"Raining Cats and Dogs" by quartertofour - deviantART.com
I love language, and I had a ton of fun looking up American idioms for a short story I wrote today. I found myself giggling in Starbucks with people around me wondering what I had up my sleeve. It’s no wonder that the English language puts non-English speakers into a fog.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- In like Flynn
- A lost ball in the high weeds
- One sandwich short of a picnic
- Bean counter
- Bless your pointy little head
- Left-handed cigarette
- Not enough room to swing a cat
- Go down like a cup of cold sick
- How long is a piece of string?
An unfamiliar one I came across was, “Use your loaf.” I can’t wait to use that one on Fat Cat. He’ll have a gas at that one.
One of the websites I came across had a funky font that was hard on the eyes. “Sick as a dog,” became “Slick as a dog.” “Icing on the cake,” looked like “Itching on the cake.” Silly rabbit.
It gave me a crazy idea that I thought I’d run up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes. Revise a common idiom and see what floats to the top. And send them my way! I’d love to read them!
P.S. NaNoWriMo Update: 30,400 words. I am over the moon! 🙂
A leopard can’t change his socks. Due to the fairly basic lack of opposable thumbs.
All bark and no bitchumen.
Feargy
http://anactorslife.wordpress.com
Hah! I love it! I’m using the leopard one the next time someone complains I never clean up after myself. Thanks!
As an American, I’m unfamiliar with at least a few of these (maybe they’re regional)
It’s impossible to know them all. They’re always changing and always birthing themselves every minute of every day. I know “left-handed cigarette” might be a local term, referring to a marijuana cigarette. I found a lot that I hadn’t heard of, and plenty that were funny enough I wanted to revive into everyday use.