windsor)

• wear your heart on your sleeve (Othello)
  

Below, you will find a list of common English idioms and proverbs. Download the file to your computer and add to the list when you find new expressions that you can use. Try to incorporate some of these expressions into your spoken and written language.