Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
PART II
IDIOMS FOR EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES AND OCCASIONS
In American English, there is an idiom for nearly every occasion, life situation, and human activity — for life and death, work and play, love and marriage, and so on.
Part II contains eight separate chapters, each devoted to an aspect of everyday life. Within these chapters you’ll find close to a thousand idioms and idiomatic expressions that Americans use to talk about the people and things that are a part of their daily lives. Idioms are organized around topics such as family and friends, food and dining, home and housekeeping, sleep, hygiene, health and illness, love and marriage, school, work, money, travel, and
others. Chapter 9 offers a collection of common phrases and slang expressions that are used extensively in casual conversation.
CHAPTER 2
FAMILY MATTERS: FAMILY, HOME, AND LIFE STAGES
Starting
closest to home
(closest to that which affects us most personally and intimately), there are plenty of idioms and expressions that refer to family and family life, to one’s house and home, and to the life stages that one experiences while growing up and growing old. This chapter presents more than 100 common expressions that are used to talk about these important aspects of everyday life.
Family and Friends
In this section, you’ll find idioms, expressions, and some colloquial terms to refer to oneself, one’s family members, family structure and family types, and one’s role in the family. There are also idioms used to refer to friends and to oneself.
Family
People sometimes refer to their family or relatives as
the relies
or
the clan.
People also refer to the
mother’s side
or the
father’s side,
meaning the relatives or ancestors of the mother or of the father. Following are a few other expressions that refer to family and family types.
blood
(n)
family, people who are related by blood; generally used to suggest strong family loyalty or responsibility ♦
Of course I’ll help him; he’s
blood. ♦
We’re
blood,
so we have a responsibility to each other.
flesh and blood
(n)
one’s children, also sometimes used for one’s parents, brothers, and sisters. Often said as one’s
own flesh and blood.
Sometimes used jokingly to remind people of their family obligations, as in the second example that follows. ♦
You can’t cut her out of your life. She’s your
flesh and blood. ♦
Come on, Dad, let me borrow the car. You can’t refuse your own
flesh and blood.
Types of Families
As family structure has changed over time, so have expressions that are used to talk about families. Terms for traditional American family structures include
nuclear family,
meaning parents and their related or adopted children, and
extended family,
meaning parents, their children, other relatives, and sometimes very close friends that are like family.
A few terms for non-traditional family structures are
single-parent family
, where, as the term implies, there is only one parent and his or her children, and
blended family,
meaning the combined unrelated children (from previous relationships or marriages) of two people. When a person who has no children marries someone with children, it’s sometimes said that the childless person has a
ready-made family.
Note:
These expressions, and some of the ones that follow, are not purely idiomatic, but include an adjective that gives special meaning to the word
family,
as in,
immediate family
(one’s parents, brothers and sisters, and closest relatives): “Only my
immediate family
was invited to the wedding.”
A family in which the members are very close and are involved in each other’s lives is often called a
close-knit family.
On the other hand, a family with problems that prevent the family from functioning normally or harmoniously might be called a
dysfunctional family
(this term comes from the field of psychology, but is now in common usage).
Family Members
People don’t always use the literal terms
mother
,
father
, and so on when talking about family members. They sometimes use colloquial terms such as
the folks,
referring to parents, or
my brood,
referring to all one’s children collectively. American English does not have special words or required forms of address to show the status or role of family members, as many languages have. Following are a few more common terms used to refer to family members. Some of these terms, like
baby of the family,
are not purely idiomatic, but they are used in an informal or colloquial way, generally in conversation.
Grammar Note:
Most of the following idioms require the article
the,
or a possessive pronoun like
my
or
her
.
the baby (of the family):
the youngest child in the family
in-laws:
the parents of your spouse
my better half:
one’s spouse
my old man:
(slang) one’s father; one’s husband or male partner
my old lady:
(slang) one’s wife or female partner
the old folks:
grandparents
Types of Dads and Moms
Some expressions have developed to describe different types of parental status. People use the terms
biological
parent
or
natural parent
to mean the genetically related parent of a child. The term
non-biological parent
refers to a parent not genetically related. More specifically, the terms
stepmother
and
stepfather
refer to a person whose spouse has children from a previous marriage or relationship (also said as
stepmom
and
stepdad
).
A term that applies to fathers is
family man
. The term usually refers to married men with children, and is used to emphasize that the man has family responsibilities, is devoted to his family, and involved in family activities.
Other terms typically apply only to mothers. It is the mother’s role in society that has changed most drastically in recent decades (and therefore has inspired new idioms):
stay-at-home mom:
a mother who doesn’t work outside the home
working mom:
a mother who has a job outside the home
soccer mom:
a mother who spends a lot of time taking her children to after-school activities such as soccer, baseball, swimming, or dance
supermom:
a mother who seems to tirelessly manage her home and family, her outside job, and her many other responsibilities
Family Likeness
The following common expressions and sayings describe the similarity in appearance, personality, or behavior of related family members.
run in the family
to be genetic, inherited; said of a physical characteristic, personality trait, or talent that is common among related family members and passed from one generation to the next. Sometimes said as ridicule or light teasing. ♦
Rebecca’s mom plays the flute, and Rebecca plays the guitar. Musical talent seems to
run in her family. ♦
Diabetes
runs in his family,
so he’s careful of his diet.
have someone’s eyes (or any other trait)
to have an inherited characteristic or trait that closely resembles that of a parent, grandparent, or other family member of an earlier generation ♦
Simon wrote a novel when he was 12. He
has his grandfather’s creative mind. ♦
Hopefully the baby will
have its mother’s good looks
— not my ugly face!
