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A Study of the Problems of Learning and Translating Idioms
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Idioms are a very important part of the English language: you are told that if you want to go far (succeed) you should pull your socks up (make a serious effort to improve your behaviour, the quality of your work, etc.) and use your grey matter (brain).1 Learning and translating idioms have always been very difficult for foreign language learners. The present paper explores some of the reasons why English idiomatic expressions are difficult to learn and translate. It is not the aim of this paper to attempt a comprehensive survey of the vast amount of material that has appeared on idioms in Adams and Kuder (1984), Alexander (1984), Dixon (1983), Kirkpatrick (2001), Langlotz (2006), McCarthy and O'Dell (2002), and Wray (2002), among others. The paper concentrates on idioms as a learning-translation problem; it makes no claim to be comprehensive or academically rigorous. Leech (1989) defines an idiom as follows: “An idiom is a group of two or more words which we have to treat as a unit in learning a language. We cannot arrive at the meaning of the idiom just by adding together the meanings of the words inside it. E.g.John and Mary usedto be hardup (='They had very little money'.)”(P.186) To be more exact, an idiom is a sequence of words which is semantically and syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit. From a semantic point of view, the meanings of the individual words cannot be summed to produce the meanings of the idiomatic expression as a whole. Thus, fly off the handle, which means lose one's temper, cannot be understood in terms of the meanings of fly, off, or handle. The idiom phrase hot air, which means empty or boastful talk, is neither hot nor air; with hot air we are dealing with a set phrase where the meaning cannot be suggested on the basis of the two constituent words. The idiomatic meaning of spill the beans in So who spilt the beans (=told the secret) about her affair with David? has nothing to do with beans or with spilling in its literal sense. The foreign-language learner is left trying to figure out where and how the beans were spilt. From a syntactic viewpoint, the constituent parts of an idiom often do not permit the usual variability they display in other contexts. The point to be emphasized here is this: most idioms do not lend themselves easily to manipulation by speakers and writers; they are invariable and must be learned as wholes, but concord ofnumber, person and gender in the idiom phrase is still necessary, i.e. the verbs must be put into the correct form, and pronouns must agree with their antecedents: I don't give a hoot for her opinion! 2 • She doesn't give a hoot for my opinion! etc.)║He won, but only by the skin of his teeth2• She won, but only by the skin of her teeth• Iwon, but only by the skin ofmy teeth,I had to run for the train, and caught it by the skin of myteeth, etc.║He kept pullingmy arm, throwing me off my balance 2 • She kept pulling his arm, throwing him off his balance • We kept pullingher arm, throwingher offher balance, etc.2 The present paper is divided into five parts, as follows: Part I: An Overview; PART II: Learner’s Difficulties with Idioms; PART III: Some Pedagogical recommendations and Suggestions about Idioms; Part IV: Activities to Practice Idiomatic Expressions; Part V: Summary and Conclusion.

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Publication Date
Tue Dec 01 2015
Journal Name
Journal Of Economics And Administrative Sciences
Developing Human Capital according to the Communities of Practice: A comparative study by using Data Envelopment Analysis
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The research discusses the need to find the innovative structures and methodologies for developing Human Capital (HC) in Iraqi Universities. One of the most important of these structures is Communities of Practice (CoPs) which contributes to develop HC by using learning, teaching and training through the conversion speed of knowledge and creativity into practice. This research has been used the comparative approach through employing the methodology of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) by using (Excel 2010 - Solver) as a field evidence to prove the role of CoPs in developing HC. In light of the given information, a researcher adopted on an archived preliminary data about (23) colleges at Mosul University as a deliberate sample for t

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Publication Date
Fri Apr 25 2025
Journal Name
Saudi Endodontic Journal
Insights into periapical inflammatory lesions of the jaws over 30 years in Iraq: A cross-sectional study
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Publication Date
Tue Feb 24 2026
Journal Name
Retos: Nuevas Tendencias En Educación Física, Deporte Y Recreación, Issn-e 1988-2041, Issn 1579-1726, Nº. 68, 2025, Págs. 1048-1062
The impact of knowledge management on cognitive achievement in sports science: A case study in boxing education
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Introduction: Knowledge management plays a crucial role in students’ ability to acquire, organize, retrieve, and apply information, impacting academic performance. In sports sciences, especially in combat sports like boxing, effective knowledge management supports both theoretical understanding and practical skill application. Despite exposure to boxing through training and media, students’ academic performance remains inconsistent. Objective: This study examines the relationship between knowledge management and cognitive achievement among second-year students in the College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Basrah. It evaluates how students manage knowledge and its impact on their retention and application

