Idiom Of The Day

 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: Take it with a grain of salt (American). Take it with a pinch of salt (British).

MEANING: It means not believing something that you were told because it is unlikely to be true. The information you just received is not accurate ... so accept it with some degree of suspicion and disbelief ... treat it skeptically with reservations.

ORIGIN:The idea comes from the fact that food is more easily eaten or swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt. The origin dates back in 77 A.D. when a Roman philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus also known as Pliny the Elder discovered the recipe for an antidote to poison. In his translation in Naturalis Historia, he used the words "be taken fasting, plus a grain of salt".

USING IT IN A SENTENCE: The story sounds so incredible ... so take it with a grain of salt until you get more details.

Idioms In Tagalog

 One of my friends asked:  "Are there idiom equivalents also  in the Tagalog language?" Of course, there are.  Katulad ng idioms sa English, ginagamit ito para tumingkad ang paglalarawan ng mga bagaybagay at para mapaigting  at matalinhaga ang takbo ng usapin o pagsusulat.

And just like in English ... ang kahulugan ng mga "sawikain or idioms" ay magkaiba sa literal meaning ng mga salita. Sa madaling salita ang mga sawikain don't mean exactly what the individual words in it say. Tandaan natin ... ang figurative meaning ng mga sawikain ... is different from its literal meaning.

If somebody tells a farmer na siya ay hampaslupa ... huwag kang praning 'tol.  At chill ka lang. Technically ako ay isang farmer din sa ngayon because I spend most of my waking hours in the farm. And I don't take offense kung sabihin nila na ako ay hampas lupa. 

Figuratively speaking hampas lupa mean vagobond, a pauper. And so far that is not true ... dahil ako lang siguro ang hampaslupa who can eat three times a day and have fresh vegetables and fruits to boot at may tinolang manok pa to enjoy a sumptious dinner.

Literally speaking hampas lupa means strike the ground. Nabubuhay ba kami na buong maghapon na pinupulpos ang lupa? What is wrong with that?  Nagkakalyo man ang kamay namin sa paghampas ng lupa that doesn't mean ... we are starving ... dahil sa sipag namin ... kumakaway si Jose Abad Santos Josefa Llanes Escoda at ang barkadang si Vicente Lim. At sa langit naman nakangiting may bendisyon kami mula kay Benigno at Cory Aquino. 

Huwag magmamaktol tol. I'd rather have calloused hands being a hampas lupa ... than having mala-sutlang kamay pero puno naman ng utang.

No offense meant.

Definition

Tourist Definition - a person or persons who is traveling or visiting a place or islands for pleasure. 

Activities are two-fold- 1% swimming ... 99 % picture taking.

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Why People Travel?

Traveling as a tourist used to be traditionally something to broaden one's horizon ... and exploring the world around them. It is a way of gaining new experience firsthand. They took pictures here and there ... and collected souvenirs. Some people travel as part of their education like on field trips ... and some travel because they want to relax, enjoy, and rest from the humdrum of their almost routine life.

Nowadays the relationship between tourists and traveling is metamorphosing. The netizen's access to social media made it so. 

Browsing Facebook entrees exposes the new reality. Tourists are flocking to Boracay for instance ... (or to other dramatic luxurious destinations) ... not only TO SEE ... but also TO BE SEEN. Haven't you noticed how influencers frequent and make Coron Palawan their playground for a luxury backdrop ... but also to flaunt their celebrity-styled fantasies?

Why do they troop to Siargao and be in their skimpiest bathing suits? Why do they have to pretend they know surfing as they painfully carry those heavy surfing boards that are multi-colored ... with eye-damaging hue combinations? Why jetski when they have thalassophia or fear of being in deep waters? It is obvious he just wants to show the whole world ... he did experience something in this Siargao escapade ... ordinary mortals can't have.

Ask yourself ... why do Filipinos flock to the Philippine Arena to watch the Coldplay concert and ignore the exorbitant ticket prices? The obvious reason is that they want to see and be seen ... my gosh ... it is as though they are a nobody ... or they are a lesser mortal if they don't troop the line and rub elbows with no less than the President of the Philippines who also can't contain his penchant to come up and be counted? It is the bling culture for crying out loud ... and high-end shopping to make their presence felt ... an addiction to enhance their fast-deflating self-esteem?.

Indeed, my gut feeling says some tourists nowadays go somewhere to be spotted – to be ogled with envy by others both on Facebook and other platforms and in person at these destinations.

Animal World

 

1. A cormorant is a large diving bird with a long neck, long hooked bill, short legs, and mainly dark plumage. It typically breeds in coastal cliffs in Canada and is noted for its voracious appetite.
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What Cormorants Mean As An Adjective

 

Do you know that using Cormorant as a word in literature or in writing .... has a positive and negative connotation? Based on the way the bird behaves it can even used to describe a person.

Cormorant as an adjective symbolizes a person who is a go-getter... action-oriented, resourceful, and brave. This regal bird knows exactly what it wants and how to get it. Cormorant is when a person dives deep ... to catch what he wants.

In the same vein ... the word can also mean negative in some aspects and in some respects. Because this bird is a voracious eater ... it could mean to describe a person as greedy ... or a hefty eater.

The adjective "cormorous" is used to mean unsatiable, ravenous, and greedy. In his plays ... Shakespeare used the word cormorant as synonymous with being selfish.

Idiom 'Take With A Grain Of Salt' Meaning