Note:
If there is no resemblance to either side of the family, people sometimes say something like
“
I don’t know whose eyes she has!”
Daddy’s Girls
and
Mama’s Boys
The expressions
daddy’s girl
and
mama’s boy
look similar, but they have very different connotations. A
daddy’s girl
is often indulged by her father or has a very close relationship with him. She may be a little spoiled, but the term
daddy’s girl
is basically positive.
Mama’s boy,
however, is not viewed with the same fondness or tolerance. A
mama’s boy,
traditionally, was thought to be too close to or needy of his mother, too sensitive — not manly enough. Today, many people oppose criticizing a boy for these characteristics, and reject the negative connotation of
mama’s boy
. But the very different meanings and implications of the two terms reveal something about traditional American attitudes toward girls and boys.
be the spitting image of someone
to look exactly like someone, to be a perfect likeness of another person. Also said as
be the spit and image of
someone
. ♦
She
’s the spitting image of
her grandmother. They look exactly alike!
♦
It’s amazing. He
’s the spitting image of
his uncle.
like father, like son or like mother, like daughter
A proverb referring to a son who resembles his father in intelligence, emotion, behaviors, or interests (now also applied to a daughter who resembles her mother in these areas). Also, this saying can refer to a son or daughter who follows the same career as the father or mother. Sometimes the saying is changed to fit the situation, as in “like father, like daughter” or “like mother, like son.” ♦
Josh is running for public office —
like father, like son. ♦
Well,
like mother, like daughter.
Liz wants to be a veterinarian, too.
Grammar Note:
This saying generally comes before or after a complete sentence.
Note:
A similar expression is
a chip off the old block.
For example: “You’re really
a chip off the old block.
You think just like your father.”
Friends
Very close and trusted friends may say to each other, “We’re
family.
” The meaning is clear — we are as close as family members (maybe even closer, for some people); we think of each other as family. One’s closest or most important friend is often called one’s
best friend
. Here are a few more idioms to describe good friends:
bosom buddy
(n)
a very close friend whom one can confide in and depend on. The term can refer to either gender. ♦
She’s my
bosom buddy.
I tell her everything.
♦
We’re
bosom buddies,
so we’re always there to help each other out.
blood brother
(n)
a person who has vowed to be like a brother (or sister) to another and has promised loyalty.
Blood brothers
can apply to either gender. There is no idiom
blood sisters,
though someone might say it. ♦
As
blood brothers,
they vowed to stand by each other.
♦
The three kids became secret
blood brothers,
using red ink for blood.
Note:
This term alludes to a pact in which a person is bonded to another in a ceremony that typically includes the mingling of one person’s blood with the other.
fair-weather friend
(n)
a person who is a reliable friend only when times are good, but not when there are troubles or when times are hard. ♦
Russ won’t help you; he’s only a
fair-weather friend. ♦
Sharon will stick by you no matter what happens; she’s not just a
fair-weather friend.
The Self
Surprisingly, not many idioms refer to the self, even though most people regard themselves as central, or at least the reference point from which they see and experience the world. There are many more idioms to describe money, for example. The following are a few idioms that people use to refer, generally playfully, to themselves.
number one (or #1)
(n)
oneself. Generally used in the expressions
looking out for number one
or
taking care of number one
. This idiom can imply putting one’s own interests first, before others’ interests, or taking care of oneself primarily. It can be said egotistically, jokingly, or to imply responsibility to oneself. ♦
Sorry, I can’t loan you any money right now. I’m just trying to take care of
number one. ♦
Ian is such a pain to work with. He’s always looking out for
number one.
Grammar Note:
Number one
is generally used as an object rather than the subject of a sentence.
yours truly
(n)
me; used informally and often playfully to refer to one’s self ♦
Guess who won first prize?
Yours truly! ♦
Hi. It’s
yours truly
calling.
Grammar Note:
Yours truly
is generally used as an object, rather than as the subject of a sentence.
Note:
The phrase
yours truly
is a common closing to an informal business letter. It was originally meant to imply the sincerity, trustworthiness, or goodwill of the person writing the letter.
me, myself, and I
myself alone, without the help or companionship of others. Generally said as an answer to a question like, “Who did this great (something)?” or “Who helped you?” It’s meant to highlight that one did something without assistance or the companionship of others. ♦
Who paid for my education?
Me, myself, and I! ♦
I traveled through China alone, just
me, myself, and I.
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
is a saying that brings to mind the comfort and security of having a home and being in one’s own home. People occasionally say it when they return home after a trip or a busy day away from home. Sometimes people refer to a home or living place as
a roof over one’s head
or
a place to lay one’s head.
These expressions refer to having the basic shelter of a place to live (as opposed to being homeless). A person might say, “I’m glad to have
a roof over my head”
or “He doesn’t have
a place to lay his head.
”