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Literal Idioms
Idioms are groups of words with a meaning different from their literal definition. So, once you understand the figurative meaning of an idiom, you can have fun using it in a literal sense.
I had a rude awakening when waves rocked the boat. I felt numb and had to shake a leg to stand up. I put my best foot forward and stepped over and above the stern seat to start the motor and shift into high gear.
Your Turn Read through the following idioms, and if any are unfamiliar, look up the meaning in Write for College or online. Pick out four or more idioms that interest you and use them all literally in a short, ridiculous paragraph. (Download this activity.)
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ahead of the curve big picture break the ice cold shoulder drop in the bucket face the music fall through the cracks floating on air elephant in the room |
hands are tied hit the ceiling in the long run in the loop land on your feet learn the ropes nose to the grindstone out the window raise the bar |
red tape save face see eye to eye shoot from the hip take the bull by the horns throw in the towel touch base up in the air work the bugs out |
Literal Idioms by Thoughtful Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at k12.thoughtfullearning.com/minilesson/literal-idioms.