Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in

The Maple Leaf Rag

View all entries from The Maple Leaf Rag >

Mapleleaf Man

Canada

March 23, 2010

Every dog has its day. Huh? What the heck does that mean? In English, as with every other language I suppose, we use idioms to make a point. Idioms are usually quite old for some reason. There are probably some idioms being created right now but I'm not sure we know what they are yet because they aren't in general usage. 

Lately, I think because the seasons are changing, there seem to be more idioms being used. Maybe it's because it's spring and I'm more sensitive to things like this, who knows?

Anyway,  every dog has its day means that there will be something good or bad for everyone. If you finish last in a contest then someone might say, every dog has its day which would mean that you would win the contest someday or, you'll get your chance someday. 

There are many lists of idioms on the Internet but there always seem to be some that pop up and are difficult to understand. Yesterday I heard 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'. Another funny one, right? This means that you can't have everything.

Do you need idioms to communicate in English? Certainly not. But, depending on what you read or where you travel, idioms make English more fun to learn. They are like a challenge for you. See if you can figure out what the idioms mean and try to remember them. Good luck!

If you have heard an idiom and need me to translate it, send me a message or make a comment on this blog. Let's have some fun with it.

Thanks for reading! 

More entries: A New Year, New Ways to Learn (1), English sucks...but don't give up. (6), Learning English is never easy, but it's worth the effort. (4), Easy English Stories, English vocabulary - another way to learn (1), A Shit of Paper (3), Break a leg - another English idiom. , Repost: Are all Chinese girls lesbians? (3), How language affects your life. (3), Chinese Writing (5)

View all entries from The Maple Leaf Rag >

07:44 AM Apr 18 2010

Mapleleaf Man
Canada

 Ah, a Spanish idiom that is so close to the English one. I wonder which one came first? Not that it matters but it would be interesting to know. I'm not sure if idioms are part of educated speech or part of the normal, middle or lower class vernacular. As we get to be better educated, maybe the idioms are dropping by the wayside. Many English idioms come from the days of sailing and as we get farther away from those times, maybe new ones aren't being created. 

09:10 PM Apr 17 2010

Dannyhiga

Dannyhiga
Peru

:O I'd never heard those 2 idioms before! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us .. ^^

My mum told me that in our country in the past, people used to use idioms when communicating much more than now .. :O And it's true! We can convey messages without using them but we'll definitely ran into them inevitably, so it's always good to know what they mean :)

I find it interesting that some idioms are almost the same or similar in different languages :D "International idioms" as my friend calls them .. :) In Spanish for instance, we say "no todo es color de rosa" (not everything is.. rose colour?) which is similar to "it's not always a bed of roses" :) and they both have exactly the same meaning ! 

 

Thank you so much Mr Mapleleaf Man :)