Family idioms

Bo Brezovská
Your own flesh and blood
Your own flesh and blood is used to
mean that somebody is related to you
by blood. When my son came with
that problem, I couldn’t send him away.
He’s my own flesh and blood!
Blood is thicker than water
● Blood is thicker than water means that
family relationships are stronger than any
others.
• If you ever need help, don’t ask
your friends. Come home to your family.
Blood is thicker than water.
Every family has a black sheep
● Every family has a black sheep means
that there is always a member in a family
who is considered a disgrace or failure by
the rest of the family.
My cousin Sue has always
been the black sheep of the family.
She didn’t finish Secondary school
and became pregnant at 16.
It runs in the family
● If something runs in the family it means
that it is common in that family.
All her brothers and sisters have red hair. It
runs in the family.
A chip off the old block
Like father like son
A chip off the old block
Like father like son
These two expressions are used to say that a
child resembles his father or mother.
Mary has a great sense of humour, just like
her dad. She’s a chip off the old block!
To wear the trousers / pants
To rule the roost
To wear the trousers / pants
To rule the roost
● is to be the person in a relationship who
makes all the important decisions.
• There is no doubt about who wears the
trousers in their house.
To bring home the bacon
● To bring home the bacon means to earn
money for the family.
Dave is at home looking after the kids and it’s
Sue who brings home the bacon.
To fly the coop / nest
● To fly the coop / nest is to leave the
parents’ home for the first time in order to
live somewhere else.
The last of our kids have flown the coop, so
we have the whole house to ourselves.