English Idioms Challenge - Week 7 (Remixing Idioms!) | Miss Ren. 講師コラム

Hey all! This is the seventh weekly English learning challenge. In this challenge, we focus on idioms that are often used in daily speech, what they mean, and how to use them.

Today, we have a bit of "homework" for you! Please read through to the end & try to use the idioms presented in a comment!

There are some idioms that we use on their own. Others, we sometimes remix! This is one of my favorite parts of idioms, as it's a very natural way to personalize your humor and self expression with language.

Here's my current favorite pair, and how I remix them together.

(to) die on (that) hill

meaning: a topic, opinion, or cause that you feel very strongly about.

usage: when you feel very strongly about something that you're willing to fight for (metaphorically).

image: Imagine someone is playing a very aggressive game of Capture the Flag. On top of the hill is a flag, which your team needs. You run up that hill, grab the flag, and are going to defend it for the good of your team. Yes, it's a game, but the competitive spirit catches you!

(to) make a mountain out of a molehill

meaning: to make an unimportant thing very important

usage: when a small detail, activity, or topic has become a major talking point or concern... but you think it's been made into something more influential

image: molehills are the little mounds of dirt that moles leave behind while digging. Though they're annoying, they are not a huge factor that effects your life (unless you're a gardener). Someone taking that little molehill & growing it into a mountain would effect your life a great deal.

Examples (on their own):

I feel very strongly about women's rights. It's a hill I'm willing to die on.
Is that a hill you're willing to die on? Your opinions on pencils versus pens?
It's just a small scratch; don't make a mountain out of a molehill. I'm fine!
Every time he comes to the meeting, he finds a molehill to make a mountain of. It's not even important!

When putting two idioms together, you have to take into account their meaning & grammar. Here are some examples of ways to logically put the today's two idioms together:

a molehill (you) are willing to die on --> An unimportant thing, detail, or topic that you feel very strongly about defending
making a molehill into a hill --> taking something unimportant and making it bigger, but not so big
making a mountain into a molehill --> taking something important and making it less important (note the order of the words matters!)

Below, I have a few pairs of idioms that could be remixed together. These are pairs of idioms that are well-known, often used, and make logical sense (to a native speaker) to put together. Feel free to leave a comment with your attempts at remixing these idioms!

uphill battle (a difficult struggle) & (an) ace up your sleeve (a secret advantage)
all bark and no bite (someone who acts tough but isn't) & fight like cats & dogs (to fight often & hard)
meeting of the minds (a strong agreement) & great minds think alike (when two people have the same idea at almost the same time)

Want to try putting idoms together? Or do you want to practice them on their own?

Try writing them in sentences, remixing them, or using them in a journal entry about your day! Please feel free to use the 'lesson' below, called "Homework Help" if you'd like me to look over your idiom usage. It can be helpful to have a native speaker check, since there's a logic to using idioms that can be hard to gauge.