Have you ever heard the expression, “He visited me out of the blue” and you did not have a clue of what exactly it meant? When you hear this, you may imagine a lot of things but the real meaning would not even be close to what the phrase means. The only way to know what it conveys is to look it up in the dictionary and then you will need to learn it by heart. I know it may sound too complicated, but it is not impossible. So what are you waiting for?
We are sure that you have seen some idioms and maybe you cannot remember them now. Here we will show you just 5 of the 25, 000 idioms that exist out there, along with a short explanation of their origins.
Out of the Blue= The phrase originated from the old idiom “A bolt out of the Blue” or “A bolt from the blue”. Nowadays, you will find it as ” out of the blue”. These phrases are commonly used, when something unexpected happens, like the bolt of lightning on a clear blue sunny sky.
Example: “My old roommate called me out of the blue”
Break a leg= When you hear this idiom for the first time don’t think that you have been asked the favor to break a leg of their dog or his leg. In reality, this phrase has been used to wish somebody “Good luck” particularly in a performance or on the stage. It is believed that if you actually say the word “Good luck” you will have bad luck instead, so never never do that. It is said that this idiom originated in Greece. In those days, people didn’t clap instead stomped their feet to show appreciation and if the audience stamped long enough they would break a leg. But it is not very certain if that is its real source.
Example: “I know you can do it! Break a leg”
Call it a day: This phrase was born when a worker was leaving for his/her home before doing his work accomplished and originally related to the phrase “call it half a day”. You use this phrase to indicate that you are retiring for the day, after a long day’s work and relax.
Example: “I am feeling tired now, let’s call it a day”
Catch your eye: Have you ever been at the shopping mall and then seen a beautiful dress or shoes that you can’t stop seeing. Well, that is exactly what this phrase conveys. Unfortunately, the origin of this idiom is not known.
Example: “A small shop selling beautiful potteries caught my eyes while we were driving down the road.
Dropping like flies: This phrase expresses that many people are falling ill or dying around the same time in large numbers. This phrase makes reference to the short life span of a fly and also to the fact that they die in large numbers if someone decides to kill them. The first time the expression was seen in a printed version comes from May 1902.
Example: “The flu is going around the office. People are dropping like flies”
So for today, let’s call it a day, right !