Idiom
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different from what it says - it is usually a metaphor. Only people who are very good at speaking the language of the idiom will know what an idiom means. This is because in order to understand an idiom, you usually need to know the culture the idiom comes from. In the idiom break a leg, even if you know all the words, you still can't understand the meaning unless you know about the culture of English-speaking actors. Idioms are not the same thing as slang. Idioms are made of normal words that have a special meaning known by almost everyone. Slang is usually special words that are known only by a particular group.
There are about 4000 idioms used in American English, and probably more in British English. To even explain what they mean needs about 2000 words of vocabulary. This is about the same as the most difficult Simple English we use here, which is between Basic English (for the simplest articles) and 2000 words (which definition of an idiom requires). A full explanation of idioms requires the use of many words from the field of linguistics, which is probably too complex for Simple English.
[edit] Some Common Idioms
- Break a leg
- A way to wish someone good luck.
- Live it up
- Live wild, Enjoy life , go to a lot of parties
- Kick the bucket
- To die.
- Shed crocodile tears
- To seem sorry for something when in fact you aren't.
- wild goose chase
- Useless journey or pursuit
