Idiom Of The Day

 

                                                                          The View From Ivory Tower

Let's start using idioms or idiomatic expressions when we write. When idioms are used, it add color and texture to language by creating images that convey meanings beyond those of the individual words that make them up. An idiom can be very colorful and make a 'picture' in our minds. It also shows the writer's familiarity with English. When you want to make your writing sound more conversational, including idioms can give your writing a more relaxed tone.

Idioms allow us to say a lot with few words. Idioms amplify your messages in a way that draws your readers in and helps awaken their senses. It adds dynamism and character to otherwise stale writing. They make your writing less monotonous and your readers will think that you are smart and knowledgeable. All the while ... you only clothe your writing with elaborate idioms to create an impact... saying too much with less. 

To perfect your English, you really need to become confident in using idioms and knowing the difference between breaking a leg and pulling someone's leg. So the idiom of the day is:

IDIOM: Living in the ivory tower

MEANING: Living in an ivory tower is used to refer to a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the practical realities of the real world. It's often used to describe people, especially academics or scholars, who are deeply engrossed in their own pursuits and seem oblivious to outside concerns. 

If I live on the third floor of the building I rent, unmindful and not concerned of how people live their lives below ... and content to live my own life all to myself... as they lived theirs ... and played dead and blind to see what is going on down there ... I am living in an ivory tower. When I voluntarily removed myself from the pressures & troubles of our daily existence... I was detached from the harsh realities of life ... and by placing myself in seclusion/isolation and minding only my own business ... made that happen.

ORIGIN: This idiom originated in 1837 and was coined by a French literary critic Charles Augustin Sainte-Beauve to describe how the French poet and novelist Alfred Victor de Vigny chooses a life in isolation to pursue his dream of becoming an effective poet and a dramatist.

USING IT IN A SENTENCE: Living in an ivory tower is a situation in which the company's top honcho becomes disconnected and out of touch with the experiences and problems of those at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy. They were oblivious and unaware of the little problems besetting the little workers - the backbone of the company.