ログインしてさらにmixiを楽しもう

コメントを投稿して情報交換!
更新通知を受け取って、最新情報をゲット!

☆★☆ English club ☆★☆コミュの10 English Idioms: Part 4

  • mixiチェック
  • このエントリーをはてなブックマークに追加
英語の慣用句

An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words, which can make idioms hard for ESL students and learners to understand.

Here is a list of 10 common English idioms used in the United States.


――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
■ Idiom (慣用句)
Definition (定義)

Example (例)

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

■ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
This means that people have different opinions about the same thing. One person may like it, another may not.



■ Beauty is only skin deep
That what looks good may not actually be good.



■ Beeline for
If you make a beeline for something, you go there directly, and often as fast as you can.

I was hungry, so I made a beeline for the kitchen.

■ Beggars can't be choosers
Those who need help should accept the help given, even if it doesn't solve all of their problems.

A: "I'm very hungry, but they only had food I didn't like."
B: "Hey, beggars can't be choosers."

■ Behind closed doors
Something that happens in private.

Their meeting was behind closed doors, it must have been something special.

■ Behind someone's back
To do something in secret, especially when regarding an individual.

I told him not to do it! He did it anyways, behind my back.

■ Belly up
Something that goes very wrong.

I tried to get the car working, but everything went belly up.

■ Bend over backwards
To do everything you can, especially to help someone.

I bent over backwards trying to help her.

■ Better late than never
That it is better to have completed something, even if it is a little late.

The report was due at noon, but I didn't get it in until 12:30... oh well, better late than never.

■ Better safe than sorry
It is better to be cautious than to take undue risk.

You should wear protection goggles. Although there has never been an accident, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

コメント(2)

Hi Douglas.
Thank you for wrote some meaning.
I appreciate it. :)
>Douglas-san

These are great posts! I did find that there are a few nuances that could be missed, though, such as:

■ Bend over backwards
To do everything you can, especially to help someone.

The nuance here is the idea that someone literally bent over backwards or contorted hisself/herself in order to help. This usually implies that there was some inconvenience suffered on the part of the person helping.

There's a degree in helpfulness:

1. I helped him.
2. I went out of my way to help him.
3. I bent over backwards to help him.

ログインすると、みんなのコメントがもっと見れるよ

mixiユーザー
ログインしてコメントしよう!

☆★☆ English club ☆★☆ 更新情報

☆★☆ English club ☆★☆のメンバーはこんなコミュニティにも参加しています

星印の数は、共通して参加しているメンバーが多いほど増えます。

人気コミュニティランキング