English Idioms Challenge - Week 10 | Miss Ren. 講師コラム

Hey all! Welcome back to a column dedicated to English idioms!

This is the tenth English learning challenge. This challenge discusses what idioms are, how they are used, what the meaning of idioms are, and encourages you to use them in your English studies!

Please check out my other columns for the first week, which has an explanation of why I think idioms are important to learn.

Because we're fresh into spring, here are some idioms focused on the season!

Let's jump into today's idioms:

April showers bring May flowers

meaning: difficulty can lead to something good

usage: while many people use it literally (as areas in the US & Canada are known for being rainy in spring), you can also use it to give hope or positivity during a difficult moment.

note: when we say 'showers' in this phrase, it is not the shower in your house! It refers to rain, especially a light rainfall.

Examples:

The winter was difficult on my seasonal effective disorder, but April showers bring May flowers.
We had a tough week, but April showers bring May flowers. Hope your weekend is good!
Whew! That was a good workout. April showers bring may flowers, though, so I'm looking forward to the benefits. I'm going to go shower.

fresh as a daisy

meaning: feeling refreshed, clean, and/or full of energy

usage: when someone or something looks or feels stylish, new, or refreshed

image: daisies are bright, yellow flowers that bring a lot of color into yards or gardens. As such, they often are like little suns!

Examples:

Ever since I started walking during my lunch break, I've felt fresh as a daisy! The crisp spring air is good.
Why, don't you look fresh as a daisy! Did you get a new outfit?

variations:

as fresh as spring

as fresh as a rose

Grammar note:

You can use the format above as a way describe something: as OO as a XX.

OO is a descriptor, and XX is often an object or noun of some kind.

We also use this to compare a person to something (XX), specifically noting a similarity (OO).

Further examples and explanations of this can be found here!

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/as-as

Try using one of these idioms as spring continues! A few weeks ago, I posted a column about remixing idioms. This is an extremely advanced thing that native English speakers do to add some fun into their speech. Check out my column from last week to see how that works!

If you'd like to write some remixed ideas, or have me check your usage, please feel free to schedule a "Homework Help" lesson! I get back to you in 24-48 hours.