Written by Holly Bell, Director of First Impressions
Have you been “counting your chickens before they’re hatched”? Or dreaming about something with “all the bells and whistles”? Maybe, during Winter Break, you’ll find yourself “tripping the light fantastic”? But have you ever “fiddled while Rome burned”?
What? Have I picked up a new language? Actually, I was just browsing through the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms by Marvin Terban, 1996. In a way, it reminds me of a time when my daughter was younger; we used to tease her about never going on a trip without her dictionary. My sister and I took both of my children to Alaska one August. What a fantastic time we had! When we settled in at a bed and breakfast that first night, I discovered that my baby girl (6 or 7 years old) had packed her picture dictionary in her bag. What a heavy load! And so precious! Unusual as it is, sometimes she and I actually enjoy leafing through reference books to learn new facts.
Earlier this year, I referenced a couple of different idioms (sayings with a different meaning when taken all together as a phrase instead of reading each word individually or literally) to a couple of different students. The first was “get your goat” (“to annoy very badly, to make a person angry”). My dad once handed me a small wooden goat figurine when I was upset and he said, “Holly, don’t let them get your goat.” I lived on a farm, but we didn’t have any goats (like we DO at Great River!). I didn’t understand him at first. Why would anyone want this little figurine? And what did that have to do with my anger? He explained the idiom to me and now I pass that wisdom along. Another idiom I talked to a different student about was to “get the monkey off of your back” (face the problem that’s been bugging you, understand it, and don’t let it bother you anymore). Once again, I gave a little plastic figurine (of a monkey) as a symbol to remember the idiom and it’s real meaning. Putting the message into an idiom adds variety to our understanding and retention of the information.
Idioms can be a fun way to learn history - or to learn English. Are there some favorite sayings that are mentioned in your family? My grandma used to talk about her friend who always had a “bee in her bonnet” (crazy idea, or an obsession with an idea). THAT was a difficult one for me to figure out when I first heard it growing up. This book of idioms gives some history of how the phrase came to be, so it’s a fun way to learn.
You might know the meanings of the idioms I mentioned earlier. Do you think you could make up some idioms of your own that might be strong enough to carry on through the years? If you’re up to the challenge, over Winter Break, send your ideas to me and I’ll do my best to pass them along as I chat with people at the front desk. I’d love to help spread the word(s)! As for those initial idioms in this piece, the chicken one is about depending on a profit of some kind before you have the goods in your hands. The bells/whistles is about something that is especially flashy with high-tech features. To trip the light fantastic is to dance. And the one about Rome? It means “to do nothing or busy yourself with unimportant matters instead of taking action in an urgent situation. There’s a famous legend that in A.D. 64 Emperor Nero stood on a high tower and played his lyre (fiddle) while he watched Rome burn.” Now whether the legend is true or not is another opportunity - to research. Who was Emperor Nero? See how much you can learn from idioms?
Have a great Winter Break!
On we go,
Holly