Idioms and phrasal verbs

1. Idiomatic Expressions
and Phrases
BBA-LLB (SEM II) – 2020-21

2. Literal and Figurative Language
We know that when we use language in a literal sense, we are conveying things as they are.
e.g.
- This shirt is nice, but it is loose.
- He looked up to the sky and prayed to his gods.
- With vaccination going on, everyone is posting pictures of themselves getting a shot in the
arm.

3. When we use figurative language, we are NOT conveying things as they are. We are saying one
thing, but we are conveying something different.
In other words, we are using comparisons to convey something more concretely and impactfully.
E.g.
- Ranbir has often been seen as someone who is loose.
- My mother has always stood up for the right thing. I have always looked up to her.
- With the scholarship, Dr. Ambedkar’s educational career received a shot in the arm.

4. Ways in which figurative language is used
1. Phrasal Verbs
These are generally groups of two words: a verb followed by a preposition or adverb.
- run into
e.g. I ran into an old friend today at the market.
- break down
e.g. Everyone broke down when they heard Harsh’s heartbreaking poem.
*Remember that the actions, if performed actually physically, convey a sense of what is
happening metaphorically (on an emotional level)
*Phrasal Verbs are different from Verbal Phrases which are a set of words that contain Helping
Verbs and Main Verbs (e.g. have been doing, has completed)

5. 2. Idioms
These are phrases which are metaphoric. They compare a situation with another that has come
from experience, from age-old stories or has a cultural significance.
- Talking to a biased judge was like barking at the moon.
- After getting rejected, Kiran said that he never wanted the job as it was a menial position. It
was like a sour-grape situation for her.
- Sheldon is very intelligent, but stage fright is his Achilles heel.
- All the best for your exam! Break a leg!
*Again, generally the actual physical enactment of the idiom takes us towards its metaphorical
meaning.

6. 3. Proverbs
These are entire sentences (not phrases) that are applied to a situation. Like idioms, they are
metaphoric, but they cannot be accommodated into a different sentence.
- You need to do something about this right now. A stitch in time, saves nine.
- You will definitely achieve great things with persistence and patience. Rome was not built in
one day.
- Politicians are often friends with criminals. After all, birds of a feather flock together.

7. 1. Idioms
Method:
- You cannot know every idiom. As mentioned, these are culture-specific and carry specific
connotations.
- One way to understand a new idiom is to imagine it in its literal sense. Then, try and guess
what must be its metaphorical meaning.
Try this: a wild-goose chase
- A more fool-proof way is obviously to read up more and more of them. When you look up, a
good way is through association. Association helps us in remembering better. Let’s see in what
ways associations can be created…

8. 1) Association by the same word in different idioms
E.g. 1.
- Worth one’s salt
If the advocate is worth her salt, she will win you the case.
- True to one’s salt
Akshay is too true to his salt; he never challenges his boss.
- Taking something with a pinch of salt
My mom always cracks brutal jokes about me. But since I know her love for me, I always take it
with a pinch of salt.
*The same word does not mean the same meaning.

9. E.g. 2.
- Akanksha is a fearless girl. She can give anyone a piece of her mind when she sees that they are
being unfair to her.*
- The CM could not make up his mind about the lockdown.
*Don’t confuse this with “peace of mind”

10. E.g. 3.
- hands are tied
I cannot give you a holiday. My hands are tied.
- hands are full
Shikhar cannot take anymore cases. His hands are full.
- hand in glove
The police and the leaders have been hand in glove.

11. 2) Association by similar/opposite meanings
e.g. 1
- Akanksha is an outspoken girl. She does not mince her words.
- Mahesh spoke about the growing bigotry in the country. He has never been afraid to call a
spade a spade.
- Instead of telling me directly about his problems, Vinay kept talking about general things. He
has a habit of beating around the bush.

12. E.g. 2
- crying over spilt milk
It’s true that you made a big mistake. But there is no point in crying over spilt milk.
- water under the bridge
We fought so much in college. But when I met him today, it was all water under the bridge.
- a bone to pick
I have never forgotten what she did to me in college. I have a bone to pick with her.
- bone of contention
The peace of land became a bone of contention between the two brothers.

13. Combining the two methods…
- barking at the moon
Talking to a biased judge was like barking at the moon.
- words falling on deaf ears
No one is takes children seriously. Even if their concerns are genuine, their words often fall on
deaf ears.
- barking up the wrong tree
Asking dad the permission for my trip was barking up the wrong tree. It was mom who held the
key.

14. - burnt one’s fingers
You’ve already burnt your fingers last semester. Work on you assignments sincerely this
semester.
- on your fingertips
I want you to have Parts of Speech on your fingertips.
- pointing fingers
The state and the central governments have been pointing fingers at each other about the
shortage of vaccines. It is the common people who are bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

15. - throw light upon
The survey throws light upon the plight of immigrant workers during the lockdown.
- make light of
The number of patients are increasing every day. Yet, our leaders seem to be making light of
the situation.
- make short work of
CSK made short work of what appeared to be a competitive target initially.

