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Vocabulary/Lexis

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All that glitters is not gold. Meaning Not everything that is shiny and superficially attractive is valuable.

All that glitters is not gold

Origin The original form of this phrase was 'all that glisters is not gold'. The 'glitters' version long ago superseded the original and is now almost universally used. Shakespeare is the best-known writer to have expressed the idea that shiny things aren't necessarily precious things. O hell! Various different ways of expressing the idea that 'all that glitters/glisters is not gold' were in general circulation well before Shakespeare's day and it was a common enough notion to have been called proverbial by the 16th century.

The 'glitters' version of this phrase is so long established as to be perfectly acceptable - especially as 'glisters' and 'glitters' mean the same thing. For you may palm upon us new for old: All, as they say, that glitters, is not gold. See other phrases and sayings from Shakespeare. See also: the List of Proverbs. Idioms. Idioms and idiomatic expressions in English An idiom is a group of words in current usage having a meaning that is not deducible from those of the individual words.

Idioms

For example, "to rain cats and dogs" - which means "to rain very heavily" - is an idiom; and "over the moon" - which means "extremely happy" - is another idiom. In both cases, you would have a hard time understanding the real meaning if you did not already know these idioms! Idioms Quizzes: Have fun and test your knowledge of English Idioms by doing some of our 480 English Idioms Quiz Questions Idioms Forum: Ask questions about and discuss English idioms and sayings There are two features that identify an idiom: firstly, we cannot deduce the meaning of the idiom from the individual words; and secondly, both the grammar and the vocabulary of the idiom are fixed, and if we change them we lose the meaning of the idiom.

How should one index an idioms reference? Find more English Idioms and Idiom Quizzes. English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions. Idioms and idiomatic expressions are used frequently in spoken and written English and so this is a useful area of the language to learn. Since idioms are phrases where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words, this can make idioms hard for ESL students and learners to understand. However, learning idioms can be fun and rewarding since their meanings are often surprising. Our idiom dictionary contains clear definitions and examples of 7,234 English idioms and idiomatic expressions, categorised by topic and country of origin. Members Get More! Sign up for free and gain access to 3,303 member-only definitions of English idioms and slang expressions.

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