Insightful Idioms And Idiocies

Revealing the wit and charm in the fascinating world of words.

- Ritu Kamra Kumar

A few days ago, newspaper headlines exulted "The World at our Feet" which actually meant the admiration of crores of Indians as India trumped the World Cup 2024 with its Hollywood Finale.

Another newspaper reports today on a politician who has been accused of breaking parliamentary rules. His career, it writes, is "on a knife's edge" meaning it is very uncertain and could end in failure.

In the journalistic register, idioms are used extensively in news headlines. Idioms are manipulated to achieve certain effects such as irony or humour to intrigue the reader who instantly comprehends the correct meaning in relation to the context.

Headlines such as "Modi outwits Rahul" and "BJP slams Congress" are evidently curated by the need to convey emphatically maximum in minimum possible words. However, sometimes they arouse curiosity and make the reader appreciate the journalist's delightful intelligence as idiomatic headlines lead to a juxtaposition of expressions like this: "Sports Minister for the High Jump" which actually means he is in serious trouble or "New CBI Director is a Party Animal" which means he is much into socialising.