IDIOMATIC

EXPRESSIONS
ENGLISH 8 (AFRO-ASIAN LITERATURE)
 WHAT IS AN IDIOM?

• IDIOM COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD

“IDIOS” WHICH MEANS PERSONAL.
• IS A PHRASE OR AN EXPRESSION THAT HAS
A FIGURATIVE, OR SOMETIMES LITERAL,
MEANING.
PIC-CHARADES (PICTURE
+ CHARADES)
•CLASSIFY THE MEANING OF THE
GIVEN ILLUSTRATIONS TO FORM
A PHRASE OR SENTENCE.
Put your foot in your mouth
I have a butterflies in my
Cash Cow
Time flies
Walking in the air
Cat pull your tongue
Raining cats and dogs
Couch Potato
When pigs fly
As cool as Cucumber
 GUIDE QUESTIONS:
• WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT THE
ILLUSTRATED PICTURES?
• WHAT DOES THIS PICTURE MEANS?
• HOW DO IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS CAN ENHANCE
THE VOCABULARY OF THE WRITERS OF ENGLISH?
• DOES IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS LITERALLY DONE
IN REAL LIFE? WHY OR WHY NOT?
HOW DO IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION
USED IN A STATEMENT?

WATCH THIS VIDEO :

GRADE 8 IDIOMS POWTOON.MP4
THERE ARE MANY IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN
OUR LANGUAGE. ONE IS THAT SEVERAL WORDS
ARE COMBINED WHICH LOSE THEIR LITERAL
MEANING AND EXPRESS SOMETHING VERY
REMOTELY SUGGESTED.
EXAMPLES:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER, BLACKLIST, LAY UP, TOE
THE LINE, MAKE OUT, BED OF ROSES, DARK
HORSE, HEAVY HAND, OPEN HOUSE, READ
BETWEEN THE LINES, NO AX TO GRIND, HARD
Black Sheep
Dark Horse
A SECOND STATEMENT ABOUT IDIOMS IS THAT PARTS OF
THE HUMAN BODY HAVE SUGGESTED MANY OF THEM:
BURN ONE‘S FINGERS
ALL THUMBS STEP ON SOMEONE‘S TOES
FLY IN THE FACE OF RUB ELBOWS WITH
STAND ON ONE‘S OWN FEET GET ONE‘S BACK UP
KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER KEEP ONE‘S CHIN UP
KEEP ONE‘S EYES OPEN
Put your foot in your mouth – say or do the
wrong thing
Keep one’s eye
open - To remain
vigilant for
someone or
something. 
To step on
someone’s feet
-  to upset
someone, esp.
by getting
involved in
something that
is that person's
A THIRD GENERALIZATION IS THAT HUNDREDS
OF IDIOMATIC PHRASES CONTAIN ADVERBS OR
PREPOSITIONS WITH OTHER PARTS OF
SPEECH.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:
WALK OFFRUN DOWN GET THROUGH
WALK OVERRUN IN GET OFF
WALK-UP RUN OFF GET NOWHERE
RUN OUT
Walk off - to leave a
place because you are
angry or unhappy
about something
Run off -
 To chase some
one away with 
force or the thr
eat of force or 
punishment.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS AND THEIR
MEANING :

TOP 20 AMERICAN IDIOMS

AND THEIR MEANING
 MIX AND MATCH
• MATCH THE GIVEN PHRASES INTO
THE MISSING WORD TO FORM AN
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION.
 A B
1.A piece of the ice

2.break like a horse

3.Work tears

4.Rock my mind

5.Crocodile the boat

6.Read cake
 DRAW AN IDIOM
• DRAW AN ILLUSTRATION USING
THE GIVEN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION
AND INTERPRET ITS MEANING.
Break her heart

Zip your mouth

Apple of someone’s eyes

Copycat

Make mouth water

 ACT AN IDIOM
•THINK OF AT LEAST THREE
IDIOMS AND ACT THEM OUT IN
A CLASS TO MAKE A GUESS.
 SPOKEN WORD
• COMPOSE AT LEAST EIGHT-LINE
SPOKEN WORD USING THE IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS. READ YOUR WORK IN
THE CLASS.
 SING IT!
SING A SONG AND REPLACE THE LYRICS
USING THE GIVEN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS.
(ANY SONG CAN DO)
 EXERCISES : COMPLETE THE MISSING
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN THE GIVEN
STATEMENT.
A. WRITE A PIECE OF CAKE, ODDS AND ENDS, PROS AND CONS OR
UPS AND DOWN IN THE BLANKS PROVIDED.
1. THE TEACHER ASKED US TO TALK ABOUT THE ___________ OF
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
2. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE IN YOUR
BUSINESS .YOU KNOW THERE ARE ALWAYS ___________ IN BUSINESS.
3. THE POLICE FOUND NOTHING SPECIAL IN THE HOUSE OF THE
CRIMINAL AS HE HAD TAKEN ALL THE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WITH
HIM LEAVING JUST _____________.
4. IF YOU THINK THAT DOING THIS MATH PROBLEM IS __________,
B. WRITE OCEAN, MUSIC, RAGS, COLD AND PIE IN THE BLANKS
PROVIDED.

1. ALL THESE PROMISES THE POLITICIANS MAKE ARE JUST ____ IN THE
SKY.
2. THE SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY DONATED IS JUST A DROP IN THE
_____ COMPARED TO THE LARGE SUM OF MONEY NEEDED.
3. HE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE. HE WENT FROM ____ TO RICHES.
4. THEY HAD A DISPUTE YESTERDAY. THAT‗S WHY SHE GAVE HIM A ___
SHOULDER.
5. I HAD TO FACE THE ____ ALL BY MYSELF, ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT THE
ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROBLEM.