About

The site 1000 images on the tip of my tongue is dedicated to people who want to teach and learn idiomatic expressions in a second language. The site is offered in French, English and Spanish to meet the specific needs associated with teaching each of these three languages.

Anyone who wants to independently learn French, English or Spanish will also benefit from this site. While some people may want to access content on this site in a language they already know, others may prefer to use the interface in another language to experience a true immersion.

The indexes of expressions make up the bulk of this site. There are 888 expressions in the French-language index, 792 in the English-language version and 675 in the Spanish-language version. Each expression is presented in a file with a short context field that defines the expression or helps to infer its meaning. This context information is also offered in audio format, so that students can hear how the expression is pronounced. Students can also search for the equivalent expression in one of the other two languages.

In addition to the indexes of expressions, the site includes interactive exercises and short cartoons that explore a few expressions.

About idiomatic expressions

We often use evocative expressions, also known as idiomatic expressions or idiomatic phrases. The particular feature of these expressions is that the words that make them up are not used in their usual sense; they convey a figurative meaning. For instance, the French expression “tomber dans les pommes” literally translates as “to fall in the apples,” but it actually means “to faint.” If this expression were used to refer to someone who has actually fallen onto a pile of apples, then it would be used in the literal sense and it would not be an idiomatic phrase anymore. In some cases, intonation and punctuation provide convenient hints about whether an expression is used as an idiomatic phrase or not.

Idiomatic expressions are used in all types of contexts, and they provide a quick and convenient way to convey a piece of information, a feeling or an emotion. That’s why it’s critical to grasp the meaning of those expressions to be comfortable in a foreign language and to fully understand conversations.

Dictionaries define not just the meaning of words, but also the meaning of idiomatic expressions. Sometimes, you may be able to understand certain expressions without looking them up in a dictionary because they have a direct equivalent in a language that you already know (for instance, the French expression jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain is a direct translation of the English expression to throw out the baby with the bathwater). Many expressions have a variant that may be familiar to you or have an easy-to-guess meaning (quand les poules auront des dents [when chickens have teeth] and cuando las ranas críen pelos [when frogs grow hair] are the French and Spanish equivalents of the English expression when pigs fly). However, the meaning of other expressions can be more obscure, and it may be almost impossible to guess their meaning based only on the context or the words used (for instance, to pay cash on the nail).

Whether simple or complex, idiomatic expressions move the imagination. In all languages, there are many idiomatic phrases that have appeared over the eras and out of events, inventions and trends. For instance, the phrase to give someone the green light would have been impossible to understand before the invention of traffic lights. On the other hand, to put the cart before the horse is still used in industrialized countries.

While many idiomatic expressions have been inherited from the past or borrowed from another language, they do not always stand the test of time or cross borders. They can be specific to an environment, a generation or a region. As a result, some expressions may not look familiar to all the speakers of a language. An expression can also be well known in a particular language, but not so their equivalents in another language.

Several different phrases may express the same idea. This may lead to confusion, even among people who share the same language. To express the idea “in a very short time,” in Québec, they say, en criant lapin or en criant ciseau (“in two shakes [of a lamb's tail]”), whereas in France, they rather exclaim, en cinq sec or en trois coups de cuillère à pot. French speakers in other countries most probably have their own ways to convey the same idea.

About the indexes of expressions

The indexes of expressions on this site are search tools that support second-language teaching and learning. They include hundreds of expressions in each language, as well as their equivalents in the other two languages, if applicable. They also allow users to search for expressions by category or keyword.

Teachers can use the indexes as they see fit, including for preparing learning activities. Looking up expressions by category could help with the design of vocabulary activities, for instance, around the theme of food, clothing or animals. The indexes can also help students to complete an assignment or short oral presentation that is adapted to their language skill level. These assignments could relate to the usage context of an expression (types of speech, regions or countries of use, language register, etc.), its etymology, its similarities in meaning or form to other expressions, its equivalents in other languages, its usage in advertising or literary texts, etc. There are infinite ways to use these expressions in language classes.

The idiomatic expressions taught in a class should be chosen based on the language skill level of learners. Expressions that include familiar words as well as short, frequently used expressions can be chosen for beginner-level students. These students can also start learning expressions that have direct equivalents in their first language early on in their learning journey. Less commonly used expressions in the target language that have a more obscure meaning would obviously be reserved for advanced-level students.