EVOLUTION OF IDIOMS, MAXIMS AND PROVERBS

EVOLUTION OF IDIOMS, MAXIMS AND PROVERBS

Following examples are illustrative:

(1) Story of kicking the bucket
One view is the bucket in the story does not refer to a bucket as such but to a wooden frame used in the olden days to hang freshly killed pigs.
Another theory is that the idiom was coined by looking at the way people took their own lives. Such persons kept the bucket upside down to stand on, put the noose hanging from the ceiling around their neck and then kicked the bucket from underneath.

(2) Story of sour grapes
Leila was „head over heel‟ in love with Rahul but he „spurned her overtures‟ and married Pooja. Leila was very much upset but went about pretending that she „knew in her heart of hearts‟ that Rahul was not the sticking type. Someone said it is a clear case of „sour grapes‟ as mentioned in Aesop‟s fable, „The Fox and the Sour Grapes‟.

The core of writing style is writing sentences that create interest, make meanings clear, keeping them short, making every word count and by varying sentence pattern. Use of most suitable idioms, maxims and proverbs can embellish ones‟ writing style as these are the crystalline form of a language and glitter in a sentence like diamonds in a necklace.

A very large variety of idioms, maxims and proverbs is available and students would do well to build up own repertory of these. They act like a pickle in an Indian food – pickle is rarely eaten by itself but when used judiciously with meals, it adds aroma, flavour and taste. They should focus on the evolution of these idioms, maxims and proverbs and become adept at using them skillfully.