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)

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

Idiom

"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)

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)

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)

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

to play cat and mouse = to play games

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)

pay through the nose

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)

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

Simile and metaphor

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)