Day 4: idioms around the house

Hi everyone!

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: we're all homebound, and trying to make the most of what we have around us, rediscovering the beauty of our living spaces, if you will.

So I thought I'd challenge you to take a look around and find the idioms that are "hidden" around us when we're at home. What idioms can you find that feature these household items?

- door
- handle
- fence
- ceiling
- bed
- book
- picture

... and as an extra, what idioms can you think of that contain the words "house" or "home"? My favourite would be "hit home": The full extent of this situation only hit home when we looked out of the window to see empty streets (true dat).


Give us a definition and/or an example sentence with the idioms you find!


Comments

  1. fdgcMarch 17, 2020 at 4:06 AM

    Hi, this is my selection:

    To be broad as a barn door: to be very wide
    Your mattress is as broad as a barn door, there's no way you'll fit it in that room!

    To get a handle on something: to have a firm, clear understanding or determination of something
    Go down to the circuit breaker and see if you can get a handle on what's causing the power outages

    To sit on the fence: to delay making a decision
    You can't sit on the fence any longer - you have to decide whose side you're on.

    To have a glass ceiling: to have a point after which you cannot go any further, usually in improving your position at work
    Various reasons are given for the apparent glass ceiling women hit in many professions

    To be no bed of roses: to be a challenging and/or unpleasant situation
    Of course that project is no bed of roses—why else would they assign it to a lowly intern like me?

    That sounds like something in my book: to see something as good and happy

    To paint a rosy picture of something: to see something very optimistically

    Get on like a house on fire: If two people get on like a house on fire, they like each other very much and become friends very quickly
    I was worried that they wouldn't like each other but in fact they're getting on like a house on fire

    ReplyDelete
  2. EvelitaMarch 17, 2020 at 4:53 AM

    Hi!!

    Thanks, again, Bea! This blog is certainly helping me during this quarantine!

    "Hit home" is also my favourite idiom related to home, just learnt it a few weeks ago when talking with a friend in England and found it really useful :-)

    Here I go with some other idioms, their definitions and homemade examples

    To get a leg in the door. The chance to do something that could lead to further opportunities.

    “I know that working as a volunteer in the Madrid Open might not be the most challenging job in the world, but it can help you to get a leg in the door when it comes to getting some cheap tickets for the final”


    To fly off the handle. To lose one’s temper suddenly and unexpectedly

    “After a hard training week, Anna flew off the handle when she was not called up for her team that weekend”


    The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Something that you say that means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be.

    “I sometimes think I’d be happier if working for a State University, but you know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”


    Go through the ceiling. To increase significantly and often suddenly.

    “Her interest in the understanding of teaching processes went through the ceiling after reading Josh Waitzkin book”

    Be no bed of roses. To be a challenging and/or unpleasant situation.

    “Bringing up that issue is no bed of roses, but I certainly believe we have to if we want to keep working together”



    To be an open book. If someone is an open book, it is easy to know what they are thinking and feeling.

    “If she was smiling when she said that she’s proud of you, she meant it. She’s such an open book”



    To be the picture of something. To be a very good example of a particular condition or attitude

    “I’d say the reason why Patty and Eli have so many followers is that they are the picture of courage when things do not go well”



    A home truth. A true but unpleasant fact about yourself that another person tells you

    “I think that considering he’s just found out that his wife was cheating him, it’s hardly the moment to tell him a few home truths”

    See you!

    ReplyDelete

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