What is the best way to learn American idioms?

What is the best way to learn American idioms?

The best way to learn American idioms… is to grow up in the U.S.!

Ok, that was a trick question. If you did not grow up here what is the best way? Please let me know your suggestions! Since everybody learns differently, one solution does not fit all. Some people like to study American idioms from books or websites. These resources explain the meaning of the idiom and provide an example. Often idioms are presented in groups of related expressions. Learning this way is very systematic. However, learning the knowledge outside of a greater context can leave doubt about appropriate usage, leaving you less likely to actually use the expression yourself.

Another way to learn American idioms is to encounter them in general usage. Popular national magazines, like Time and Newsweek, have writing geared to 8^th grade level reading skills. In other words, if you grow up in the U.S., you completely understand all the articles, including the idioms. These publications, as well as local daily newspapers, do not use sophisticated vocabulary or grammar. But they do use the unofficial language of slang or idiom a great deal. My unscientific survey suggests that idiomatic expressions occur in almost every paragraph.

The current issue of Time magazine starts an article about the transition in North Korea with the sentence, “What happens in Pyongyang doesn’t stay in Pyongyang.” Though the meaning may be clear enough, this sentence paraphrases and negates the very successful advertising campaign that Las Vegas conducted years ago. Their motto was, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” The attitude was that naughty behavior would be tolerated, if not encouraged. Afterwards, the formula “what happens in xyz stays/does not stay in xyz” became a staple of comedy and is now used in an ironic manner. By using this expression, the author gives a wink and nod to the ubiquitous phrase.

Idioms and expressions go in and out of fashion. The trendy slang of our parents sounds quaint and dated to us. New expressions sometimes become quickly dated, while others stand the test of time. The article about North Korea suggested other governments had “tried carrot-and-stick policies.” What kind of policy is that? The author could have used different words, such as “policies combining incentives and sanctions.” Does your native language have an expression like this? In the old days, when the donkey did would not pull the wagon, the driver used a stick to dangle a carrot (donkey treat) in front of the animal’s face and it would move forward. A darker inference is the threat of the stick as a weapon of violence to assert the driver’s will.

Though we share the same formal language as our cousins in the U.K, Australia, and elsewhere, each nation has its own expressions. Many expressions are common to all, but each nation has its own homegrown expressions not understandable by outsiders.

The biggest challenge in learning idioms is to stop skipping over them when you read or hear them. Instead, write them down and research their meaning from a native speaker. Sometimes even an Internet search does not adequately explain expressions or their origins. Idioms are rarely included in academic study of English because such expressions are so deeply embedded in popular culture. Maybe some easy way of learning American idioms can work magic, but more likely a gradual, sustainable, long-term study will yield the best results.