34 Answered Questions for the topic Idioms

12/31/21

What is the difference between idioms and metaphors?
A green thumb or pretty as a rose.
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04/03/20

From an Expert to an Expert: What Is Your Favorite Spanish Idiom?!
Most teachers can agree that mastering idioms in a foreign language is an exciting challenge and true evidence of a great speaker. An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a... more
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Idioms Grammar

08/05/19

In the phrase "man enough", is man an adjective?
I do realize that the phrase *"to be man enough"* is an idiom. But I wonder what is the grammatical/syntactic role that *man* plays in it. Is it an uncountable noun? An adjective? An adverb? Or... more
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08/01/19

Meaning of "I'm kind of on a clock here"?
In the TV show *Friends*, there is the following conversation:> — Did you ask him? — No, I haven't had a chance yet. — I'm kind of on a clock here. — Oh, Fonzie. — You know who I always... more
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07/31/19

Meaning of "Banksy’s your bag"?
In the article about [Dismaland](http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/dismaland/) there is a paragraph saying: > Inside the walls of a derelict seaside swimming resort in>... more
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07/29/19

What is the meaning of "I believe you're up"?
My question is very simple. I just would like to know what do they mean by: "I believe you're up"I've heard this expression in a movie and here is the script:- I already met your dad. He loves me.-... more
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07/29/19

How to understand "cat's evening wear"?
I really had a difficult time to understand this. It comes from a book I am reading, and it is used to describe a concept the author speaks highly of.Does it mean that something is very special? Or... more
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06/25/19

Usage of 'on the brink of'?
(Talking about a chimp): "In human age, he would have been on the brink of puberty." I was told that this sentence is odd because 'be on the brink of' is usually used for something negative:... more
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Idioms Grammar Parsing

06/23/19

Grammar parsing for "if need be"?
I have the following question. There is an idiom 'if need be'. The meaning is clear, but I can't comprehend it from a grammatical point of view. How should I parse it? 'if [smth] needs to be'? Why... more
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06/15/19

'Honey'' Usage Question?
my friend (he's from Europe, white in his 20s) was in the U.S. a while ago and went to a diner a few times. A woman there (in her late 40s, most likely), kept calling him ''honey'' and ''sweetie''... more
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05/31/19

Filler-words in spoken Italian?
In casual, spoken English, there are certain "filler-words" which are very common, but don't really add much to the actual meaning of the sentence. For example: "like, you know..., look....".The... more
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05/22/19

“Avere senso” vs “fare senso”?
My girlfriend is Italian and I've been learning Italian for some time now. I've always used "Fa senso" and she never corrected me. Recently I befriended a girl and when she heard me saying "fa... more
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05/10/19

What does if __name__ == "__main__": do?
What does the `if __name__ == "__main__":` do? # Threading example import time, thread def myfunction(string, sleeptime, lock, *args): while True: lock.acquire() ... more
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04/24/19

Crow collects chunks of glass in a hollow tree?
So I'm reading "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami and I came across this passage this line :"Like the way a crow collects chunks of glass in a hollow tree."In context:---"Don't be silly," said... more
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04/14/19

Unsolvable problem?
What is the correct construction of "unsolvable problem"? Is it "解{と}けられない問題{もんだい}"？**(Question 1)** > Plain(intransitive): 解{と}ける "To be solved". > Potential form(of intransitive): 解けられる... more
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04/03/19

Wither on the vine?
The English idiomatic phrase *to wither on the vine* is used in the context of something or someone who is neglected or ignored. Can anyone please suggest an equivalent idiomatic expression in... more
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04/02/19

My exam question?
I had an exam yesterday and this question was challenging for me>jack is not the kind of man____ work.>1. had avoided 1. avoiding 1. to avoid 1. avoids I answered 2 and someone said I was... more
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04/01/19

Translating "How's the weather over there in January?"?
I am listening to Italian Language tapes that do not have any written material to go with them. As I have made progress, (I am on lesson 45) I am getting a little confused. I believe that there... more
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04/01/19

Translation of the expression "by the way"?
How would you translate the expression "by the way" into Italian? I think it can be translated as "a proposito", but I don't know if there are other possible translations.
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Idioms Italian Usage

03/29/19

Can "sciò" be used for person? If so, in which cases can it be considered acceptable?
I remember my grandmother saying _sciò_ to keep away an animal that was getting too close to something or somebody, whatever it was a cat, a chicken, or a dog.Can that exclamation be used also for... more
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03/26/19

Is there an idiomatic term for Shopaholic?
I write a diary entry in Italian each day to practice my vocabulary and sentence structure. Currently, my theme is 'Chi sono?' so I am looking for words that describe me. Today, I want to write... more
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03/26/19

Elephant in the room. What is the Italian equivalent?
“Elephant in the room” or “Elephant in the living room” This idiom is used when we are referring to a big issue, an obvious truth, or an obvious problem that... more
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03/19/19

What does "le barchette di carta" mean?
Is there a specific idiomatic meaning for "barchette di carta" (in English). I'm trying to translate the following sentence but it refuses to make sense.> "Montale 'fanciullo invecchiato' vede... more
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03/18/19

What is the best English traslation of 'dai che ce dai'?
What is the best English translation of dai che ce dai?Here is the situation in which I encountered the expression. One of my Italian friends was trying to send a sport climbing route which turned... more
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03/18/19

Commonality of specific romantic phrases in Italian?
I was talking to my Italian professoressa and we were basically discussing how couples in Italy interact. Raised in Italy, she insisted that the phrase `Ti amo` is actually very uncommon in Italy... more
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