Idioms [ the game ]

An idiom is a combination of words that has a meaning that is different from the meanings of the individual words themselves. For example, "it rains cats and dogs" has nothing to do with cats and dogs, it simply means that the rain is heavy. When we translate an idiom into Russian, we should translate the whole phrase. Не "дождь шел кошками и собаками", а "дождь лил как из ведра".
Usually it is quite simple to understand what an idiom means even if you do not know it, but - as in the example with the rain - not always.

In this game, let's share the idioms we know and try to interpret them, try to guess what their meaning are.

For example. What would you think about, when you hear that:

We are not trying to boil the ocean here.

what their meaning is OR what their meanings are (I like the first variant more)

Have you really heard something of the kind from native speakers? They say you can find it now only in Russian text-books Is it true?

May be it means somebody is not going to do something impossible?

Кэтрин

Thanks

Yes, I've heard it once or twice. They also can say something like that: It's heavily raining, or It's pouring.

I mean, if you say "It rains cats and dogs", they'll understand you and most certainly won't laugh.

Михаил

Close, but not quite.

Any other thoughts?

(maybe - is one word in this case.)

Кэтрин
I found two links worth looking at:

There are some explanations where the idiom came from - here.
And the idiom in different languages: Russian, and many others.

While we are thinking over the 'We-are-not-trying-to-boil-the-ocean' idiom, here is one more pussle. What does that sign mean?

Well, as for fishing-from-bank, it doesn’t seem a double-Dutch. Of course, none is able to fish from Citibank or BONY, it means “No fishing from the edge of embankment” or from the coast generally.
It’d be funny to place a notice at a bank’s entrance, saying “No fishing in the bank!”. (kidding)
There are two puzzles in my post.
1. What does “double-Dutch” mean?
2. What may “fishing” mean in the notice at a bank’s door)?

I’ve never heard about boiling-the-ocean, but guess it can mean “we’re not trying to make simple things complicated”…

About fishing.
Maybe it means the way of cheating - when cash machin is hacked?

double-Dutch is something without sense?

My idiom:
Go yo Dutch - what does it mean?

Alex from Bournemouth

Something close to 'mumbling'. They also say 'It's all Greek to me'.

Stealing?

Михаил
Is 'Dutch' a soccer (or basketball) team?

I heard this idiom much time ago... Sorry, i can't be realy sure. :-)

Go to Dutch or Go for Dutch is english slang, It must be realized like paying your own bill separetly (man - hisself, woman - herself) in restourant.
:-)))
What about fishing?

Double Dutch = something extremely difficult to understand (e.g. baseball rules is double Dutch for me). ТатьRна, bravo!

Fishing (slang) = picking up girls.

Here is the one I was very unfortunate to learn a few days ago:
monkey on someone's back
and
getting the monkey off your back
What does it mean?

Сообщение отредактировал(а) Vaskor - 7.02.2007 - 21:01

And another one:

falling for something hook line and sinker
What does that mean?

Сообщение отредактировал(а) Vaskor - 7.02.2007 - 21:04

monkey on someone's back - load, I guess
getting the monkey off your back - to get rid of the load, I guess

Vaskor, is it a 'free rider on your neck'? Something anoying and hard to get rid of?

I'd say 'something hard and unpleasant you are responsible for doing and it will be nagging at you until you get rid of it'

Сообщение отредактировал(а) Vaskor - 8.02.2007 - 16:47

It means to beleive in something without any doubts, totally.

Beats me

Yes, exactly.

I like an idiom "Bad scran to you!"
I think it is an inpolite abuse, but it is very expressive...

Check you idioms knowledge (or, how good you are in guessing )
Here's the test.

Idioms about TIME

We can think about time as something moving.

Time as a moving object.

A race against time (to fight against time) – an attempt to do something when there is little time to do it.
The villagers raced against time to protect their town against the flood.

Ahead of someone's time – having ideas and attitudes that are too advanced to be acceptable in the present.
Sue's grandmother was ahead of her time in waiting to study medicine.

Ahead of time – before the announced time.
If you want to get good seats arrive ahead of time.

Time flies – time passes very quickly.
Time flies when you have fun.
Illustration for the last one

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If someone wants to say 'at some time exactly', he (or she) can say:
at some time sharp
or
on stroke of some time.

For example,
The train arrived at midnight sharp. She went home on stroke of two o'clock.

----------------

My favorite idiom so far.
We had a whale of time!

To know something by heart - знать наизусть.

To get the ball rolling - начать что-то, стартовать определенную деятельность. (Дословно: покатить мяч, или сделать так, чтобы мяч катился)

Например
Let's get the ball rolling!
Once you get the ball rolling it can continue on its own easily.

To drop the ball - ошибиться, упустить возможность. (Дословно: уронить/упустить мяч)

Например
He dropped the ball.

To be on the ball - быть внимательным, компетентным, знающим.

Например,
I rely on my co-driver to be on the ball.