ABSTRACT
It is the everyday interpretations of our language - the use of idioms, sayings and expressions - that give it heart, character and warmth. However firm your grasp of tenses, clauses and syntax, the language will not come alive until you understand what cats and dogs have to do with heavy rain, why dressing to kill is more innocent than it appears and when you are most likely to see a bull in a china shop. Idioms are not meant to be taken literally. They are readily available, off-the-shelf, easy to use expressions vocabulary's equivalent of ready meals - a common reference point in our dealings with situations, people, feelings or events. When they become so overused that they become meaningless, they become clichés.
