Idioms used to be a part of speech however, as time passed by, we got easier terms and words and phrases. Using idioms has become quite uncommon and not only idioms, Gen Z often uses short forms. Instead of saying “Talk to you later”, you will see them typing ttyl.
However, there are still some idioms that are commonly used because they are easy to understand. For example, once in a blue moon. Almost everyone knows what this term means. The idioms that are not commonly used or the ones that are forgotten by people are those that have a hidden message.
And just because you cannot easily understand them, you do not use them in your daily speech. But they also deserve to be known and that’s why we will discuss them here.
1. Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones
The complete idiom goes “Sticks and stones may break my bones (but words can also hurt me)”. This is an expression that shows unpleasant things and words said by people can also hurt him.
The detailed meaning of this idiom is a bit different. It means that if I get hit by sticks and stones, they will hurt me physically. I will go through physical pain but it won’t affect my bravery or personality.
On the other hand, if someone is hurting a person with words, it will not cause any physical pain. You won’t see blood and scars. However, it will seriously affect the personality of a person and will cause emotional damage to him.
The biggest example of this is cyberbullying. We are living in the internet era and have access to multiple resources. We share our daily lives on social media. As a result of this, we expose ourselves to criticism.
On one hand, we get more fans and followers and at the same time, we get haters. Therefore, it is important to ensure privacy settings and keep your private life private. You can learn more about how to keep yourself safe while being public too. Click here to learn that.
2. Donkey’s Years
The literal meaning of this idiom is “a very long time”. So if you have not done anything for a really long time, you will say, I have not done this for donkey’s years. You might also hear someone saying that the correct term is donkey’s ears. It might be true because we have verbal terms. But whatever it is, both will depict the same meaning.
But why the donkey’s time?
Well, this is because donkeys live for a long time. Furthermore, their ears are also quite long. So whether you use years or ears, both words rhyme and mean the same.
So the next time your friends ask you about something you are not doing now, you can use this phrase. It will be fun and you will be teaching them something. Plus, you will have a fun time talking about something like this.
3. All Mouth, No Trousers
Imagining this is just hilarious. However, its meaning is not quite fun. This idiom is commonly used in sexual content. It is used to describe a male person who is making idle threats but cannot actually do anything.
However, it is not limited to that only.
You can use it for anyone who is boastful but cannot do the thing. No need to be all serious with idioms. If your mom is threatening to beat you up if you don’t make your bed, you can say this to her. Mom, you are all mouths, no trousers. Because you also know she won’t beat you up, right? Or she might? Well, that’s a different question. Hope you won’t get hit with a flying sandal after saying this.
4. Pardon my French
This idiom is a need of time. Why? Because of its meaning.
It is used to excuse the user of profanity or something filthy. If you have used a swear word and you want to excuse yourself, this is the right term. This will depict the message that what you just said is a word from a foreign language.
So if you mistakenly use a swear word in front of someone respectable, you should correct yourself. And the best way is to use the term “Pardon my French”. The other person might actually think that you have used a foreign word instead of a swear.
5. Break a Leg
Well, you don’t need to break someone’s leg. This idiom just expresses the term “good luck”.
If you are nowhere near a theater, you might not have heard this term. Your friends and family members will simply say best of luck or good luck before your exam. However, the theater family is a bit different.
They do not see good luck. Instead, they use the term “break a leg” before they go to their stage. So if you hear someone saying “break a leg” loudly, do not assume that there is going to be a fight.
6. Chew the Fat
Gossiping about others is not something that should be appreciated. It has never been like this in the past however, now we have magazines that do the same job. In some religions, gossiping and backbiting are equal to eating your brother’s flesh. This “Chew the fat” has a similar meaning.
This idiom expresses talking (mainly gossiping) non-stop for hours. The term originated from talking with your gathering while chewing the leftover fat. So you can express someone’s chatty behavior with this idiom too. For example, you can say, ”she can chew the fat for hours”.
7. To Go Pear Shape
Although pear shape is now used to describe a body shape, this was not the case previously. This idiom expresses something that has gone bad.
For example, you are good at shooting. However, while you were having a match with your friends, you missed your shots. So you can express it like, it all goes pear shaped. because it did not go as planned and things got ruined.