English Lexicology
Lecture Eight
Idioms, Multiword Verbs and Proverbs
Idioms, multiword verbs and proverbs constitute an important part of the English language. They are very common in spoken and written English. The general tendency of present-day English is towards more idiomatic usage.
noun and noun (e.g. bread and butter, part and parcel),
noun + prepositional phrase (e.g. a snake in the grass, a bull in a china shop),
as + as construction (e.g. as clear as crystal, as like as two peas),
Nautical life and military life are the source of when one's ship comes home, to be in the same boat as someone, to be in deep waters, to sail under false colors, to cross swords with someone, to fight a pitched battle, to fight a losing/winning battle.