Uka Nwafor
Language, like I’ve always said, is quite a peculiar phenomenon to every people. And this peculiarity always reflects in the modality of thoughts and perceptions into which the language moulds and weaves the people.
Idioms/sayings, being the business at hand, are particulars with which every language community and their thoughts, and perceptions, of the world around them are identified. Such that any alteration in the use of these particulars—the idioms—has automatically marred the intended meaning as it is in the language.
Therefore, the effort towards mastery of these expressions should be everyone’s priority, especially in our modern-day society when the English language is gradually becoming the language of power.
Let’s consider some of these idiomatic anomalies as commonly misused by the supposedly advanced users of the English language.
Take law into your hand: as in, ‘to avoid trouble, do not take law into your hand.’ We encounter expressions such as this in our every-day life, either in writing or in speaking. Many often ask me, ‘Isn’t language serving its end when used to pass a message from person to another. And my response has always been that a message can hardly be passed if the language is unconventionally depleted or frayed of its terms. The correct idiom is, ‘take the law into your own hands.’ It means ‘to do something illegal in order to punish someone for doing wrong instead of letting the authority concerned handle it. So, the standard form of the expression should be, ‘to avoid trouble, do not take the law into your own hands.’
On a platter of gold: as in, ‘the man got the job on a platter of gold’. The intended meaning of this idiom is that he got the job easily, or without effort. But the fact remains that the language community, it might perhaps be argued, never uses “gold” to express “luck or being fortunate for something”. “Silver” is the right word the community uses for this. Therefore, the correct idiom for this is: on a silver platter. Hence, ‘the boy got the job on a silver platter’ is perfectly correct. It’s worth noting that ‘silver’ is always used to express luck in the English language. For instance, (a) every cloud has a silver lining. Meaning that every negative or bad situation has a positive side (b) some people are born with silver spoon in their mouths’. This means that some people are born into wealthy families. (c) To cross someone’s palm with silver’. It means that someone is offered some money as a gift, or for work done. For instance, the Chairman has crossed the performers’ palms with silver’. The idiom could also somewhat mean ‘to offer someone a bribe’. (d) To have a silver tongue: this idiom means ‘having an oratory skill, or having the gift of eloquence. For example, ‘he might not be a good writer but his silver tongue can win him over a great deal of supporters’.
To sell the family silver: ‘the boy sold the family silver at a slight experience of financial difficulty’. This means that the boy, without proper consideration, sold a very valuable resource for a quick and immediate gain, rather than holding or reserving it for future use.
An idle mind is the devil’s workshop: this idiom is so common that almost everyone with slight knowledge of English knows it, and on the queue of its misuse. At other time, many learners of English are subverted in the company of lower and unexposed learners. In most cases, they’re subverted by lower background learner-parents during upbringing. The correct version is: ‘the devil makes work for idle hands’. It means that anyone who does not engage himself in activity that keeps him busy may likely be tempted to commit crime’.
He who laughs last laughs best: what marred this idiom is the word ‘best’, because it fails to grasp the thought it’s meant to convey or project in the language. The correct version: ‘he who laughs last laughs longest’. And it means that those who are successful today should not be too proud as others may one day become more successful.
Scale through: as in, the boy scaled through in his travel plans. This is another idiom that is un-English. It usually prickles the ears hearing this from advanced users of English. The correct one should be “sail through’’, as in, ‘the boy sailed through his travel plans’. You would also notice that the second use doesn’t contain any preposition as in the first. Another idiom people might be mistaking this for is ‘scrape through’ which means to be narrowly successful in something. For example, ‘The boy managed to scrape through the exam last week.”
