WIBCI
WIBCI we understood the origin of IDIOMS?
An Idiom is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
Wikipedia describes it as ‘a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a figurative or non-literal meaning, rather than making and literal sense. Categories as formulaic language, an idiomatic expression’s meaning is different from the literal meanings of each word inside it…..In English alone there are an estimated 25,000 idiomatic expressions.
In other words, idioms are phrases that a group understands as having meaning that is not obvious in the words themselves.
So you get what idioms mean, but often we don’t know the origin of the idiom itself. Things that you hear and immediately comprehend the speakers meaning and may even say yourself, but something a foreign exchange student would need explained.
For example per Nedhardy.com:
Cat Got Your Tongue?
This odd little gem likely comes from the 18th century and has two potential sources—both unsettling. One theory suggests it refers to the cat-o’-nine-tails, a whip used by the British Navy, leaving sailors speechless from pain. Another claims it stems from ancient Egypt, where liars and blasphemers had their tongues cut out and fed to cats.
Over the next few days notice if you say/hear/overhear/read an idiom and see if you understand WHY it means what it means.
Last Updated on 12/14/2025 by Death of Hypatia Inc.
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