‘We can’t go to the store now, it’s raining cats and dogs out there!’
‘You’ll get through this, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.’
‘If you advertise this for free, every Tom, Dick and Harry will come out to get it.’
Recognize the idioms in these sentences? Are you sure of what an idiom is?
idiom |ˈidēəm|noun
a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Idioms are phrases used within a language which are familiar to the culture, but really don’t make sense standing alone. In fact, they can be downright confusing! Such as:
raining cats and dogs…light at the end of the tunnel…or Tom, Dick and Harry
Unless you have them explained to you, the words by themselves are odd.
Scholastic’s Idiom Dictionary is a tool we came across quite accidentally while at the bookstore one day. I was so intrigued and caught up in reading, I purchased the book right there and then!
Idiom phrases are alphabetized by the first word of the phrase, and there is a nice index of all idioms. Throughout, idioms are also categorized by subject matter, such as animal or food idioms. And believe me, there are plenty!
Our favorite part is to read the origin of a particular phrase, and to see why it became popular. If you’re looking for a funny family read-aloud — get this dictionary! Seriously, we’ve had tons of laughs. 🙂
Why an idiom dictionary – who is it even helpful for?
ESL students – a helpful tool for those attempting to learn our language culture (again, idioms don’t make sense just as a group of words). My parents are Haitian and often mentioned the most difficult part of learning English was the idioms!
Speech students – my teen’s speech & debate club emphasizes the importance of knowing idioms since they are a cornerstone of impromptu speech subjects.
Middle/High School students – many idioms originated in classical literature (so I’ve since learned while owning this book), so students can pause to look up a phrase while reading if one is unfamiliar to them.
The Whole Family – really, it’s probably the most-used dictionary in our home!
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Owning great references is an important part of building great booklists for our children. Consider adding Scholastic’s Idiom Dictionary to your shelves!
{post written by Daniele of Domestic Serenity, homeschool Mama of 5 living in central PA}
I'm a Mama to five kiddos living among cows and corn in central PA. Our curriculum choices reflect Charlotte Mason with a Classical Ed flair, and we'll throw in anything else that works! Come on over and visit us - hope to see you there!
We’ve had a copy of this for several years. It does come in handy, and is quite entertaining as well. Especially for those who love the English language and all its idiosyncrasies, like our family does.