2. The City of Ember
The City of Ember is a novel about a group of
people who have been moved to an
underground city to protect them from the
disaster that may kill all of mankind. The
people in Ember do not know they are in a
special protected place. Knowledge of the
outside world has been kept from them.
Doon, one of the main characters, goes to the
library to learn about fire. The library books
contain only bits of information. Read this
excerpt from The City of Ember about Doon’s
library experience.
3. Although he’d often found something interesting
in these searches, he’d never found anything
important. Today was no different. He did come
across a collection called Mysterious Words
from the Past, which he read for a while. It was
about words and phrases so old that their
meanings had been forgotten. He read a few
pages.
4. Heavens above
Indicates surprise. What “heavens” means is
unclear. It might be another words for
“floodlight.”
Hogwash
Means “nonsense,” though no one knows
what a “hog” is or why one would wash it.
Batting a thousand
Indicates great success. This might possible
refer to killing bugs.
All in the same boat
Means “all in the same predicament.” The
meaning of “boat “ is unknown.
5. The phrases Doon read are what is known
as idioms.
An idiom is an expression with a meaning
that cannot be guessed from the
meanings of the individual words.
Idioms are common and they occur
frequently in all languages.
An estimated 25,000 idiomatic
expressions may be found in the English
language.
7. Football Idioms
carry the ball
to be in charge of something, to be responsible for something
game plan
to have a strategy
run interference
to intervene on behalf of someone in order to protect him or her from
something
tackle a problem
to attack a problem with much effort
8. Baseball Idioms
bat a thousand
a guess that is in a certain area or range, an approximate guess
come out of left field
to be completely unexpected, to be a surprise
cover all one’s bases
to thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation
9. Pool Idioms
behind the eight ball
at a disadvantage
call the shots
to control something, to make the rules
10. Sailing Idioms
smooth sailing
something is going well and is having no problems
take the wind out of one’s sails
to become discouraged and lose one's enthusiasm
11. Boxing Idioms
blow by blow account
a description or account that provides much detail
saved by the bell
rescued from a bad situation at the last minute
hit below the belt
to not follow the rules, to do something that is not fair
in someone’s corner
on someone's side, supporting someone
12. Golf Idioms
make the cut
to meet or reach a required standard
on par with someone
equal in importance or quality to something or someone
par for the course
what is normal or expected in a given situation
13. Idioms may come from many
sources including:
- Proverbs
- Myths
- Folklore
- Bible
- Shakespeare
- American Phrases
21. rolling out the red carpet
doing everything possible to make someone welcome
22. Activity 1 – Idiom Cards
Match idiom pictures to their literal and
figurative meanings.
Free idiom pictures and meanings may be downloaded from Teachers Pay Teachers.
23. Activity 2
Complete the handout by
Writing an idiom
Write the idiom’s figurative meaning
Draw a picture to illustrate the idiom.