English is a language full of idioms. In fact, there are an estimated 25,000 idioms in the English language! Here are 10 of the commonly used, but strange, English idioms.

1. Cold turkey
2. Thick as thieves
3. Excuse my French
4. Turn over a new leaf
5. Hold your horses
6. The elephant in the room
7. Bull in a China shop
8. A hot potato 
9. A wet blanket
10. By the skin of one's teeth

These idioms can seem strange because the imagery that they create can leave you confused. What do these idioms actually mean? And how can you use them while speaking and writing in English? We will go through each of these idioms and understand the meaning, usage, and origin.

Cold Turkey

This idiom sounds really strange. What's a cold turkey anyway? The meaning of 'cold turkey' is to stop doing something abruptly. Usually, it is used to indicate that someone is stopping a habit.

Going cold turkey means that you will completely and totally give up a habit and not fall into temptation and start the habit again. For example, if you decide to cut down on sugar and stop eating that dessert every night after dinner, you can say that you are quitting desert cold turkey.

• Meaning – to quit something abruptly (such as an addiction or a habit)
• Origin – Origin is unclear, but 'cold' might refer to being detached and 'turkey' might refer to the phrase 'talking turkey' which means to talk frankly.
• Variations – going cold turkey, quitting cold turkey
• Sentence – You need to quit smoking. Just go cold turkey and throw the cigarettes out!

Thick as Thieves

The idiom mentions thieves. But it has really got nothing to do with stealing something. In fact, the idiom talks about being really good friends and sharing secrets with each other.

On second thought, it does make sense, considering that two thieves stealing together might keep it a secret between themselves. Now, however, it can be used to describe two or more people who are very close to each other, share secrets, or even are always huddled together.

• Meaning – two or more people who are close friends, and share and keep secrets among themselves
• Origin – This idiom possibly originated in England in the 18th century when thieves would use a secret language to communicate with each other. The word 'thick', which was used for 'close' around the same time, also fits the meaning of the idiomatic expression.
• Sentence – I remember Anne and Julie in my class, always huddled together, thick as thieves.

Excuse My French

 

Image from victorianprint.co.uk

 

French in an English idiom? Well, this idiom has nothing to do with the French language or the French people. It is an expression that you use when you swear during a conversation. 'To swear' refers to using impolite words or profanity, which are considered taboo in some cultures and settings.

During a conversation, when you feel compelled to use profanity or impolite words, you can use this idiom before saying the impolite words, or immediately after saying them. It is an idiom usually used only in spoken English.

• Meaning – an expression used to ask for being excused or forgiven for using impolite/profane words during a conversation
• Origin – The expression dates back to the 1800s. The English would sometimes use actual French words during conversations and would then use Excuse my French because not everyone understood French. Over the years, the expression has lost its original meaning and is now used only in the context of profanity.
• Variations – pardon my French
• Sentence – I think the mayor is a complete ****, excuse my French!

Turn Over a New Leaf

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash

 

When you read this idiom, you probably immediately imagine the leaves of a tree. And does the new leaf refer to the new leaves after Autumn? Actually, the meaning of this expression does not refer to trees at all. It refers to the pages of a book that were referred to as leaves in old English. The expression means to turn the page of a book and begin with a new, blank page. So, it literally means to start afresh.

The idiom means to change yourself completely, for the good. So, when someone gives up their old, bad ways and starts afresh on a good note, we can say that the person has turned over a new leaf. It can also be used when someone starts acting in a more responsible manner.

• Meaning – to amend ways and become a better person
• Origin – The expression possibly originated in 16th-century England when the book pages were called leaves.
• Sentence – Jack turned over a new leaf after his time in prison. I am amazed at how much he has changed!

Hold your Horses

The meaning of this idiom is similar to what it sounds like. What does it mean to literally hold your horses? When you are horseback riding, it would mean to stop in your tracks, right? That's what this idiom refers to. The meaning of the idiom is to ask someone to stop or slow down.

However, do note that the phrase does not always mean to physically stop someone from moving ahead. It is more commonly used to stop someone during a conversation. For example, if your colleague has misinterpreted a statement you made and is confronting you about it, you can ask them to hold their horses!

