Ways to say crazy
The British love eccentrics. Perhaps it is a result of the emphasis British society has always put on individualism, or maybe it’s just the weather, but there has always been a special kind of respect...
View ArticleWays to say crazy 2: gnomes in the loft
Idiomatic turns-of-phrase often reflect the culture or country in which they are used. We have already looked at some typically British phrases, like bats in the belfry and mad as a March hare. In...
View ArticleNotes from an impromptu lunchtime brainstorm, rendered in blank verse
Between the devil and the deep blue sea does it mean the same thing as Between a rock and a hard place? is the Spanish equivalent Entre la espada y la pared? Entre dos fuegos? zwischen Baum und Borke...
View ArticleThe day before yesterday
Nuestro mañana será más luminoso [sic] que nuestro ayer y nuestro hoy. Pero ¿quién pondría la mano en el fuego en cuanto a que nuestro pasado mañana no vaya a ser peor que nuestro anteayer? [Our...
View ArticleThe origin of ‘to break the ice’
The English expression ‘to break the ice’ has found its way into various other languages (romper el hielo, in Spanish for example). It is a useful, if over-used, concept, which refers to any strategy...
View ArticleTranslating idioms… even the tricky ones!
Tricky Idioms! Idioms are notorious among foreign language learners and translators alike. They can be quite hard to learn, and translating idioms can feel almost impossible! However, idioms are also...
View ArticleIs 2020 Jumping the Shark?
Jumping the Shark is a term that’s become both pertinent, and has been over-used this year — but what exactly does it mean? Jumping the shark is idiom used to describe the moment when something that...
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