Waiting till the cows come home
Idioms beautifying language IV
March 16, 2012, 6:50 pm , The Island.
By Vijaya Jayasuriya
Idioms change over time. They undergo differences in their meaning and form from time to time and are accordingly recorded in contemporary dictionaries so that learners have no reason to worry about these changes. However they would do well to have a knowledge of these differences as they are bound to come across original forms of these idioms in early writings like novels and plays, for example books by Shakespeare and Dickens.
A good example is ‘com to’ whose meaning in the Oxford dictionary (1964 edition) includes ‘inherit; return to one’s senses from a fainting fit’ while Collins too defines it as ‘re-cover from a fainting fit and return to one’s normal sensible attitude.’
Meantime Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (ALD) 1974 edition changes this to ‘come to one’s senses/oneself ‘meaning’ become conscious after fainting’ while the 2010 edition equalizes it to ‘come around or come round’ with the meaning ‘to become conscious again’ eg: His mother hasn’t yet come round from the anesthetic.’
‘Hoe come’ is also a popular expression meaning ;how something can happen’ expecting an explanation from the interlocutor. ALD (1974) puts it down as a slang use meaning ‘How does/ did that happen’ : eg: How come (that) you just sat there doing nothing?’
A beautiful idiom ‘when the cows come home’ (Collins) the new ALD presents as "Till the cows come home while ‘;come down to earth’ is expanded to include ‘bring down to earth’ as well. Other idioms that have undergone slight changes either in their form or meaning will be recorded accordingly. Even Collins reports of these changes thus. It is typical of the continual change that language is undergoing’ (Page 67)
Learning should never be postponed – the earlier the better. An idiom related to this idea is ‘To wait till the cows come home’ meaning ‘to wait for a long time or even for ever’. To this Collins gives the meaning ‘never’ and describes it as getting delayed also: ‘Cows when the time comes for them to be milked, they meander extremely slowly to the milking shed’. An interesting way of using this idiom is: ‘She is not going to marry till the cows come home’ (to mean ‘for along time’ or even ‘never’)’
‘It’s time for you to come down to earth shedding those highfalutin ideas’ – ‘come back /down to earth’ (with a bang) or ‘bring someone back/down to earth’ is to return or make him return to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time of being excited or impractical. It also means ‘stop day-dreaming, and return to practical realities.’
‘Being down-to-earth’ is also a similar phrase (concerned with realities; practical; contrasted with impractical, vague, idealistic etc.) eg: He’s a down-to-earth sort of fellow (ALD 1974) ‘simple and practical in a way that is helpful and friendly’ (ALD: 2010).
The term ‘come to grief’ Collins presents as ‘circumstances of failure or disaster that would cause sorrow, regret etc. ALD (1974) has expanded it to include ‘bring somebody to grief or come to grief’ meaning ‘cause someone to /meet with misfortune, injury or ruin. The new edition of ALD gives tow senses to this: 1) To end in total failure 2) to be harmed in an accident eg: Several pedestrians came to grief on the icy pavement.
‘Count one’s chickens before they are hatched’ is defined by Collins as ‘with over-confidence make plans depending on events that many not happen. He quotes an Aesop’s fable in which a market-woman selling eggs plans to buy a goose and then a cow and with dreams of growing rich she in her excitement kicked over her basket and all her eggs were broke. ALD records it as ‘Don’t count your chickens (before they are hatched) meaning’ You should not be too confident that something will be successful because something may still go wrong.’
‘Crocodile tears’ is simply defined in ALD as ‘insincere sorrow’ while its latest edition gives the meaning. ‘They pretend to be sad about something, but they are not really sad at all’ Collins describes it as being ‘hypocritical show of grief or hypocritical show of grief’. Sinhala has the exact equivalent ‘Kimbul Kandulu’.
‘She was a cross as two sticks’ means annoyed and irritated. Oxford dictionary gives the explanation ‘peevish, out of humour’ also. ‘Very bad-tempered’ (ALD -1974). The new edition gives the example; eg: I was cross with him for being late; lease don’t get cross, let me explain. (annoyed; quite angry).
‘I don’t want to cross swords with you’ is defined as ‘to fight or argue with somebody’ – ‘contest a question; enter into a dispute or argument’ (Collins). A further explanation; generally used with reference to opposing a rather redoubtable opponent’ (ibid)
‘An evening at the opera is not everyone’s cup of tea; ‘He is nice enough but not really my cup of tea’. ‘Not one’s cup of tea’ is ‘not what somebody likes or is interested in according to ALD (2010). Collins provides a long explanation to it referring to tea as a ‘universal social drink’. Starting from tea as being ‘not my cup of tea’ it is used by extension in general reference to other things that do not suit one’s taste; ‘eg: an entertainment at a theatre, a book etc. with the meaning ‘whatever others may like, that is not the sort of thing to appeal to me.’
