I have never given much thought to idioms and I may not even understand them fully, but I made a list fromI chapter 3. I have inserted a sentence I made up following each example from the book.
...he had going this collection of potato chip bags (p.17). All he had going for him was the fact that he could run faster than any other boy on the block.
...the boy was a flat-out lunatic (p.18). When the car hydroplaned, I was flat-out petrified!
...fished his old suitcase from the bushes...(p.19). I fished around in my backpack until I found my keys.
...watched those two Barbie and Ken dolls...(p.21). Barbie and Ken arrived fashionably late, wearing their perfect clothes.
Just struck dumb (p.21). When I saw the bill, I was struck dumb.
...drop some of them bricks you keep hauling around with you. (p.23). That load of bricks is going to be awfully heavy to carry around all by yourself.
I think of idioms as language that doesn't make sense if you just translate it literally. They are words and phrases that would be especially difficult to understand if English was not your native language, or as they say in East Tennessee, you aren't "from around here."
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