16. - spill the beans
I had told my best friend about a girl I liked. The fool spilled the beans in front of everyone.
- let the cat out of the bag
The royal family of England has been tight-lipped about its secrets for centuries. But now the
cat is coming out of the bag.
*whistle-blower

17. - Walking on thin ice
Suraj had already received two warnings about his behaviour. He is walking on thin ice.
- Break the ice
Realising that no one was speaking at the meeting, Mrinal cracked a joke to break the ice.
- To give someone a cold shoulder
Vijay was still upset with Anand’s behaviour. He gave Anand a cold shoulder when they met in
the office.

18. - to rub salt on wounds
You didn’t have to highlight all his failures today. With his company firing him, you just rubbed
salt on his wounds.
- add insult to injury
Losing state elections after being in the line of fire for the collapsing economy, will add insult to
injury for the national party.

19. Exercise
Use the following idioms in sentences of your own:
1. blessing in disguise
2. a piece of cake
3. on the same page
4. bite the bullet
5. keep a tight/short leash on
6. breaking ranks
7. hanging one’s boots
8. fish out of water

20. 9. playing devil’s advocate
10. being under the weather

21. 2. Phrasal Verbs
As seen earlier, Phrasal Verbs are groups of generally two words – a verb followed by a preposition/an
adverb.
Together they construct a metaphorical meaning.
Look at these examples:
- It was Abdul’s responsibility to look after his parents after his brother joined the army.
- He was looking for a job after completing his masters.
- He had always looked up to his brother.
- He looked up on the internet for vacancies.
- He was finally called for an interview. He was looking forward to it.
As told earlier, if we try and imagine the physical act depicted in the phrase, we can imagine what
that action is on a metaphorical level (or emotional one).

22. Methodology
Like we did with Idioms, we shall study Phrasal Verbs as well with the method of association –
A) association through the same word appearing in different phrases (and creating a different
meaning)
B) association through different phrases having similar/opposite meanings

23. Example 1:
Take away
- As the child was making too much noise, her mom took away her little drum. (literal)
- Restaurant are only open for take-away during the lockdown. (literal)
- The key take-away from Mr. Sibbal’s speech was that even judges are humans and can feel threatened and
afraid. (figurative)
Take down
- The Municipal Corporation took down the illegally constructed building. (literal)
- Madhura is a strong girl. She can take down anyone. (literal)
- After complaints from the citizens, the government took down the derogatory website. (figurative)
- The teacher instructed many times that the students should take down whatever is being said in the lecture.
(figurative)

24. Take up
- Abdul took up a job as a translator.
- After my professor looked at her watch, I realised that I had taken up too much of her time.
- Books take up most of the space in my house.
Take stock of
- The CM has been taking stock of the COVID situation every day.

25. Example 2:
Let go
- Suzy should understand that a boss yelling at you is part of work. She’s not letting it go.
Let into
- My friend let me into his little secret about a crush he has. Though I promised it, it’s difficult for me
keep calm now.
Let off
- Vijay was let off with a warning by the court, as he didn’t directly participate in any of the crimes his
friends were accused of.
Get away
- It was perfect crime. Though everyone knew Vijay had murdered the SP’s son, he got away with it.

26. Let down
- The people had trusted their leader, but they are being increasingly let down.
Bank on
- Raina was Dhoni’s trusted lieutenant. He knew he could bank on him.
Count on
- The election results possibly prove that you cannot count on divisive politics every time.

27. Example 3:
Work out
- Akshay always keeps himself fit. He eats right and works out every day.
- Vinay is very intelligent. He will work out a solution for the complex problem his company is facing.
- Sachin learnt that his plans had not worked out the way he expected them to.
Work up
- The students get worked up on every little issue. Their anger and frustration starts spilling over into
the WhatsApp group.
Work on/upon
- I have been working on the presentation since morning.
- The union leader worked on the workers’ sense of dissatisfaction and enforced a strike.

28. Example 4:
Speak up
- Since he was inaudible, the students requested the professor to speak up.
- After Weinstein was accused, many women started speaking up/speaking out about sexual
harassment.
Also see: turn up, gather momentum
Break out
- Violence broke out at what was supposed to be peaceful protest.
Shout out
- I saw an old friend at the market and shouted out to him. (literal)
- The influencer gave a shoutout to all the frontline workers in his Insta Reel. (figurative)

29. Watch out
- Watch out! There’s a bus coming your way.
- I had a safe and secluded childhood. My parents always watched out for me.
Run out of
- I have run out of rations and no shops are open now.
Similarly: Run into, run away (including runaway), run over
& cut off, cut out, cut in

30. Exercise
Use the following Phrasal Verbs in sentences of your own:
1. do away with
2. hang up
3. turn out
4. add up
5. break down
6. give in
7. mix up
8. pass out

31. 9. put up with
10. fall apart

32. For further study…
https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-idioms/
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-list.htm