B) Gardening Metaphors

A) Home and Lifestyle Metaphors

Expression	Meaning	Example
a household word/ name	something everyone knows	Kate has become a household name.
on the house	paid by the provider	The car-hire firm offered us a car for a week on the house as compensation for our ruined holiday.
a home truth	a plain statement of something which is unpleasant but true said directly to the person	It’s time someone told him a few home truths about how to behave in public.
nothing to write home about	not very exciting, important	The concert was nothing to write home about
hit home	become fully understood or fully felt	The whole situation is hitting home now.
have the time of one’s life	enjoy oneself very much, have a wonderful life	They are having the time of their lives in London.
get a new lease of life	become more energetic and active than before	After an operation to replace a valve in his heart, he got a new lease of life.
a dog’s life	a very unhappy and difficult life	Nick said he led a dog’s life in the jail.
do one’s homework	prepare for a meeting by making sure one knows all the relevant figures, fact, etc.	The Home Secretary has tried to impress us by quoting a lot of statistics, but those of us who have done out homework know that the facts are wrong.
feel at home	feel as relaxed as one does in one’s own home or in a place or situation one knows well	I always feel at home in France when I go there on holiday.
make oneself at home	make oneself as comfortable as one would be at home	Make yourself at home while you’re waiting.
home and dry	having succeeded in what one wanted to do	I wasn’t sure that I could put this clock back together, but if I can fit this last wheel back in, I think I’ll be home and dry.
like a house on fire	1. very well 2. very quickly	1. Two children got on like a house on fire. 2. I’m getting through this job like a house on fire.
house-proud	very concerned about the appearance of one’s house	She is very house-proud and makes her guests put on slippers before they walk on her carpets.
eat smb. out of house and home	be so expensive to feed and keep that the person who is paying cannot afford it	His wife’s huge dog is eating him out of house and home.
touch home	to mention a subject that makes someone feel upset or angry	Your comment about his mom really touched home.
bring the house down	have success with the audience	His new play has brought the house down.

The new boss is planning to weed out (=get rid of) older or less experienced staff.

The government will probably have to prune back (=cut/limit) its proposals.

At last she is reaping the reward of (=is getting results from) all her years of study.

The journalists have dug up (=have discovered) some interesting facts.

The idea was germinating (=was beginning to develop) while we were on holiday.

Out-of-town shopping centres have been sprouting (=appearing quickly in large numbers) all over the country.

Our business is flourishing (=doing very well).

A deciduous tree sheds (=loses) its leaves.

People can shed employees/traditions/worries/inhibitions/weight.

Plants fade, wither, shrivel and wilt when they die. These verbs can all be used

metaphorically:

Hopes of finding survivors are fading (=becoming smaller).

High inflation means that our savings are shriveling (= becoming less).

It was so hot in the classroom that the students were starting to wilt (=lose energy).

A glance/look/remark can wither or be withering (= make the recipient feel scorned).

There’s something wrong with the TV. (= there is a problem with it.)

The light isn’t working. (= not functioning/ there is no light)

The shower’s not working properly. (= it is functioning but not very well)

The telephone is out of order. (= not in use/ not functioning)- this phrase is mostly used when a public machine is not working.

Yesterday morning Paul had a lot of problems. First, he dropped a cup and it broke. It was his girl-friend’s favourite cup. He got another cup, made coffee, and then spilt it. It ruined his T-shirt because there was a large coffee stain on it.

He decided to make some toast, but he burnt the first piece, then he realized that he’d run out of bread. He didn’t leave home in a good mood, moreover he was hungry.

After Paul went out, things got worse. He left home with a ten-pound note in his pocket, and walked to a bus stop. Unfortunately, he was a bit late and the bus was a bit early, so he missed the bus. While he was waiting for the next one, he got out his walkman, but the batteries had run out. When the bus arrived, he got on and put his hand in his pocket – no ten-pound note – he had lost his money. The driver told him to get off. He didn’t want to be late for school, so he started running. Moments later, he saw a dog, but not its lead – he tripped over the lead.

He got to his feet, carried on to school, then he realized he had left his bag on the bus. And he was late for school in the end.

(We should use the word “leave”, not “forget” when we say where something it: I left my umbrella at home. But: I’ve forgotten my umbrella today.)

spanner hammer axe saw screwdriver

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27