• Home
  • About
  • Meet the Authors
  • Featured Reviews
  • Request a Review
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe

The Curriculum Choice

Making homeschool decisions easy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
    • Meet the Authors
  • Blog
  • How To Homeschool
    • By Review Team
    • Encouragement
    • New to Homeschooling
    • Organization
  • Reviews by Grade
    • Elementary
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Preschool
  • Reviews by Subject
    • Bible
    • Economics
    • Fine Arts
      • Art
      • Music
    • Foreign Language
    • Highschool
    • History & Geography
      • Geography
      • History
    • Home Economics
    • Language Arts
      • Grammar
      • Handwriting
      • Literature
      • Phonics
      • Reading
      • Spelling
      • Vocabulary
      • Writing
    • Logic
    • Math
    • Science & Technology
      • Science
      • Technology
        • Apps

in Age· Elementary· Grammar· High School· Language Arts· Middle School· Poetry· Vocabulary

Scholastic’s Idiom Dictionary :: a handy reference tool!

Review of Scholastic's Idioms Dictory at www.thecurriculumchoice.com

‘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.

fit as a fiddle

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. 🙂

animal idioms

idiom dictionary

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!

:

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}

Daniele (36 Posts)

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!


Filed Under: Age, Elementary, Grammar, High School, Language Arts, Middle School, Poetry, Vocabulary Tagged With: Written by Daniele

Previous Post: « The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks Review
Next Post: Learning Geography With GeoMaster Plus App »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. SoCalLynn says

    September 11, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

We are a veteran group of home educators with a mission – to spread the word about our favorite curricula and help YOU make informed decisions for your homeschool. Meet the review authors and browse the homeschooling tips they share!

Subscribe For Free Choosing Homeschool Curriculum Guide

Success! Please check your email and confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Sponsors and Affiliates

Homeschoolinghomeschool

Our Sister Websites

 


Follow Curriculum Choice's board Homeschool Reviews by The Curriculum Choice on Pinterest.

Recent Comments

  • Duncan on How to Start Homeschooling
  • Shirley Ann on A.C.E Curriculum Review Revisited
  • Steve Hakes on A.C.E Curriculum Review Revisited
  • 10 March Nature Activities Perfect for Spring Celebrations - Homeschool Nature Study on Christian Liberty Nature Readers
  • Heidi Ciravola on Farm Food and Nature Anatomy: Books for Exploring our Natural World
  • Advertising
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Philosophies
  • Request a Review

Copyright © 2023 · The Curriculum Choice, a Southern Hodgepodge, L.L.C. site.