The English idiom “to make a mountain out of a molehill” is not often used in day-to-day exchanges but is a commonly found metaphor in newspaper articles and in literature. It is not only a metaphorical expression but is also alliterative and this is what causes it to be used often in both literature and poetry.
Meaning
The expression is used to suggest that someone has over-reacted to a generally minor issue. This issue is normally something negative rather than the over-reaction to for example a surprise gift. IT might be used when someone is angry about something fairly banal which will not have a big impact upon their life.
Etymology
The expression can be dated back to the 16th century. The first recorded use was in 1548 in a translation of The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the newe testamenteby Nicholas Udall. He wrote in this translation, “The Sophistes of Grece coulde through their copiousness make an Elephant of a flye, and a mountaine of a mollehill.” Over time the spellings of several of the words have changed; for example “mountain” and “molehill,” but the expression has remained the same and has the same meaning. It is suggested that it was when Thomas Bacon used the expression in 1563 in Catechism that it gained popularity and was cemented into the English language.
Example
An example of this expression can be found in the title of an article on the BBC news website from October 2014 which focuses on the underground economy. It reads, “Black money: Making a mountain out of a molehill?”
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The expression “a storm in a teacup,” is used as a metaphor in English and does not directly relate, as one may imagine, to the weather.
Meaning
The expression is used to denote a small incident which has been blown out of proportion and exaggerated. In general it is used when someone is unnecessarily angry or worried about something.
Etymology
The expression “storm in a teacup,” is relevant to British English, however, American English uses the slightly different variant of “a tempest in a teapot.” The expression can be traced back to the Latin “excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo ut dicitur Gratidius,” translated as, “for Gratidius raised a tempest in a ladle, as the saying is.” The expression did not, however, begun to be used in the current form until 1815 when Britain’s Lord Chancellor Thurlow referred to an uprising on the Isle of Mann as “a tempest in a teapot.” It was then in 1838 that the British English version “a storm in a teacup,” was first used in Catherine Sinclair’s Modern Accomplishments. Throughout history it can be found in other forms such as “a storm in a wash-basin,” but the most frequently used remains “a storm in a teacup.”
Example
An example of this expression can be found in the headline of an article on the BBC news website from March 2012 which reads “Google privacy row: storm in a teacup?” The article goes on to explore whether the change in Google’s policy is really as extreme as it has been made out and thus whether people have blown it out of proportion.
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The English expression “the ball is in your court,” is a very frequently used expression. Although it originates from sport, as the words “ball” and “sport” may suggest, it is now used in a less literal sense.
Meaning
The expression is used in order to tell someone that it is up to them to take the next step. Generally, it relates to making a decision of some sort and is commonly used in informal negotiations for example after an offer has been made someone may say “the ball is in your court to decide whether to accept it.”
Etymology
The phrase was first used in a literal sense during tennis matches in the early 1900s in order to denote who should serve or return the ball next. It is the unclear how long it was before it was extended to be used in a less literal and more metaphorical sense. It is, however, suggested that it firstly was extended for use in other sporting games before it became commonplace in other, non-sport related activities.
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in an article on the BBC news website from July 2015 about the economic situation in Greece. The title of the article is Greece debt crisis: ‘Ball lies in Greece’s court’ -Juncker, and this is used to express the fact that Jean-Claude Juncker stated that Greece had been offered advice but ultimately it was up to the government to decide what action to take.
So, the ball is now in your court to go ahead and begin using this expression!
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The English idiom “it’s a piece of cake,” is an expression which does not relate in any form to food as one may expect. In fact, it relates to the ease of something.
Meaning
The expression is used to say that a job or an activity is easy or simple. It is often used upon completion of a task which was much easier than it was expected to be.
Etymology
The expression can be traced back to the 1930’s and so is a lot more recent that many other English idioms which can be traced back to the time of Shakespeare, or even beyond that. It was first used in 1936 by American poet, Ogden Nash in his poem Primrose Path where he wrote “Her picture’s in the papers now, And life’s a piece of cake.” It is not clear why this expression is used and exactly what is easy about cake but is suggested that it is not related to the baking of a cake which can be a complicated process but actually to the fact that during the early 1900s cakes were given out as prizes in many competitions and thus were something which had to be worked for but which could be won fairly easily. It has the same use as the phrase “as easy as pie,” which is not used in British English but is much more common in American English.
Example
An example of the use of this idiom can be found in the headline of an article on the BBC news website from February 2014 entitled “Angela Merkel: EU reform not a piece of cake.”
Now knowing when to use this expression really should be “a piece of cake!”
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