Interesting Idioms

Languages are beautiful. Learning a new language is a very good way to stimulate your brain and expand your mind. It is usually fun but could be challenging at times. As an international student from Vietnam, English is my second language and overcoming the language barrier is no small deal. I have the most trouble making sense of idioms.

The Midwest is a place where hunting and riding horses is a recreational sport, and there are a lot of idioms about hunting and riding horses. Here are some I found confusing and interesting at the same time:

Shooting a sitting duck. Why was it confusing? I never knew what was wrong with a sitting duck (especially when the duck that I imagined was actually sitting on the ground but not water). What does it actually mean? To do an extremely easy job that is not even fun. Why it is interesting? I found it interesting that people actually do harder work for fun and don't even want to do trivial work.

Photo from: http://www.quicklybored.com/wp-content/uploads/duckhunt

Straight from the shoulder. Why was it confusing? I have heard people saying “Straight from the horse's mouth”, because the horse's mouth is kind of straight. But our shoulder is nowhere near straight. What does it actually mean? To be frank. Why it is interesting? It relates to the way people use the gun: hold it up at the shoulder and shoot. Simple, straight, no-brainer. Surprisingly, in my native language there is exactly one idiom that can be translated literally as “straight as a horse's intestine.”

Riding for a fall. Why was it confusing? Do you really ride a horse for a fall? What does it actually mean? To risk an accident or failure. Why it is interesting? No one actually rides the horse for a fall, but it actually means that one is prepared for a fall.

Personally, I have had opportunities to shoot shot guns and hand guns in an open space in the Midwest and it was one the greatest feelings I’ve ever experienced. The targets were flying discs and I was unable to hit any of them, which was a really bad thing. However, I think it could have been much worse if my bullets hit sitting ducks.

For me, understanding other cultures by learning about idioms is what I want to do. I find idioms from every language interesting. If you are studying other languages and have any idiom you want to share, please leave a comment. I would love to read it!

Also, If you want to learn more about idioms regarding the Midwest and hunting, visit http://sportsidioms.com/page/15.htm for explanations.