Slang & Idioms

Hi all… I’m in the process of writing a book, for a local publisher, on 1 & 2 word English idioms and slang. I’ve always been pretty good with idioms, etc… but, it is difficult to determine examples with just 1 or 2 words (that is what the publisher wants, though, and they are paying me).

I’ve come up with some, through my own thinking and other resources, but I wanted to see what you all might be able to provide. I’m especially finding myself stumped for slang words…

Here are some examples of what I need. In the idiom group, my list has, but is not limited to:

achilles heel, acid test, all thumbs, blank check, caught short, cold feet, cut class, dry run, fall flat, fire away, foul play, goose bumps, hands down, just so, know-how, lose heart, make cracks, money talks, nod off, open book, precious few, quiet something, red tape, sitting duck, squeak by, tag along, time flies, wet blanket…

And, some slang:

bummer, whatever, so?, dawg, bullshit

Any suggestions or comments? Thanks in advance for your help.

A few random thoughts :slight_smile:

bunny boiler (inspired by the stalking thread!)
Hello?
Natch
Hobson’s Choice
three strikes
Ay Carumba!
cold fish
saw logs
throw up
yada yada
beefcake
eye candy
cross swords
cry wolf
jump ship
tattletale

Added:

hang ten
go commando :slight_smile:
cut loose
chip in
go dutch

Thanks daasgrrl…

Some of those I have, but many I don’t. I appreciate the effort. If you think of any more… let me know. :smiley:

BTW… I like yadda yadda…

I also like Hello?! But, in a book, it will be hard to get across what kind of inflection/tone you need to say that… just like “Whatever!” Ya know?

You guys
What’s up? (as in greeting or asking with concern)
How’s it hanging?
How come…?
wet blanket
dish it out
cut it out
dark horse
underdog
horse of a different color
let the cat out of the bag
puppy eyes
green thumb
all thumbs
two left feet
up in arms
all nighter
same difference

The list for English idioms (ignoring the fact that there are various idioms among the different dialects of English) is a daunting task to do on your own. Why not try categorizing and then brainstorming them like by colors, animals, foods, etc? I hope they are paying you very well for your efforts. And do you need to include phrasal verbs as well?

You could just use books on idioms and change the examples, but that’s cheating…

The book is not intended to be the “be-all-end-all” of idioms. It is mainly to give English-learners a starting place… i.e., a quick fix, as it were. And, as I mentioned, they are looking for just the short, 1 to 2 word idioms, so in sense of number, that should be easier.

Thanks for your contributions, and your fine print suggestion. :stuck_out_tongue: Actually, some of the list I have was taken from other sources. However, I just wrote down the idioms/slang. I’ll write the definitions, example sentences, etc… myself.

Really, I will! :smiley:

I’d include a preface that says something like “Learning idioms is all but a waste of time for all but the most advanced learners. 90% of the use of idioms by non-native speakers is inappropriate or just plain wrong. Rather than creating the impression of education and fluency, it make the user appear to be showing off.”

Brian

[quote=“Bu Lai En”]I’d include a preface that says something like “Learning idioms is all but a waste of time for all but the most advanced learners. 90% of the use of idioms by non-native speakers is inappropriate or just plain wrong. Rather than creating the impression of education and fluency, it make the user appear to be showing off.”

Brian[/quote]

Hmmm… I’m sure that will go over well with the publisher. :wink: Thanks for the suggestion. :bravo:

Brian
I teach my students selected idioms/phrases even if they are at a beginner level. It’s not a waste of time at all. I make sure they know the exact context in which to use them and give them instances where they would not be appropriate.
Also, you’re forgetting that knowledge of idioms and phrases greatly improves listening comprehension. I love it when my students tell me that they were watching HBO or something else and they recognized some of the phrases I had taught them.

QM - regarding slang, I wouldn’t put in too much of it. Slang often sounds dated very quickly. ‘Whatever’ and ‘talk to the hand’ might be popular at the moment but will it be groovy in five years from now? You should definitely include ‘schwing’ from Wayne’s world - NOT! That would be bogus.

[quote=“Spack”]Brian
I teach my students selected idioms/phrases even if they are at a beginner level. It’s not a waste of time at all. I make sure they know the exact context in which to use them and give them instances where they would not be appropriate.
Also, you’re forgetting that knowledge of idioms and phrases greatly improves listening comprehension. I love it when my students tell me that they were watching HBO or something else and they recognized some of the phrases I had taught them.

QM - regarding slang, I wouldn’t put in too much of it. Slang often sounds dated very quickly. ‘Whatever’ and ‘talk to the hand’ might be popular at the moment but will it be groovy in five years from now? You should definitely include ‘schwing’ from Wayne’s world - NOT! That would be bogus.[/quote]

Spack,

Thanks for your comments. I agree a knowledge of idioms can be good, even at a lower level.

As for slang, I have already thought about your own concerns. I was planning on putting a disclaimer, of sorts, reminding the readers that slang is often quickly changeable. Either way, I don’t plan on including a lot of it.