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by Liz Walter

I’ve been struck recently by the huge popularity of the phrase it is what it is. According to the New York Times, it first appeared in 1949, but it is only in this century that it has really caught on. Like many phrases that find sudden popularity, it is a neat way of expressing a concept that many of us have experienced: that a difficult situation which can’t be changed must be accepted:

My application was late and I can’t apply again until next year. Still, it is what it is. Continue reading “It is what it is: the language of acceptance” →

by Kate Woodford

Part 1 of this money-themed post looked at idioms that say something about having lots of money.  Today’s post features idioms about not having enough money and about controlling how you spend money when you don’t have very much of it. In addition, I’ll also include sayings about money. Continue reading “Making ends meet and feeling the pinch (Money idioms, Part 2)” →

by Kate Woodford

Today, in the latest of my money-themed posts, I’m looking at money idioms, by which I mean idioms that say something about money (and not idioms about other subjects that feature the words ‘penny’, ‘money’, ‘coin’ etc.). There are lots of money idioms so this is Part 1 and we’ll publish Part 2 in a couple of weeks. Continue reading “Paying through the nose and pushing the boat out (Money Idioms, Part 1)” →

by Kate Woodford

In Part 1 of this ‘heart’ series, I looked at common ‘heart’ idioms and phrases for saying that someone is kind. In this post, I’ll consider various figurative senses of the word ‘heart’ and then focus on idioms and phrases that relate to love and romance. Continue reading “Losing and breaking your heart (Heart senses and phrases, Part 2)” →

by Kate Woodford

In Part 1 of this post, we looked at English idioms containing words for items of clothing that cover the top half of the body. This week, we’re working our way down the body with idioms that include words such as ‘belt’, ‘trousers’ and ‘shoe’. (Footwear features in a surprising number of current idioms!) Continue reading “Tightening your belt and wearing the trousers (Clothes idioms, Part 2)” →

by Kate Woodford

It might surprise you to learn that the noun ‘teeth’ features in a number of current English idioms. This post is a round-up of the most frequent and useful. Continue reading “Gritting and cutting your teeth (Idioms and phrases with ‘teeth’)” →

by Liz Walter

We might not like the thought of blood, but there are lots of useful phrases that contain this word! Continue reading “Blood, sweat and tears: phrases with ‘blood’” →

by Kate Woodford

Today, in the third and final post of our nature idioms series, we look at idioms that feature the words tree, bush and hedge and also words for parts of these things, such as root and branch. Continue reading “Root and branch (Idioms with nature words, Part 3)” →