‘His is a case of cupboard love’ can be used about an affection that is shown in the hope of getting something by it. ‘A child hoping for cake’ is also an example. (ALD – 1974).
‘Trying to curry favour with somebody’ means trying to win favour or approval by using flattery, etc. the latest dictionary meaning is ‘to try to get somebody to like or support you by praising or helping them a lot.’
There are a number of idioms used with the word ‘cut’ eg: You really cut a dash in your new kit’. ALD explains this as ‘to look attractive in a particular set of clothes, especially in a way that makes other people notice you. According to Collins the verb ‘cut’ gives the meaning ‘make’ which ‘dash’ means ‘showy’ appearance’ (a way of behaving that combines style, enthusiasm and confidence’ (ALD – 2010). The word ‘dashing’ is also synonymous: ‘a dash in young man; his dashing good looks etc. (attractive, confident and elegant).
The verb ‘cut’ is again used to mean ‘make’ in the idiom ‘cut a figure’ eg: She cut a striking figure in her new dress’ ALD (1974) gives it as ‘cut a fine/poor/sorry etc. figure’ (make a fine etc. appearance).
‘My opinion is by no means cut and dried’ and so is subject to change’ – ‘cut and dried’ is an idiom commonly used even in speech to mean ‘already formed and unlikely to change’.
‘They cut it very fine by arriving just before the train started’ means to leave yourself just enough time to do something. ALD (1974) explains the idiom as ‘leave oneself only the minimum of what is needed, yet gives within brackets the restriction: ‘especially time’.
‘Look sharp’ is an idiom with a similar meaning – waste no time’ hurry. ALD (2010) recommends it as a way of instructing; ‘sued in orders to tell somebody to be quick or to hurry; eg: You’d better look sharp, or you’ll be late.
‘Cut corners’ is also an interesting one often used by language aficionados. ALD (1974) sets out its literal meaning as ‘(of a driver of a motor-vehicle) go across, nto round them (the corners when driving fast’ and then gives the figurative meaning as ‘simplify proceedings, ignore regulations etc. to get work done quickly.’ ‘Take a short –cut’ is also given as a general meaning of the idiom under the entry ‘cut’ – ALD (1974). In the new edition (2010) this idiom is explained thus: ‘to do something in the easiest, cheapest or quickest way, often by ignoring rules or leaving something out’ eg: they cut corners to finish the work as soon as possible.
‘You’re going to cut off your nose to spite your face!’ means to damage one’s own interests in a fit of bad temper. Also meant is doing something to harm someone else but it arms you too.
A fine idiom conveying good advice is ‘to cut your coat according to your cloth’ meaning ‘restrict your expenditure on a particular thing to your available means or your income’ Collins also adds: ‘adapt oneself to circumstances’. The idiom is good to the ear as well with the alliteration of the two words ‘coat’ and ‘cloth’ – both on the consonant and the vowel.
‘She is not cut out to be a teacher’ – ‘be cut out for/to be something’ is to have the qualities and abilities needed for it.
‘My uncle cut that Gordian knot by donating his money to the poor’ (When the relations were grappling to grab it). To cut/untie the Gordian knot is to solve a very difficult problem by taking suitable action. The origin of the idiom is one king Gordins who made a complicated knot and said that whoever undid it would become the ruler of Asia. It 2as Alexander the Great who cut through the knot with his sword’ (Collins).
‘He was cut to the quick when he was scolded by the principal’ is to upset someone very much by doing or saying something unkind. (‘Touch’ is also used in place of ‘cut’). The ‘quick’ is the tender, sensitive flesh under the skin and especially the nails; eg: bite one’s nails to the quick.
‘The meeting turned out to be a dam squib’ is an idiom meaning ‘an event that is disappointing because it is not as exciting or impressive as expected. ‘squib’ is a firework that does not go off when it is damp.
‘She was just a dark horse till she won the game of tennis’ – ‘a dark horse’ is one who keeps quiet but surprises others with interesting qualities or by winning a race etc. (According to Collins the origin is horse –racing referring to a horse about whose capabilities little is known.
"Her knowledge of English cannot held a candle to her sister’s’ ‘not as good as her sisters in comparison’; eg: You can’t hold a candle to him in speaking English.
‘Call it a day’ is a very popular and widely used idiom with the meaning ‘to decide or agree to stop work’. Mr. Lenie Gunawardana, a language luminary who visited Peradeniya English teachers; training college as a guest lecturer when we were novice teachers there during early seventies flamboyantly used this term; ‘Shall we then call it a day’ encouraging us to delve deep into the treasure trove of English idiom. This can also be sued for lifetime engagements. ‘After forty years in teaching I think it’s time for you to call it a day now’ (to retire).
‘We have to face the problem of garbage day in day out’ means ‘continuously or every day for a long period of time’; ‘Year’ is also an alternative; eg: We have to pay this amount year in year out.’
