Idioms

What is an idiom? "Officer Bertha! I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but I can't find Pip! He wanted to play hide and seek, and he promised finding him would be a piece of cake. All of a sudden he disappeared out of the blue! I'm going to be in hot water if I don't find him soon! Can you help me!?” Koko is using idioms, a type of figurative language that Bertha is struggling to understand! An idiom is a common phrase that has an alternative, or figurative meaning, different from the literal words being used. Idioms are used for dramatic effect or to exaggerate something to make a point, which can make text more interesting. As the reader, your job is to determine what the expression actually means, so you understand what the author is trying to say. For example, Koko said: 'I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but I can't find Pip!' The first step is to ask yourself, do the words mean exactly what they say? No, Koko did not make a mountain out of a molehill, that wouldn't make any sense! The second step is to determine the actual meaning of the phrase. What is the actual meaning of, 'I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill’? It means Koko doesn't want to turn a small problem into a big deal, but she is worried about Pip! Next Koko said: 'He wanted to play hide and seek, and he promised finding him would be a piece of cake.' First, ask yourself, do the words mean exactly what they say? No, finding Pip has nothing to do with a piece of cake! What is the actual meaning of Koko's statement? It means finding Pip was supposed to be very easy. Then Koko said: 'All of a sudden he disappeared out of the blue!' First, ask yourself, do the words mean exactly what they say? No, Pip disappearing has nothing to do with the colour blue. What is the actual meaning of Koko's statement? It means Pip disappeared without warning. Finally, Koko said: 'I'm going to be in hot water if I don't find him soon!' First, ask yourself, do the words mean exactly what they say? No, Koko won't literally be in hot water. What is the actual meaning of Koko's statement? It means Koko is going to be in trouble if she doesn't find him soon. Let's take a look at the text again with all the actual, figurative meanings: "Officer Bertha! I don’t want to turn a small problem into a big deal, but I'm worried about Pip! He wanted to play hide and seek, and he promised finding him would be very easy. All of a sudden he disappeared without warning! I’m going to be in trouble if I don’t find him soon!" While Detective Bertha helps Koko, let's summarise. Remember, an idiom is a common phrase that has an alternative or figurative meaning different from the literal words being used. First, ask, does the phrase mean what it literally says? Next, explain in your own words the figurative meaning of the phrase. "Oh, Pip! There you are!" "Great job finding me! Here's your piece of cake!”