Idioms (イディオム)

The idiom ‘bad egg’ is widely thought to have originated in the mid-1800s. The phrase means a person who is…

The idiom ‘spill the beans’ probably got its start in ancient Greece where votes were cast by by beans. The phrase means to…

The idiom ‘butter up’ has some surprising roots and a few things that most people get wrong. The phrase means to be…

The idiom “bring home the bacon” originated in England where a church gave bacon to any man who hadn’t argued with his wife. The meaning…

The idiom (not my) cup of tea became common during the first half of the 20th century, but has nothing to do with tea. It means…

The idiom “not for all the tea in China” alludes to the presumed huge quantity of tea in China. The idiom is used to say that nothing…

The idiom “why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free” dates back to the 17th century but has little to do with cows or milk. It…

The idiom “the early bird gets the worm” is an old expression. The idiom means that someone will have an advantage if they do something…

The idiom “like turkeys voting for Christmas” is fairly new and very British, since it’s common to eat turkeys on Xmas. It means that a…

The idiom “86’d” or “eighty-sixed” is an American slang phrase that most likely began in the 1920s. The idiom has two meanings, both are …