ESL Discussion

Figures of Speech Are Intriguing Phrases                            

Figures of speech are fun --  once you understand what they mean. “Figure of speech” is “a phrase or expression that uses words in a figurative way rather than in a plain or literal way.” (This definition is from The Learner’s  Dictionary, which I recommend highly) For example, the phrase “hammer out” is defined in the Learner’s Dictionary as “to produce (something, such as an agreement) by a lot of discussion or argument .” It does not mean that someone is using a hammer.

Figures of speech are used frequently in newspapers, particularly The Wall Street Journal, a highly respected American newspaper. I found six figures of speech in three paragraphs of an article in the Wall Street Journal. These paragraphs are part of an article about the American Congress working very slowly on a budget bill. Here is the article. I have marked the figures of speech by typing them in CAPITALS. 

I’ll explain what the figures of speech mean.

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Quotation starts here

Negotiators trying to HAMMER OUT a long-discussed trans-Pacific trade deal in advance of Mr. Obama’s trip to Asia could be forced TO SIT ON THEIR HANDS.

Far more worrying than such practical but temporary effects  are the BROADER DOUBTS  about American credibility and reliability ARE NOW BEING SOWN, regardless of the outcome of the current COMIC OPERA…..

Israel’s Mr. Netanyahu, for example, must be wondering whether, IN THE WAKE OF Congress’s reluctance to back the president in response to Syria’s apparent use of chemical weapons, the U.S. government can mount a serious threat of military action to CURB Iran’s nuclear program.

Quotation ends here.

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“hammer out” 

I’ve explained this above.

“to sit on their hands”

If people were to sit on their hands, they would not get much work done. If you think of that as an image, you’ll probably smile. The members of the American Congress were not really sitting on their hands, but they were not getting their work done.

“the broader doubts …now being sown”

This can be confusing because the important words (doubts…being sown) have  other words between them. “Sown” is a form of “sow,” and “sow” means “to scatter seed over (land, earth, etc.) for the purpose of growth.” In this case, doubts, rather than seeds, are being sown, and the implication is that doubts will grow. 

A “comic opera” is a funny opera. The writer is saying that the actions of Congress are so bad that they are funny, and it’s hard to believe that they’re true. They could be a play or an opera.

“in the wake of Congress’s reluctance.” 

The wake of a boat is the pattern of water that a  boat creates behind it while it is sailing.   In the broader sense, it is the result of a particular act. The author is saying that  Congress’s reluctance will create certain results. It does not mean that Congress is a boat.

“to curb Iran’s nuclear program” 

When “curb” is used as a noun, it means “a short border along the edge of a street that is usually made of stone or concrete” or “something that controls or limits something else.” Its use as a verb is related to this definition. It means “to restrain or control as if with a curb.” The author is talking about restraining Iran’s nuclear program.

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Can anyone contribute any more figures of speech and tell what they really mean?

The dictionary I used in this article is http://www.thefreedictionary.com, and I recommend it highly.