An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is difficult or sometimes impossible to guess by looking at the individual words it contains.

1. Idioms, Meanings
and Usages
1. To draw a line: To identify
the difference between one
thing and another; Or act on
another:
I am kind to my friends; but I
draw the line when you are
not a friend.
2. To keep faith: To hold onto
an agreement or
expectation:
You promised to lend me
your jacket for the party. I
hope you will keep faith.
3. To keep the flag flying: To
maintain a good impression:
When the former school
captain was handing over to
me, he asked me to keep the
flag flying.
4. To go Dutch:
To pay for what you took; To
share payment:
If I knew we were going
Dutch, I would have come
with some money.
5. Between the devil and the
deep sea: At a crossroads; In
a dilemma:
If I take the exam, I will fail;
If I don’t, I will make no
marks. I am between the
devil and the deep sea.
6. Icing on the cake: A sample
of the real thing:
That performance which you
said you enjoyed
tremendously is only the
icing on the cake. Wait until
the main show begins.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is
difficult or sometimes impossible to
guess by looking at the individual
words it contains.
Simply put, idiom is a group of words
whose meaning is different from the
meanings of the individual words.
For instance, the expression give in
means yield, a meaning that can hardly
be arrived at from the ordinary
meanings of give and in.
Since idioms are expressions that
sometimes appear to offend against
logic or against accepted rules of
grammar and are often fixed in form, it
is strongly advised that very close
attention be paid to their form and
structure.
1/1Produced by: Dan Agbo for Afrinoble.com

2. Idioms, Meanings and Usages
7. To go bananas: To become mad
or crazy; To be extremely angry:
When I told him that I had lost
his father’s wrist-watch, he
went bananas.
8. To jump the gun : To act before
the time:
The sprinter was disqualified
after jumping the gun three
times.
9. To steal the thunder: To take
away the joy of doing or saying
something first:
I was excited by the opportunity
of telling my friends what really
happened at the accident
scene, but before I got home,
Ibe had stolen the thunder.
10. To play the ostrich: To refuse to
face reality or impending
danger; To pretend that all is
well:
Eight people had already died
after taking that drug, yet the
Government continued to play
the ostrich.
11. To play God: To act as if one
knows everything or is capable
of anything:
Some employers who play God
are actually suffering from a
superiority complex.
12. To lose one’s nerve: To lose
courage; To lose interest in
something:
Ada was ready to face Helen
squarely, but she lost her nerve
when Helen appeared with her
mother.
13. To be up and about: To be
active, to begin a job; To be
busy:
Ogechi is such an early riser. By
5 a.m. she was already up and
about.
2/3Produced by: Dan Agbo for Afrinoble.com

3. Idioms, Meanings and Usages
14. To blow the whistle (on
someone): To expose someone
or reveal a hidden thing:
In spite of my trust for Theo, he
blew the whistle on me and the
Principal punished me.
15. To be on edge: To be short-
tempered or anxious:
Whenever I am hungry, I get on
edge.
16. To take to one’s heels: To run
away:
I took to my heels when I saw
the robbers approaching.
17. To be dog tired: To be very
tired:
After working for six hours in
my garden, I was dog-tired.
18. To be a drag: To bore or find
uninteresting:
When I see him approaching, I
avoid him because he can be
quite a drag.
19. To make hay while the sun
shines: To prepare for the
future:
Let me iron my dress now as
there may be no electric power
tomorrow. I always make hay
while the sun shines.
20. All hands on deck: To work
together as a team:
‘Listen’, yelled the foreman, ‘If
we must finish this job today,
all hands must be on deck’.
3/3Produced by: Dan Agbo for Afrinoble.com