An idiom, if you don’t know, is “a common phrase which means something different from its literal meaning
but can be understood because of its popular use.” For example, if I say “I’m all thumbs!” it doesn’t literally mean that I have five thumbs on each hand. This is simply an idiom used to say that I am clumsy or awkward.

“Oh, look what I did! I dropped my flower pot. I guess I’m all thumbs today.” (How clumsy of me!)

 In my 7th-grade, advanced class, we try to learn two or three idioms a week. I tell my students that idioms are everywhere. You hear them all the time on TV or the radio. They can be found in books and newspapers, or simply heard in conversations. “Learning idioms,” I say, “will spice up your English.” They are so common in this country that most people, I believe, don’t even know they are using them. Don’t believe me? Well, keep your ears and eyes open. I think you will be in for a wonderful surprise! (Erik Nelson)