This PowerPoint shows in alphabetical order some of the most used idioms and proverbs.

1. IDIOMS AND PROVERBS
ALPHABETICALLY AND WITH
PICTURES
 To see the idioms and pictures click on
the index at the top of each slide
 For example, click on A-E if you want
to read and see examples and
pictures of idioms starting in A,B,C,D
and E.


2. Remember….

3. Origins of the proverb


ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY -- "Invoked when a task is
too big to be accomplished quickly, this familiar saying was
originally a French proverb, 'Rome was not made all in one
day,' which was recorded in 'Li Proverbe au Vilain' (c. 1190).
The English version did not appear until three centuries later,
when it was included first in Richard Taverner's translation of
'Erasmus' Adages' as 'Rome was not buylt in one day,' and
then a year later in John Heywood's 'A Dialogue Conteinyng
the Nomber in Effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe
Tongue' as 'Rome was not bylt on a daie (quoth he) & yet
stood Tyll it was fynysht.' 'Rome was not built.' was
subsequently quoted or adapted by." many others. From
"Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and
Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde
and New" by Stuart Flexner and Doris Flexner (Avon Books,
New York, 1993). Page 158.

6. Nothing ventured, nothing
gained.


Origin of :nothing ventured nothing gained
NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED - "
You can't get anywhere unless you're willing to
take a risk. The saying dates back to Chaucer (c.
1374) and is similar to the late fourteenth century
French proverb: Qui onques rien n'enprist riens
n'achieva (He who never undertook anything
never achieved anything) The proverb was
included in John Heyword's collection of proverbs
in 1546. First cited in the United States in 'Letters
and Papers of Cadwallader Colden . It takes
varying forms: Nothing ventured, nothing lost,
nothing ventured, nothing won, etc. ." From the
"Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs
and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random
House, New York, 1996).

7. IDIOMS- A- E
A- E
 http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/i
dioms/idiomsmain.html


8. A- B
-a bad apple
-be a piece of cake
-be all ears
-be the apple of someone’s eye
-beat around the bush
- Bite off more than one can chew
- The bottom line
- Be broke
- Bug someone
- Butterflies in someone’s stomach

9. C
-
-
Can’t make head nor tail (out) of
something/someone
Catch someone’s eye
Be chicken
Cold feet
Couch potato
Be down in the dumps

10. D and E
-
Drive someone up the wall
-
Eat one’s word

11. F–J
 http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/i
dioms/idiomsmain.html


12. F-J
Fall in love with
 Feel like a fish out of water

G
Get over something
Get up/wake up on the wrong side of
bed
Give someone a hand
Go nuts

13. Be glued to something
 Grab a bite
H
 Hit the book
 A hand-me-down
 Here you go/are
 Hit the ceiling/roof
 Hit the nail on the head


14. Hold one’s horses
I
 Be in a pickle
 Be in the same boat
 It’s easier said than done
 Be in hot water
 It’s about time


15. K- O-http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/stu
dent/idioms/idiomsmain.html
 Keep an eye on







sthg/someone
Kill time
Let someone know
Make ends meet
Be on the tip of
someone’s tongue
Once in a blue moon
Out of the blue
Out of the frying pan
and into the fire

16. P-T
http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/stu
dent/idioms/idiomsmain.html
Pop the question
 Play it by ear
 Pull someone’s leg
 Put all your eggs in one basket
 Put yourself in someone’s shoes


17. R Race against the clock/time
 Read between the lines
 Rings a bell to someone
S
 See the light
 So far so good


18. T
 Take it easy
 That makes two of us
 That’s that
 Time will tell
 Be tongue-tied
 The tip of the iceberg
 Turn your back on (someone)


19. U-Z
Be under pressure
 Up in the air
W
 Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve
 When it rains, it pours
 When pigs fly
Y
 You can say that again


20. Exercise- try to guess the idiom
represented in each picture

23. PROVERBS- A-Z
A-Ehttp://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/i
dioms/idiomsmain.html
FJhttp://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/
idioms/idiomsmain.html
LIST OF PROVERBS
http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/i
dioms/idiomsmain.html

24. Keys to idioms exercise1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
one in a blue moon
to be caught red-handed
To be all ears
To bug someone
To beat around the bush
To pop the question
To kill time
To be like fish out of water
To go nuts
To get cold feet
To eat your words
To drive someone up the wall
To catch someone’s eyes
out of the blue

25. Resources from:
English Language Cyber Center
 English Idioms and Proverbs
 Other resources

◦ Interactive games:
http://www.autoenglish.org/idioms/commo
nidioms/commonidioms.html

26. Common idioms exercises
Interactive matching activity
 http://www.autoenglish.org/idioms/com
monidioms/commonidioms.html
 Essential idioms

◦ http://www.autoenglish.org/jungle.html#Es
sential_
◦ Time expressions
◦ http://www.autoenglish.org/idioms/id.time.
pdf