Seminar 16

Rakhmetova Lana 407 group

1. Are idioms arbitrary?

Linguists used to believe that idioms were completely arbitrary: that is, you could not
guess their meaning from the words they consist of. Consequently, teachers used to
tell their students that the only way to master idioms was to learn them by heart.
Fortunately, we now know that many idioms can be explained after all, and so they
can be learned in systematic ways. Research tells us that when idioms are presented as
non-arbitrary features of language, students find them much easier to understand and
remember. In the following sections we will demonstrate the non-arbitrary nature of
idioms.

2. b) When are idioms used?

Broadly speaking, an idiom is a widely used phrase that, when taken as a
whole, has a particular meaning that you would not be able to deduce from the
meanings of the individual words. The ubiquitous greeting “How are you doing
today?” is an example of an idiom. Normally, how means “in what manner” or
“to what degree.” Taken literally, the question doesn’t make a lot of sense. But
fluent English speakers understand the idiomatic meaning; “How are you doing
today?” usually just means “hello.”

3. c) What does it mean “In black and white” ?

Meaning
 printed form of a document
 formally, on paper and in writing
 if something is in black and white, it means one has to be correct and
second has to be incorrect
 in absolute terms; without shades of grey
 seeing things in absolute extremes
 lacking colours except black and white

4. d) Idioms as Part of the Culture

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an idiom is an expression that cannot
be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate
meaning of its own. In other words, idioms are composed of words that should not be
taken literally. Idioms are phrases or expressions that help people communicate their
thoughts and feelings in a different way from what they do with everyday words and
phrases. To understand idioms you have to know the culture that is behind them, or at
least their origin. We can say that understanding idioms is like being “in over one’s
head”, meaning it is something difficult to do
1) Have you heard any strange slang words or idioms lately? Do you know
what they mean?

1. Under the weather

What does it mean? To feel ill

How do you use it? In England we love to talk about the weather and will do
so often, but don’t be fooled by this common phrase. If someone says
they’re feeling under the weather, your response should be ‘I hope you feel
better!’, not ‘Would you like to borrow my umbrella?’.

2. The ball is in your court

What does it mean? It’s up to you

How do you use it? It’s your move now, but this idiom refers to life rather
than a sport. If you’ve got the ‘ball,’ the decision is yours and someone is
waiting for your decision.

3. Spill the beans

What does it mean? To give away a secret

How do you use it? If you told someone about their own surprise party,
you’d have ‘spilled the beans’ or even ‘let the cat out of the bag’. The secret
is out.

4. Break a leg
What does it mean? To wish someone luck

How do you use it? This idiom is not at all threatening. Often accompanied
by a thumbs up, ‘Break a leg! ’is an encouraging cheer of good luck. It
originates from when successful theater performers would to bow so many
times after a show that they would break a leg.
5. Pull someone’s leg
What does it mean? To play a practical joke

How do you use it? This is the perfect phrase to learn if you’re a fan of
practical jokes. ‘Pull their leg’ is similar to ‘wind someone up’. Use it in
context: ‘Relax, I’m just pulling your leg!’ or ‘Wait, are you pulling my
leg?’.

6. Sat on the fence

What does it mean? To be undecided

How do you use it? If you’re sat on the fence, you’ve not decided which
side of an argument you agree with. ‘I’m on the fence about hot yoga
classes,’ translates as ‘I’m not sure whether I enjoy yoga in a sauna yet.’

7. Through thick and thin

What does it mean? To be loyal no matter what

How do you use it? Often used to describe families or BFFs, ‘through thick
and thin’ means that you’re by each other’s side no matter what happens,
through the bad times, as well as the good.

8. Once in a blue moon

What does it mean? Rarely

How do you use it? This charming phrase is used to describe something that
doesn’t happen often. Example: ‘I remember to call my parents from my
study abroad trip once in a blue moon.’

9. It’s the best thing since sliced bread

What does it mean? It’s really, really good

How do you use it? Sliced bread must have revolutionised life in England
because it’s since been used as the ultimate benchmark for things that are
great. We love it almost as much as tea.

10. Take it with a pinch of salt

What does it mean? Don’t take it too seriously
 How do you use it? ‘I heard that elephants can fly now, but Sam often
makes up stories so I take everything he says with a pinch of salt.’
2) In English, there are animal and/or food words in many of idioms and slang.
Is it that true in your native language? If not, what is common in your
idioms and slang?
In the Kazakh language, the following are distinguished: “Burinin auz zhesé de
kan, zhemese de kan” (whether a wolf stole it or not, and his mouth is always in
his blood), “kasyr kasyrlykyn koymaydy” (the wolf will not cease to be a wolf), ,
Orlygy Ashin Arady "(the wolf is beaten not because he is gray, but because he ate
a sheep), which characterize the constancy of the signs of" greed "," gluttony ". It
follows that the connotative semantics of the zoomorphism wolf is common for the
Russian and Kazakh languages.
3) Some idioms have been around for many years and people may not know
their origin. Are there any idioms like that in your native language? Share
with a partner
Zharyқ kүnde tүsken zhasyndai - Like a bolt from the blue

Dalbasamen uaqyt utkizu - Spending time aimlessly

Қol қaғysty - Shook hands (agreed)