A brief introduction to origins of idioms in English

侯志文

【Abstract】In English， there are many different kinds of idioms which are very interesting and important. But， where do they come from？ How do the people use idioms to express themselves？ By analyzing the origins of idioms， we may better understand them. Whats more， we are also able to learn a lot about the cultural difference. This essay is mainly about idioms from animals and from colors.

【Key words】idiom； origin； animal； color

With the development of language， both English and Chinese are bound to assimilate many good idioms from each other. They have different origins and they reflect different culture. By comparing English and Chinese idioms， we could learn more about the relationship of idioms and culture. By learning English idioms and the language as a whole， we could have a better mastery of English

1 Idioms from Animals

Due to different living customs， productive pattern， living conditions， climate and so on， several animals find the same environment on which they rely for existence as the human being. In the past， animals and human beings are interdependent. While the man is the most emotional animals that give the animals different affection， as a result， the symbolic meaning of the animals vary greatly. The western people in the past preferred using horse to make idioms since horses were used very often by them. People might use horse to do transporting or to do some hard work. Of course， they really like to keep dogs or cats as their pets or friends. As a consequence， they make idioms concerning dog or cat.

1.1 Idioms concerning horse.a horse pill （大藥丸）， a horse laugh （讥笑）， a horse of a different color （完全是另一回事）， be on ones high horse （趾高气扬）， beat a dead horse （徒劳无益）， hold ones horse （忍耐）， clothes horse （爱打扮）， one-horse town （落后的小地方）， horse-and-buggy days （马车时代）， A horse galloping without a stop （马不停蹄）.

1.2 Idioms concerning horse.A cat-and-dog life（争争吵吵的日子）， Dog does not eat dog（同类不相残）， Dumb dogs are dangerous （不叫的狗咬人）， Every dog has his day （人人都有得意的时候）， Every dog is a lion at home （狗是百步王，只在门前凶）， Give a dog a bad name and hang him （欲加之罪，何患无辞）， go to the dogs（每况愈下）， hang-dog look（愁眉苦脸）， If the old dog barks， he give the counsel （老狗叫，是忠告）， Love me， love my dog （爱屋及乌）.

1.3 Idioms concerning other animals.A mouse can see only an inch （鼠目寸光）， The cat weeping over the dead mouse （猫哭老鼠 Even a worm will turn（狗急跳墙）， Black sheep（害群之马）， Kill two birds with one stone（一箭双雕）， Glare like a tiger eyeing its prey（虎视眈眈）， Pull a tooth from the tigers mouth（虎口拔牙）， A tiger ‘s head and a snakes tail（虎头蛇尾）， Dragons and fishes jumbled together（鱼龙混杂）， Pass off fish eyes as pearls （鱼目混珠）， Monsters and demons（牛神蛇鬼）， The fox borrows the tigers fierceness（狐假虎威）.

2 Idioms from Colors

In English， there are many interesting idioms from colors. However， it is easy for us to make mistakes if we just translate them literally. As we know， there are seven colors in this world. That means just a few words are used to describe colors. But many idioms from colors may enrich the vocabulary. Because of different cultures， colors also means differently. Such as blue means sadness in English， be in the blues means “unhappy”， be in a blue funk means “depressed”； there is a kind of music called blues which originated in southern America， sing the blues means someone is in depression. Unlike English， we Chinese use “grey” to express our sadness. For instance we may say “灰色的人生觀”， “心灰意冷”， “灰溜溜”. Then let us see the following examples：

2.1 Idioms from White.white Christmas（下雪的圣诞节）， White elephant （昂贵而无用的东），hang out the white flag。认输）， white lie（善意的谎言）， white war（不流血的战争）， white night（不眠之夜）， white magic（法术、戏法）， bleed someone white（榨尽某人的钱财）， white hope （被指望大可获得成功的人或物）， white goods（大件家用电器，如冰箱、洗衣机等）， white about the gills（非常害怕）.

2.2 Idioms from Black.black market（黑市）， black list（黑名单）， black day（黑色的日子）， black future（前途黯淡）， black heart（黑心）， black comedy （黑色喜剧）， black humour （黑色幽默）， black mark （黑点、污点）， black in the face（非常气愤）， black and white（是非清楚的）， black ice （透明薄冰）， black sheep（败家子）， swear black is white（颠倒黑白，强词夺理）.

3 Conclusion

In conclusion， owing to the different countries historical backgrounds， geographical locations， customs and traditions， people have diverse cognitions of colors， so the idioms rising under the conditions reflect such regional differences. For news translators and readers， having a good idea of idioms from color is of great importance.

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