Send forth party: this usually sounds so absurd hearing it from supposedly good users. First, the phrase ‘send forth’ is not a noun but a verb phrase. So, how then can it suffice for an event of ceremony as has been mistaken by many? Therefore, ‘send forth’ is a verb phrase and it means ‘to send someone from one place to another, usually without ceremony’. Unlike ‘send-off’ which is a noun, though when not hyphenated could also be a ‘verb phrase’. Many mistake ‘send forth’ for this. It ought not to be so. Because ‘send-off’ is a noun and it means ‘a ceremony’ organised to bid farewell to a person or group of persons. And it’s worth noting that it’s not used with ‘party’ since the phrase itself already implies ‘a ceremony’. In another sense, ‘send off’, usually without a hyphen, could be a verb which mean ‘to send someone out or away due to rules breached or crime committed.
Birds of the same feather flock together: this idiom is often hampered with the modifier ‘same’. It shouldn’t be so. The correct one: ‘Birds of a feather flock together’. And it means ‘people of like mind or character often easily flow and do things together’.
The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know: I usually feel pissed off hearing this from the supposedly advanced speakers who, most times, insist on its use even when corrected. I understand the enormity of mother-tongue influence in the second language learning but the efforts towards mastery usually yield encouraging results. Most times, our ideas could be great and splendid, but if the tool, which is the language, with which we convey them, is shaky, then our acceptance may be endangered. So, the correct form of this idiom is, ‘the devil you know is better than that you don’t’. These idioms may sound strange to many since they seem to contradict their knowledge of them, the way they were taught or probably grew up knowing.
If worse comes to worse: the problem with this idiom is that many users hardly know which form of the adjective is the word “worse”; whether comparative or superlative. Whereas some care less to appropriate usage; such that whatever the correct form is none of their businesses. But it might interest you to know that the beauty of language lies in the capacity of usage. So the correct form of the idiom is “if the worst comes to the worst.” American English may do away with the definite articles ‘the’ in both clauses.
Eat your cake and have it back: it is a common parlance among the English language users to say or write, ‘you can’t eat your cake and it back’ to mean that one cannot have two things of advantage to oneself at the same time. The problem in learning English grammar is the thoughts available in our native languages. A great many learners tend to express the thoughts the way they are in their native languages in English language. It shouldn’t be so. The standard form of the idiom will now be, ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it.’ AmE would add ‘too’, as in: ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too.’
Far-fetched: it’s unfortunate that this compound word does not mean, ‘easy to come by’ as many erroneously believe. For instance, it’s common for people to say or write, ‘providing answers to all the questions is not far-fetched.’ This word, on the contrary, means difficult to believe. For example, ‘His account of the robbery incident is far-fetched. This means that his account of the robbery incident is difficult to believe. It doesn’t mean not easy to come by or deal with.
From frying pan to fire: this idiom is common among users of the language; as in, ‘the situation in the country today is like jumping from frying pan to fire.’ They use this idiom to mean ‘from a difficult/bad situation to one that is worse.’ Unfortunately, ‘from frying pan to fire’ is not the right idiom. The standard form of the idiom is, ‘out of the frying pan into the fire.’ The standard form of the expression will now be, ‘the situation in the country today is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.’
A slip of tongue: the problem with this idiom is the absence of the compulsory definite article ‘the.’ One would hear many of the supposedly advanced users say, ‘the statement was a slip of tongue,’ to mean that the statement was a mistake. These considered little things matter a lot in the use of languages such as English. Users are usually tempted to ignore them since with or without them they can understand and be understood. The correct form of the idiom is, ‘the statement was a slip of the tongue.’ Anything ‘a slip of’ should come with an article before the nominal (noun). Examples: ‘a slip of the tongue, the pen’ etc. ‘a slip of a boy/girl’ etc.
It might interest you to know that many individuals have hewn honours and respects; hit it hard and huge in life through the proficient use of language, most especially the English language.
So, strive your hardest to master it as it’s become not only a global language but the language of power.
I paused here with head bowed for the English grammar enthusiasts.
© Uka Nwafor
You can visit my Facebook page: English Grammar Clinic and Language Matters or (call: 08033935430). We can help you improve your writing and speaking skills.