• Meaning – wait a moment, slow down, stop
• Origin – The idiom originated in the 1800s in New York when horses were used for transporting cargo. In order to avoid too many horses passing at the same time, the expression was used to ask the people to wait up until the roads were clear to pass again.
• Sentence – Just hold your horses, David! Let's think about this for a moment before jumping to a conclusion.

The Elephant in the Room

This one definitely looks strange at first glance. How do you even get an elephant in a room? But let's assume there is an elephant in the room. If that is the case, nobody in the room will be able to ignore it, right?

This idiom is used when there is a situation or a problem that people are deliberately ignoring. It is often used in an awkward situation where people avoid talking about something even though they are aware of the situation. 

• Meaning – a major problem, a controversial issue, or an awkward situation that everyone is avoiding talking about
• Origin – The phrase probably originated in 1935. However, it has been used since the 1950s to refer to the above meaning.
• Sentence – (i) Yes, she came to the party. Her divorce was the elephant in the room nobody would talk about. (ii) Okay, everyone, let's address the elephant in room and talk about why our profits have been going down.

Bull in a China Shop

What would happen when a bull enters a China shop with little teacups, saucers, bowls, etc. lining the shelves? It would be utter chaos and destruction everywhere! Because you can't really expect a bull to move slowly and carefully, right?

The idiom 'a bull in a China shop' refers to a person who is very careless when they move. It is used to refer to physical behavior where someone moves clumsily without being careful about knocking over things around them. However, it can also be used to refer to someone whose behavior is careless and they don't notice how they are causing damage to other people's emotions.

• Meaning – to break things often due to carelessness, to cause damage by saying or behaving without thinking
• Origin – It is believed that the expression originated in 17th-century London when people would bring their cattle to the weekly markets. Some cattle would stray into the nearby China shops causing a lot of damage.
• Sentence – (i) Ron moved through Claire's living room like a bull in a China shop. I think he broke one lamp, two vases, and knocked over a pile of cushions before I asked him to sit down. (ii) I think Emily was very angry when she made that speech yesterday. She was a bull in a China shop and did not care one bit that what she said was hurtful for everyone in the room.

A Hot Potato

Who wants to hold a hot potato? Nobody. And that's exactly what this idiom means. It refers to something that nobody wants. It commonly refers to a problem or topic that nobody wants to talk about. And just like you would drop a hot potato immediately if you held it, the idiom refers to a topic that people avoid when it comes up.

When you are uncomfortable about a topic being spoken in your presence, you tend to avoid the conversation and change the topic. This is called dropping the topic like a hot potato.

• Meaning – a controversial topic, an awkward problem
• Origin – The term originated in the 1800s and was based on the fact that freshly cooked potatoes are too hot to touch.
• Variations – drop (something) like a hot potato
• Sentence – Susan dropped her travel plan like a hot potato when she realized Jane is also coming. They don't get along very well, you see?

A Wet Blanket

A wet blanket can put out flames. A person who is 'a wet blanket' spoils the fun for other people. It could be because they refuse to take part in the fun activity or spoil the situation for others by their bad attitude, bad mood, or a bad condition such as being sick.

So, if your friend sits with a sullen face while you are at a party, he is being a wet blanket. Or if your manager suddenly announces that the little celebration at lunch is off due to a deadline, they are being a wet blanket!

• Meaning – someone who spoils a situation for others
• Origin – It originated in the late 1800s when cooks would keep a wet blanket to avoid fire hazards in the kitchen. If the cooking flames would threaten to burn things down, the cooks would put a wet blanket to douse the flames.
• Sentence – It was a great adventure until Sam fell ill and was a wet blanket.

By the Skin of One's Teeth

Our teeth don't have skin. So what is this idiom referring to? Since teeth don't even have skin, 'by the skin of one's teeth' can mean 'bearly'. So if you have no hope of escaping a situation, but just manage to escape, this idiom is used. Similarly, if it is almost impossible to do something, but then you somehow manage to do it, you can use this idiom.

It refers to a very narrow escape from a situation. It can also mean when someone is only just able to do something, such as being able to just pass the test. 

• Meaning – escaping something narrowly, by a narrow margin, only just
• Origin – Believe it or not, the idiom has its origins in the Bible. In a particular verse, a severe sickness is described where the inflicted person escapes by the skin of his teeth. 
• Sentence – As the thief heard the cops coming he ran from the house and escaped by the skin of his teeth.