English is an enthralling language, and its colorful, expressive, and well-written prose may take you to another planet. Idioms and phrases are common strategies authors use to make their words memorable. However, we must comprehend the notion and right usage of idioms and phrases. Now we all know the essence of idioms and proverbs in prose, especially in your English class. However, did you know that you can employ idioms and proverbs even in your math class? Want to know how?
We are sure you have heard about the idiom multiple times in your classes, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. That’s a clear example of how we use idioms in math class. Hence, in this post, we will talk about the various math idioms and proverbs that can help students and teachers become most fluent, and get a good grip on the language.
Useful math idioms to add to your lexicon
1. Up to eleven
Meaning: To reach or surpass the maximum level; to an extreme or intense degree.
Example: Turn the volume up to eleven
2. Two strikes
Meaning: Two strikes on a baseball batter, three being the number that will put the batter “out.”
Example: Sammy has two strikes against him and might just strike out.
3. A stitch in time saves nine
Meaning: A little effort spent sooner to fix a little problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later.
Example: If a seamstress is working on a garment and notices a hole, she should know that a stitch in time saves nine as it prevents the hole from growing and will save her trouble in the future
4. As easy as one-two-three
Meaning: To be extremely easy or intuitive. A task that requires very little skill or effort.
Example: After so many years as a teacher, grading papers is as easy as one-two-three for me.
5. Bat a thousand
Meaning: To get something completely right; to do something perfectly.
Example: We’re batting a thousand here since we got both boys to school with time to spare.
6. Eight-hundred-pound gorillas
Meaning: A person or organization so assertive that it does not need to heed the laws or threats of others. The power can be either by size or by influence.
Example: Unfortunately, Mumbai is full of 800-pound gorillas, so good luck getting anything done as a representative.
7. Look like a million bucks
Meaning: To look or feel extremely good, often because you are wearing something that costs a lot of money
Example: Everyone looked like a million bucks at the met gala red carpet.
8. Million-to-one chance/shot
Meaning: A very slim chance.
Example: Considering you studied for a minute, you have a one-in-a-million or million-to-one chance of passing this test!
9. It takes two to tango
Meaning: A situation or argument involves two people who are both responsible for it.
Example: Separation is never the fault of one partner; it takes two to tango
10. Nine lives
Meaning: Durability; near immunity to damage; remarkable ability to survive
Example: She was badly hurt many times but seemed to have nine lives.
11. Possession is nine-tenths of the law
Meaning: When you physically own something, you have a greater legal claim than someone else. Another way to place it is that custody implies ownership.
Example: he claims that the antique stopwatch is rightfully his, but possession is only nine-tenths of the law.
12. Six of one and half a dozen of the other
Meaning: It is said when you think that neither of two choices is better than the other:
Example: Shall we give her chocolates or flowers?” “I don’t know; it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
13. Three squares a day
Meaning: Three complete nutritional meals in one day/breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Example: Going into the military, having a steady income, three squares a day, and a place to sleep was the best decision of my life!
14. Five-finger discount
Meaning: Theft or pilferage typically of a small item, Shoplifting
Examples: Security cameras are essential in the store as too many shoppers get a five-finger discount.
15. Five will get you ten
Meaning: In all likelihood, that is the case. Taken from betting jargon for even odds, this means that a successful wager of five (dollars, etc.) will return five, leaving you with 10. firmly believe
Example: There’s something fishy going on at this organization; five will get you ten since the boss is falsifying the accounts.
16. Four corners of the earth
Meaning: From everywhere or from all over.
Example: Taj Mahal is one of the only places where people come from four corners of the earth to see the sight.
17. Hang ten
Meaning: To stand on a surfboard with all ten toes extending over the tip of the board.
Example: Most surfers can hang ten, but I can barely stay upright as it is!
18. Catch-22
Meaning: A complex situation in which the solution is impossible as it is also the cause of the problem.
Example: Working parents were in a Catch-22 situation as daycares remained shut during the Covid-19 pandemic.
19. Wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole
Meaning: Someone does not want a specific thing or person at all or does not want anything at all to do with it or them.
Example: I am vegan and thus wouldn’t touch meat with a ten-foot pole
20. $64,000 question
Meaning: An essential question that is difficult or impossible to answer:
Examples: Who came first, chicken or egg? It still remains a $64,000 Question
Math Proverbs: The essence of mathematics
1. Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas–Albert Einstein.
2. Math is sometimes called the science of patterns– Ronald Graham.
3. Mathematics is a place where you can do things that you can’t do in the real world–Marcus Du Sautoy.
4. Mathematics is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit-Stefan Banach.
5. As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality–Albert Einstein.
6. Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper–David Hilbert.
7. Mathematics is the music of reason–James Joseph Sylvester.
8. The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics–Paul Halmos.
9. The art of doing mathematics consists in finding that special case that contains all the germs of generality-David Hilbert.
10. Nothing takes place in the world whose meaning is not that of some maximum or minimum–Leonhard Euler.
11. Mathematics as an expression of the human mind reflects the active will, the contemplative reason, and the desire for aesthetic perfection–Richard Courant.
12. Life is good for only two things, discovering mathematics and teaching mathematics– Simeon Poisson.
13. Nature is written in the mathematical language–Galileo Galilei.
14. You don’t have to be a mathematician to have a feel for numbers– John Forbes Nash, Jr.
15. The study of mathematics, like the Nile, begins in minuteness but ends in magnificence–Charles Caleb Colton.
Conclusion
Idioms are phrases that have different meanings than the words they are associated with. To comprehend an idiom, you must have heard or learned it previously. Conversely, Proverbs are short, well-known sayings that provide life advice or common knowledge. So, memorize as many proverbs as possible and utilize them while speaking and writing English. At the same time, kids can indulge in some games too. This will considerably enhance your vocabulary and, as a result, improve your English. So, don’t put it off any longer; study them and put them to use the next time you want to impress your friends.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,