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Body idioms and their origins
silver spoon in mouth: The earliest spoons were made of wood. Godparents used to give a silver spoon to their godchildren at christenings
break a leg: This idiom originates from reverse psychology: If you want good luck, wish for bad luck....
Food idioms and their origins
Not worth his salt : Roman soldiers were given a small amount of money to pay for salt. If the soldiers' performance was not good they weren't worth their salt allowance.
Spill the beans: The origins of this idiom are placed in Ancient Greece and the prevailing voting method which required placing black or white beans in a jar to cast votes. If someone spilled the jar of beans then the results would be prematurely known to everyone.
Upper crust: The crusty top of the bread was considered better and was served to the nobility.
Idioms and imagery
Many idioms used in the English language refer to an imaginary situation and their interpretation demands a combination of mental processes that involve -to a great extent- the use of imagination on the part of the learner. According to a number of researches, transparent idioms (e.g.paddle your own canoe) are easier for students to interpret than opaque idioms (e.g. spill the beans). This supports the fact that students find it easier to interpret language when the literal and figurative meanings of language overlap.
Bearing all these in mind, students can be encouraged to learn the meaning of idioms by connecting them to a mental image. Mental imagery and idioms comprehension are two sides of the same coin; by explaining the figurative meaning of these expressions in class we can help students form a connection between the concrete (the idiom used as a form of language) and the absract (the meaning of the idiom).
How to learn idioms
An idiom is a phrase that has a different, usually metaphorical, meaning from the words in it. You can't understand the meaning of an idiom by simply understanding the words that are in it.
Native speakers use idioms very frequently in their everyday language. However, we are not exposed very often to instances of authentic, native-like language since we are mostly interested in textbook-based language. Unfortunately, we can't learn idioms from textbooks. But we can learn them. Here are some ways to achieve this:
1. Watch English or American TV series and note down every new idiom or phrase you hear.
2. Use a Dictionary of Idioms to understand each new phrase.
3. Repeat the new idioms and their meanings frequently.
4. You will find that many idioms belong to a more general category (e.g. body, weather, animals etc.). This categorization will help you remember them.
5. Use the Internet to find sites with online exercises on idioms.
GOOD LUCK!!!