Курсовая работа: The use of common names in idiomatic expressions

14.Take the Mickey – to you tease someone (www.usingenglish.com).

15.Vicar of Bray – (UK) A person who changes their beliefs and principles to stay popular with people above them (www.usingenglish.com).

Other names:

1. A doubting Thomas – used about someone who does not believe that something is true, or says that it has not been proved to them (Longman Idioms Dictionary: 1999:347).

2. Barkus is willing – this idiom means that someone is willing to get married (www.usingenglish.com).

3. Be whistling Dixie – to be saying that something is untrue (www.dictionary.com)

4. Buggles' turn – when someone gets promotion through length of service rather than ability, especially in the British civil service (www.usingenglish.com).

5. Clever Dick – used about someone who is annoying because they are always right or always think they are right (www.dictionary.com).

6. Going Jesse – (USA) if something is a going Jesse, it's a viable, successful project or enterprise (www.usingenglish.com).

7. Jack the Lad – A confident and not very serious young man who behaves as he wants to without thinking about other people is a Jack the Lad (www. usingenglish.com).

8. John Q Public – (USA) John Q Public is the typical, average person (www.usingenglish.com).

9. Nervous Nellie – Someone excessively worried or apprehensive is a nervous Nellie (or Nelly) (www.usingenglish.com).

10. Not known whether you are Arthur or Martha -to feel very confused, especially because you have too much to do (www.dictionary.com).

4.1 Idioms with place names

1. All roads lead to Rome – This means that there can be many different ways of doing something (www.usingenglish.com).

2. Big Easy – (USA) The Big Easy is New Orleans, Louisiana (www. usingenglish.com).

3. Coals to Newcastle – (UK) Taking, bringing, or carrying coals to Newcastle is doing something that is completely unnecessary (www.usingenglish.com).

4. Crossing the Rubicon – When you are crossing the Rubicon, you are passing a point of no return. After you do this thing, there is no way of turning around. The only way left is forward (www.usingenglish.com).

5. Dunkirk spirit – (UK) Dunkirk spirit is when people pull together to get through a very difficult time (www.dictionary.com).

6. Fiddle while Rome burns – used when you disapprove because someone is spending too much time or attention on unimportant matters instead of trying to solve bigger and more important problems (Longman Idioms Dictionary: 1999:288).

7. From Missouri – (USA) If someone is from Missouri, then they require clear proof before they will believe something (www.usingenglish.com).

8. Himalayan blunder – a Himalayan blunder is a very serious mistake or error (www.usingenglish.com).

9. Lie back and think of England – a humorous expression used when someone has sex without wanting it or enjoying it, and often used when someone has to do another activity or job that they do not want to (Longman Idioms Dictionary:1999:106).

10. Man on the Clapham omnibus – (UK) The man on the Clapham omnibus is the ordinary person in the street (www.usingenglish.com).

11. More front than Brighton – (UK) If you have more front than Brighton, you are very self-confident, possibly excessively so (www.usingenglish.com).

12. New York minute – (USA) If something happens in a New York minute, it happens very fast (www.usingenglish.com).

13. Not for all tea in China – used in order to emphasize that you do not want to do something, and no reward would be big enough to make you to do i (Longman Idioms Dictionary: 1999:340).

14. On Carey Street – (UK) If someone is on Carey Street, they are heavily in debt or have gone bankrupt (www.usingenglish.com).

15. Road to Damascus – If someone has a great and sudden change in their ideas or beliefs, then this is a road to Damascus change, after the conversion of Saint Paul to Christianity while heading to Damascus to persecute Christians (www.usingenglish.com).

16. Rome was not built in a day – This idiom means that many things cannot be done instantly, and require time and patience (www.usingenglish.com).