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Publication Date
Sat Nov 09 2019
Journal Name
Acta Medica Iranica
The Prevalence of a Clinically Silent Nephrolithiasis in Baghdad Population: An Initial Ultrasound Screening Study From Iraq
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Abstract- Asymptomatic or clinically silent kidney stones are possibly serious because, in their expected passage, they may cause infection, obstruction and renal impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of silent kidney stones in a sample of Baghdad population and consider how this value could affect the justification for a screening system. To our best knowledge, this is the first study of its kind conducted in Iraq. We investigated 714 consecutive patients who sustained an abdominal ultrasound at our hospital with further kidney screening. All these patients did not have clinical signs and symptoms of nephrolithiasis. Age, sex, the indication for ultrasound, the size, side, and the number of the disco

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Publication Date
Sat Mar 31 2018
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Chemical And Petroleum Engineering
Study of the Performance of Paraffin Wax as a Phase Change Material in Packed Bed Thermal Energy Storage System
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The present work deals with an experimental investigation of charging and discharging processes in thermal storage system using a phase change material PCM. Paraffin wax was used as the PCM which is formed in spherical capsules and packed in a cylindrical packed column which acted as an energy storage system. Air was used as the heat transfer fluid HTF in thermal storage unit. The effect of flow rate and inlet temperature of HTF on the time of charging and discharging process were studied. The results showed that the faster storage of thermal energy can be made by high flow rate of heat transfer fluid HTF and high inlet temperature of heat transfer fluid. It was found that at 65°C HTF inlet temperature, the melting and solidification pr

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Publication Date
Sun Mar 01 2015
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
A study of adsorption isotherms for the removal of herbicide Atlantis WG from aqueous solutions by using Bentonite clay
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The subject of this research involves studying adsorption to removal herbicide Atlantis WG from aqueous solutions by bentonite clay. The equilibrium concentration have been determined spectra photometry by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The experimental equilibrium sorption data were analyzed by two widely, Langmuir and Freundlish isotherm models. The Langmuir model gave a better fit than Freundlich model The adsorption amount of (Atlantis WG) increased when the temperature and pH decreased. The thermodynamic parameters like ?G, ?H, and ?S have been calculated from the effect of temperature on adsorption process, is exothermic. The kinetic of adsorption process was studied depending on Lagergren ,Morris ? Weber and Rauschenberg equati

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Publication Date
Thu Sep 01 2022
Journal Name
Journal Of Stomatology
The effectiveness of limited flap design in surgical removal of fully impacted lower third molars: a comparative clinical study
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Publication Date
Mon Apr 06 2020
Journal Name
Bmc Oral Health
The reliability of surgeons to avoid traumatic insertion of dental implants into high-risk regions: a panoramic radiograph study
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Abstract<sec> <title>Background

The posterior regions of the jaws usually represent a significant risk for implant surgery. A non-valid assessment of the available bone height may lead to either perforation of the maxillary sinus floor or encroachment of the inferior alveolar nerve and consequently to implant failure. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of surgeon’s decision in appraising the appropriate implant length, in respect to vital anatomical structures, using panoramic radiographs.

Methods

Only implants that are inserted in relation to the maxillary sinus (MS) or the mandibular canal (MC) were enrolled

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Publication Date
Mon Jan 01 2024
Journal Name
Lecture Notes In Electrical Engineering
A Study of the Influence of Steel Brushes in Rail Surface Magnetic Flux Leakage Detection Using Finite Elements Simulation
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Publication Date
Wed Mar 30 2022
Journal Name
Journal Of Economics And Administrative Sciences
The Influence of Organizational Power on the Achievement of Entrepreneurship for Business Organizations An Analytical Study of the Views of a Sample of Managers in the Iraqi Ministry of Education
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This research aims to study the influence of organizational power on the achievement of entrepreneurship for business organizations. It is an analytical study of the views of a sample of managers in the Iraqi Ministry of Education. The research highlights the contribution that can be made from the knowledge of the theory of business organizations in achieving organizational success. The organizational power of the organization contributes to achieving entrepreneurship in the business environment and achieving a competitive position in the work environment. The research dealt with two variables: the first is the independent variable, the organizational power in its dimensions (Expend Power, Structural Power, Prestige Power). And t

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