Meanings, origins and examples for 8,545 English idioms, laid out by meaning like the lanes of a village.
The idiom "speak for" means to express the thoughts or opinions of others, usually assuming one knows what they would say or think.
“She asked me to speak for her at the meeting and explain her position on the issue.”
Every idiom sits near the ones that mean something similar, so “over the moon” lives a few doors from “on cloud nine”. Pick a word to light up the houses that use it, then click any house to visit.
The way people use language idiomatically is endlessly interesting. Idioms are a mixture of frustration and hilarity: you can know every word in one and still have no idea what it means.
I started The Village Idiom to help people find the meaning of an English idiom quickly, and to enjoy some of the colourful, evocative and even poetic ways people use them.
I'm British and live in Berlin, so American idioms are especially fun for me, and I'm curious about the idioms of other languages too. Some of them are truly bizarre.
The entries are being rewritten and checked one by one. If you spot one that's wrong, or know a better origin story, please write and tell me.
James
Founder · info@thevillageidiom.org