A class act by Trevor Plumbly
In reduced circumstances I only met Aunt Phyllis a few times, but she was one of those characters who continue to tap you on the shoulder throughout life. I was never quite sure of her place in what could euphemistically be described as my ‘family’ circle. I never knew if she was an actual ‘aunt’ or some sort of straggler who became attached before my time. The main consensus (whispered, of course), was that she had ‘a past’. At the time I assumed everybody had one of those and it wasn’t until… Read More
Proverbs and idioms by Angela Caldin
A few weeks ago, I was pondering on the difference between an idiom and a cliché. I understood that the overall meaning of an idiom is different from the meaning of the individual words used, whereas a cliché is a phrase or expression which has been severely overused so as to become hackneyed and stale. In addition, I realised that many idioms, though by no means all, are also clichés This week I’m pondering on the difference between an idiom and a proverb and finding that, though the distinction is often clear,… Read More
Angela’s ABCs – clichés and idioms by Angela Caldin
At the weekend, I was telling anybody who would listen that I’d been spending time with someone who spoke using a lot of clichés. To illustrate my point, I gave an example, ‘We mustn’t upset the apple cart.’ My younger daughter, who, surprisingly, had been listening, said, ‘That’s not a cliché, it’s an idiom.’ I was intrigued. She knows about these things because she’s a primary school teacher and she teaches her Year 4s all about these figures of speech: metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom and cliché. Even so, I still felt… Read More
Talking in clichés By Trevor Plumbly
Hi Ange! It might be my imagination but we seem to be bombarded by clichés and verbal garbage these days. I don’t know if computers are to blame but modern English seems to have become a dumping ground for mangled definition and totally meaningless little add-ons that contribute nothing towards conversation or educated communication. Of course there’s always been slang of one sort or another, Cockney for instance, but that at least had a heritage factor. Today’s fluffy drivel has no historical or humorous value that I can make out. A… Read More
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