Good morning!
A couple of weeks ago I shared a list of common English idioms with you, and in return, I asked you to share your favorite idioms, English or otherwise, with me. Thanks to everyone who submitted—and thanks for providing the translations for the non-English idioms. (I did not investigate these translations to make sure the submitters got them right. If you can’t trust an Editor’s Corner reader, who the heck can you trust?) Here are all the idioms I received that are fit to print. J
| Idiom in English | Translation | Language of Origin | Explanation |
| Costs an eye of the face | Cuesta un ojo de la cara | Spanish | Very expensive |
| Even monkeys may fall from trees | 원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다 | Korean | Even experts make mistakes |
| Finer than a frog hair split four ways | English/USA, southern states | Outstanding! | |
| I should cocoa | English/UK | I should think so (often sarcastic) | |
| Knee-high to a grasshopper | English/USA, southern states | Most often used to refer to size or growth: “You were just knee-high to a grasshopper.” | |
| Long in the tooth | English | Old; used up; past its prime | |
| Madder than a wet hen | English/USA, southern states | Very angry | |
| Nip in the bud | English | Prevent a small problem from getting worse | |
| Oh, my giddy aunt! | English/UK | An exclamation of surprise | |
| Pull your socks up | English/UK | Improve your behavior or work; get on with it | |
| Push the envelope | English | To expand the definition, categorization, dimensions, or perimeters of something | |
| Rat road | Jalan tikus | Indonesian | Short cut |
| Take the mickey | English/UK | Tease | |
| With bells on | English | Dressed up; ready to go; eager | |
| Worth its weight in gold | English | Highly valued; extremely useful | |
| You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear | English/USA, southern states | You can dress it up, but you can’t improve the quality (often used to describe a person) | |
| You can’t taste your own spit | De gustibus non est disputandum | Latin | In matters of taste, there can be no dispute |
Donna Bradley Burcher | Technical Editor, Senior | Symitar®
8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432
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