Hummingbirds

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time,carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.

ENGLISH IS WEIRD

Have you ever started to write out a common expression, only to realize that you’re not really sure how it’s spelled? We all have. Lots of idiomatic English phrases contain words that we don’t otherwise use anymore, or that have changed meaning outside the expression. Check out our list of commonly confused phrases to help you toe (or is it tow?) the line of proper spelling.
1- Toe the line
Yes, it is, in fact, “toe the line.” To toe the line means to follow the rules, conform, or behave. It’s a reference to the way people arrange themselves (with their toes placed along a line on the ground) at the beginning of a race or parade, or to present themselves for an inspection. Other related expressions that have fallen out of use include “toe the mark” and “toe the scratch.”
2-  Just deserts
This is often incorrectly written as “just desserts” because that’s the way we pronounce the phrase. But in fact, this expression has nothing to do with cake and ice cream or with hot, sandy wastelands. When we say someone got their “just deserts” we mean that they got what was coming to them. Or, to put it another way, they got what they deserve. Notice anything similar about the spelling of “deserts” and “deserve”? “Deserts” is an archaic noun form of “deserve.”
3 - Take for granted
It’s easy to mishear this one as “take for granite.” It does kind of make sense, after all. Taking something for granted means that we fail to appreciate it because it seems like it has always been there and always will be. Granite is pretty long-lasting, right? But what the expression really means is that we mistakenly believe that something has been permanently granted to us.
4 - Home in on
To home in on a problem means to focus your attention on it. It’s not hard to see why it’s sometimes mistakenly written as “hone in.” When you hone a knife you make it sharper, and therefore more precise—sort of what you are doing with your attention. But this expression uses “home” in the sense of “moving toward a target,” as in “homing missile” or “homing pigeon.”
5 - Different tack
Not “different tact.” To understand why this expression is spelled the way it is, it helps to know that once upon a time “tack” was a nautical term for the direction a ship was traveling. So, to try a “different tack” means to approach a problem from a new direction. The confusion here probably comes from the similarity in meaning between “different tack” and “different tactic.”
6-  Humble pie
And finally, no matter how proud we are of knowing the right way to write phrases that everyone else always seems to misspell, we should all remember to eat a slice of humble pie now and then. Language evolves over time, and so do expressions. Sometimes the “wrong” version eventually replaces the original and the malapropism becomes standard. In fact, “humble pie” was once “umble pie,” a pie containing deer innards and supposedly representative of inferior food.
                                                                                                             Gramarly - BRITTNEY ROSS

IDIOMS

Kept under wraps: Idioms that describe secrets

April 6, 2016

by Kate Woodford​

As part of our series on English idioms, we’re looking this week at common expressions for describing secrets and secretive behaviour.

A lot of expressions refer to secret situations or information. If someone keeps a new piece of work or information under wraps, they keep it secret: They didn’t know whether to make the announcement immediately or keep it under wraps for a few weeks. Someone who has somethingup their sleeve has a secret plan: Who knows what she has up her sleeve. If a situation is cloaked or shrouded in secrecy/mystery, it is deliberately kept secret: Very little was known about the incident. For years it was shrouded in secrecy.Meanwhile, something that happens behind closed doors happens in a place where most people cannot see or hear it: These deals take place behind closed doors.

Other idioms refer to remarks that are made in private. A comment that a public figure, such as a politician, makes off the record is not intended to be told to the public: She made it clear that her remarks were made off the record. If you tell someone something in the strictest confidence, you tell them it in private on the understanding that they will not tell anyone else: I told him, in the strictest confidence, that I was looking for another job. Someone who takes someone to one side has a private talk with them away from other people: I took him to one side and told him to apologise to Jamie. Meanwhile, if you complain that someone else has said something unkind about you behind your back, you mean that they deliberately said it when you weren’t listening: She got the feeling that the other girls had been talking about her behind her back.

A third group of idioms describes people who are secretive, hiding their plans and actions from others. Someone who is said to keep or hold their cards close to their chest does not tell others what they intend to do: No one knows what Joe will do next. He keeps his cards close to his chest.  Meanwhile, in UK English, someone who keeps an ability or achievement secret may be described as a dark horse: I had no idea Sophie was a published author. She’s something of a dark horse, isn’t she? Finally, someone who does not tell or show you what is going to happen may be said to keep you guessing: As ever, the world’s most famous football manager keeps the press guessing about his next move. Do you know anyone who keeps their cards close to their chest or keeps you guessing?

https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2016/04/06/kept-under-wraps-idioms-that-describe-secrets/

IDIOMS