Anyway, I began thinking about the origins of this phrase. Does it mean the same thing to my friends in other English-speaking countries around the world as it means to me?
My friend dictionary dot com begins its five definitions for Idiom with this phrase: an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements...
That was the word I was looking for! 
My trusty readers guide to literary terms did not supply the answer. There the entry between ictus and idyl is ideal spectator.
My trusty readers guide to literary terms did not supply the answer. There the entry between ictus and idyl is ideal spectator. The dictionary dot com site also gave some nice examples of idioms:
Hang one's head; Keep tabs on; Kick the bucket; Under the Weather
I thought of some more while crafting this post:
A bee in one's bonnet
Ants in one's pants
Black thumb
Getting one's ducks in a row
Green thumb
Haywire
And that is as far as I got before the children went outside to play this morning, which means I need to conclude here so I can keep an eye on them! Sorry, I had to do it.
2 comments:
I don't know why we say "fly off the handle" but I do know that people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder often take idiomatic language quite literally.
Don't worry, hon. I took your last idiom with a grain of salt. :-)
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