Talk:Idiom

I'm not sure that's what "Drives me crazy" means. Can somebody confirm either way? -- Tango 11:54, 9 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Its both -- Punk Boi 8 04:53, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Idiom[change source]

"In order to understand an idiot, you usually need to know the

culture

the idiot comes from" they come from stupidity

Uh... can't you just explain what the idiom means to a person unfamiliar with the culture the idiom comes from? Panda Bear | Talk | Changes 23:43, 18 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to do a major rewrite. Most native British English speakers know "No room to Swing a cat" means "there was not a lot of space" few know it is because to punish a sailor 200 years you needed plenty of room to swing the whip - cat o'nine tails. I (and most actors I suppose) don't know why something bad = something good but "break a leg" ---barliner--talk--contribs- 14:46, 19 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

A major rewrite is appreciated; try to keep it well sourced.

And as a temporary remedy, I'm going to change that statement ot "...you sometimes need to know..." - Huji ^reply 19:04, 19 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, and I'm going to push that statement up! - Huji ^reply 19:05, 19 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

to play cat and mouse = to play games[change source]

This has been made so Simple that you have lost the true meaning. To play cat and mouse means to toy with someone/something, to tease or trick them. Just like a cat plays with a mouse just before it kills it, "to play games" could be taken up as to play a game of scrabble or football! See here... Free Dictionary Jaqian (talk) 13:28, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

pay through the nose[change source]

I have removed the idiom (sic) "Pay through the nose" from the examples of non-idioms given at the end of the article for two reasons: 1) it is included in published idiom collections and 2) my EFL students cannot understand it with-out an explanation -- I can't believe that all these people don't have "common sense." (Sorry if this reason is original research.)Kdammers (talk) 01:31, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

i think its stupid that you took "Pay through your nose" off i like that one

Simile and metaphor[change source]

The article confuses the meaning of simile and metaphor throughout. For example, when it says "In this case, a metaphor is not an idiom. The meaning of the saying "run like the wind" can be understood by…" To run like the wind is a simile and not a metaphor. Fly by Night (talk) 17:33, 15 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]