Idioms to be used locally and globally

On using English idioms

Learning about idioms is a favourite element in advanced English classes.

Vast numbers of dictionaries and text books on ‘English idioms’ have been
published over the years. Idioms represent the language where sentences and
statements do not necessarily mean what the words suggest. Idioms add
poetry to the language – metaphors, pictures, fun, sarcasm etc. Idioms give
the language an extra – local – dimension: British, American, Australian,
Indian, etc.

Idiomatic expressions are rooted in the culture from which the language
emanates: in our case, idiomatic phrases are used and understood first and
foremost by those who use the language in a specific culture: English idioms
stem from where English is the speaker’s mother tongue. Mastering English
idioms may give one a feeling of belonging to the ‘the English club’, for which
reason idioms are popular among English teachers and learners alike. This is
quite similar to people using technical, medical or legal language. It is
exclusive. Some are members of the club; others are not: to be part of a group
implies that someone has to be kept out.

If used insensitively, idioms may well be misunderstood or not understood at

all. Idioms, then, are a double-edged sword (ah, did I use an idiom here?): they
may add valuably to our global communication or they may ruin it. Used as
part of your global competence, idioms will valuably contribute aspects of your
local culture to your global community. They will be a product of creative
linkage, i.e. using the language to see concepts, thoughts and ideas from new,

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inspiring angles. Six examples of idiomatic, local English are given below
:
1. ‘I only do this once in a blue moon’
2. ‘You’re barking up the wrong tree’
3. ‘It turned out to be a red herring’
4. ‘When he heard the news, he saw red’
5. ‘Bless his cotton socks’
6. ‘Make the bed’

The six idioms listed above translate into

1. ‘I only do this very seldom’

2. ‘You are focusing on the wrong issue’
3. ‘We were misled by something irrelevant’
4. ‘When he heard the news, he became furious’
5. ‘Oh, yes, what a nice guy’
6. ‘Arrange the table with plates, glasses, forks and knives’

Idioms, then, tell us a story. Provided we know what the story is. Otherwise,
we will just be vaguely confused: confused enough not quite to understand;
not confused enough to ask what it means. An idiom – if used insensitively –
is the disturbing ‘x’ in A1+x=A2. The recipient may consider the sender odd,
snobbish, arrogant or downright incomprehensible. The recipient may well be
on his way to developing ideas about the sender that will have an impact on
their future communication. The disturbing ‘x’ is therefore twofold: in the
short term, the ‘x’ is misunderstanding or no understanding; in the longer-
term perspective, the ‘x’ may produce prejudice against the sender.

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If, on the other hand, idioms are used in a way that the meaning is
understood, the recipient will get a glimpse of the sender’s local background,
and thus enrich the global communication: a sign of global competence. Note
what happens in a person’s face when an idiomatic phrase is used and
understood, either because of prior knowledge or because of being
enlightened: the person smiles. Group belonging makes us feel secure and
comfortable. Global thinking generates new group constellations, new
relationships.

Let us now revert to the three last examples: ‘He saw red’ is not really peculiar
to the English language as in most cultures the colour red is associated with
warning or danger. In the global setting, this idiom might be useful in many
cases.

Idioms come in two main categories:

Those that are primarily to be used locally because they cannot be readily
understood by those outside the village. This category shares properties with
slang and jargon where the borders are not national ones, but rather relate to
generational borders or specialist-generalist differences.

The other category of idiomatic phrases have literal meaning and can therefore
be understood others outside the village. Versions of these are likely to exist in
many other languages and thus stand a better chance of being understood.

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IDIOMS WITH IMPLICIT MEANING IDIOMS WITH LITERAL MEANING AND

PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK PLAIN SAILING

A TALL ORDER READ SOMEONE LIKE A BOOK

MAKE THE BED THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON HAVE A HEAD FOR SOMETHING

THE PENNY DROPS TURN A DEAF EAR

In conclusion, idioms used indiscriminately make the communication

exclusive: some idioms are ambiguous, and they have one meaning for the
people who ‘know’ and another, literal meaning for those outside the
Anglophile club. Those who don’t understand the idioms used don’t belong to
the locality of the idiom. Conversely, those who do understand the idioms
used have their group belonging confirmed. So, using idioms has the same
pitfalls as does ‘technical’ or ‘specialist’ language: it integrates or isolates.

Should we refrain from using idioms at all? If we do, our communication will
be flat, boring and undynamic. Idioms are full of culture, history and poetry;
idioms are local tools to enrich global communication. Used as a way of
communicating national identity, idioms will add to your communication.
Idioms may be a stimulating ‘x’ in the communication formula. But idioms are
not to be exclusively English, seen as a local language. That is primarily the
domain of mother-tongue speakers of English (L1) and those foreigners
working the English village (L3). Members of the global community must all
add their idioms to their communication in English (L2) – this will be an

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indication of national and local communicative wealth enriching global
communication.

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L2 English as a source of creativity

Inside the village, when using L1, there is a huge number of concepts,
understandings, images etc. we take for granted. This is what makes our first
language (L1) practical, economical and multifaceted. A wide range
perspectives, feeling and values are involved that go beyond a 1-to-1 A1-A2
ratio of words exchanged in our communication. L1 implies a shared code, a
multitude of elements that may never be expressed and yet perceived as
understood. When in a situation where one is to communicate in a foreign
language, these perspectives, feelings and values are often regarded as lost.

The downside of L1 is that its users often run into misunderstandings

because too many things are taken for granted. L1 is full of ambiguities, which
makes for poetry, humour, culture etc. Using L1 with those who do not have
the same language as their mother tongue may create problems in the
absence of a shared code. This is why being interested in the other side is
crucial when communicating across borders.

When communicating across borders, we have to explain basic concepts and

customs we may otherwise take for granted.

An expression may have one explicit meaning, and a completely different

implicit – coded - one. If the code is not shared, we resort to the face-value,
explicit meaning and may be misunderstood in the process. In such a case,
the sender of the message has a responsibility to ensure that the implicit
meaning is made explicit.

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