Clichés

I have mentioned in previous blogs how Desiree struggles with American slang and idioms.  Some turns of phrase are simply outside her experience with the language.  At the same time, she sometimes uses idioms from the Philippines I don’t understand.

One day, for example, she told me she liked to help her garbage man (financially) when she could because he was always “stretching his bones”.

“What does that mean,” I asked.

Desiree laughed.  “It means he is trying as hard as he can.”

Yesterday, Desiree and I received a gift in the mail from my friend, Diane.  At one time Diane lived along the lake not far from me.  The gift is a book of common American clichés and their meanings.  The book originally belonged to Diane’s father, Lyle, also a friend of mine.  Lyle passed not so long ago.     

The book is good stuff.  I appreciate the gesture on many levels.  Desiree already finds the book both fun and practical.  The clichés within the book are listed in alphabetical order, beginning with “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and ending with “yellow-bellied”.

I am considering reading one page to Desiree each morning as we sit sipping our coffee.  As I glance through random pages, I am struck by how often I use clichés Desiree may or may not understand.

Book Cover

Inside the Book

—Mitchell Hegman