Everyday Idioms A group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words.

2 When are they used? Idioms appear in every language, and English has thousands of them. They are often confusing because the meaning of the whole group of words taken together has little, often nothing, to do with the meanings of the words. In order to understand an idiom you have to know its “hidden” meaning.

3 For example Barking up the wrong tree To misunderstand a situation and complain to a wrong person or blame a wrong thing

4 Let us look at another example… Being Cool as a Cucumber means being very calm and relaxed even in a difficult situation

5 Try these on your own… You got it…a couch potato. It’s usually someone laying around a lot!!! Now try this one….

6 Can you guess this one? Very good, it’s… putting your foot in your mouth. It means that you said something you shouldn’t have.

7 This is a little more difficult… Did you guess it? I bet you did…it’s… cat’s got your tongue. It means that you don’t know what to say.

8 See if you can figure these out…. On a roll A dog’s life Proud as a peacock

9 Can you find some on your own? Choose an idiom to research. Write the idiom and its meaning on paper. Use the idiom in a sentence or short paragraph. Illustrate its literal meaning. Be creative and have fun!