Filozofická fakulta
Department of English
and American Studies
Magda Sučková
2010
I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,
using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.
……………………………………………..
Author’s signature
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my supervisor PhDr. Naděžda Kudrnáčová, Csc. for guidance,
encouragement and never ending patience. I also want to extend my thanks to Hannah
Griffiths, Mustafa Coban, Tom McComb and Matt Mahady for kindly reviewing the corpus
of idioms and being very supportive.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction …................................................................................................................... 1
5.4.3 Plant Idiom/Non Plant Idiom Correspondence – Other Plants Idioms ..................... 33
5.4.4 Plant Idiom/Non Plant Idiom Correspondence – Fruit and Vegetable Idioms .......... 35
5.4.5 Plant Idiom/Non Plant Idiom Correspondence – Plant Parts Idioms ........................ 39
6 Statistics …....................................................................................................................... 46
6.1 Groups of Plants …....................................................................................................... 46
7 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 53
Résumé ............................................................................................................................... 56
Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 58
1 Introduction
This thesis is a comparative study of English and Czech idioms which contain plant
lexemes. The aim of this thesis is to find out how many plant idioms correspond in the two
and academic sources. From these sources, a definition of idiom for the purposes
In Chapter 3, the choice and importance of plant idioms is explained. Plant idioms
are divided into 5 groups (Tree Idioms, Flower Idioms, Other Plants Idioms, Fruit and
Vegetable Idioms and Plant Parts Idioms) and a brief description is provided for each
of these groups.
Chapter 4 describes the aims of this thesis and introduces the methodology used
to achieve these aims. First, it describes the process of creating the corpus of idioms used.
Then, it describes the methodology used in the actual analysis of the corpus.
Chapter 5 provides a detailed analysis of all idioms compiled in the corpus. Pairs of
idioms are divided into categories and subcategories (introduced in Chapter 4) according to
Conclusions about similarities in the two languages are drawn from the figures.
Chapter 7 summarizes the thesis and contains the results of the analysis.
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2 Definitions of Idiom
To give a simple definition of idiom that would encompass all entities that are commonly
viewed as idiomatic pieces of language and that would describe all properties of all idioms,
is very difficult. Therefore, in this part of the thesis various sources will be used to give
Firstly, definitions from general sources like dictionaries and encyclopedias are
employed, secondly, several different definitions by linguists, both English and Czech,
are provided, and, lastly, my characteristics of idiom, which was compiled from the above
Dictionaries and linguistics encyclopedias offer the most general definitions of idioms and
therefore serve as a basic tool, a starting point of research for the present thesis.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1976: 533) says that idiom is
from those of the separate words.” Webster's New World Dictionary (1991: 670) gives
a similar but more detailed definition of idiom: “a phrase, construction, or expression that
is recognized as a unit in the usage of a given language and either differs from the usual
syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its parts taken
together.” Finally, the Encyclopaedia of Linguistics, Information and Control (1969: 667)
states that idiom is “a habitual collocation of two or more words whose combined meaning
is not deducible from a knowledge of the meanings of its component words and of their
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Let us summarize the definitions from general sources: idiom is a habitual unit
of language, the meaning of which cannot be traced by taking its elements apart.
One of the crucial characteristics of idioms is that they are very diverse. This presents
a persistent problem when trying to establish a unified definition that would encompass all
critical perspectives.
As Egan (2008: 1) states in the first line of his essay, “idioms are strange.” And Čermák
(2007: 84) adds: “the more anomalies a phraseme displays, the more idiomatic it is and
vice versa.” Not only are idioms diverse in their forms, ranging from one-word expression
of the notion have also displayed a great array of diversity, including and excluding
different pieces of language as idioms and introducing new systems of terminologies and
classifications.
of the definitions share. Information provided by general sources establishes the following
starting point: idiom is a habitual unit of language, the meaning of which cannot be traced
Glucksberg (2001: 68) says that “idioms are a subset of the fixed expressions
in a language community,” other fixed expressions being, for example, compounds, names,
movie and book titles. What sets idioms apart, according to Glucksberg (2001: 68),“is their
'non-logical' nature, that is, the absence of any discernable relation between their linguistic
meaning and their idiomatic meaning.” So far, Glucksberg's thoughts match the definition
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derived from the general source materials. Further on, Glucksberg (2001: 68, 73) points out
that not all idioms are fixed or frozen: “Some idioms are syntactically flexible, appearing,
for example, in both active and passive forms. (...) Some idioms can also be modified
internally. (...) Semantic variations that make sense (...) are also permissible.”
As Kavka (2003: 14) summarizes: “While free combinations are regarded as compo-
as non-compositional.” However, a difficulty arises here, since some linguists do not see
non-compositionality as a feature that all idioms share. In fact, Gluckberg (2001: 73)
states:
the idiom's meaning can be discerned. (...) In partially compositional idioms, some
discerned and exploited. (...) In fully compositional idioms, the constituents map
To show how complicated the notion of idioms is, let us now briefly mention
Keysar's and Bly's (1999) paper Swimming Against the Current: Do Idioms Reflect
Conceptual Structure? in which they describe a set of experiments with old idioms,
proving that it is very hard to guess the meaning of an unknown idiom, and therefore very
since very often they add vividness, beauty and other characteristics to the utterance.
Kavka (2003: 18) also points out that idioms “are typically associated with relatively
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informal and colloquial registers, namely with popular speech and oral culture.”
What Kavka (2003: 20) regards as the most reliable criterion for idiomatic
characteristics of all idiomatic expressions possible.” This definition mirrors the phrases
“habitual unit of language” and “fixed expression” which were mentioned earlier.
Čermák (2007: 258) summarizes the features of idioms that “may be suspected to
be universals” as following:
In the end of this section, two more up-to-date and not as deeply explored and
In their paper Hair of the Frog and other Empty Metaphors: The Play Element
in Figurative Language, Ritchie and Dyhouse (2008) point out that some idioms may have
been created by a word-play process, highlighting rhythm, rhyme and playfulness aspects.
Egan is an advocate of the theory of pretense. In his essay, Egan (2008: 385) holds
that “the parts of sentences containing idioms all retain their usual semantic values, and are
composed in the usual way, but the sentence is assigned nonstandard truth-conditions
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by processing its literal content through a pretense.” Further on, Egan (2008: 387) explains
that:
process. First, we get the literal content of the sentence via the usual compositional
process. This tells us what to pretend. Then we use the principles of generation
to figure out what would have to actually be the case in order for the principles
of generation to make the literal content fictional. This gives us the idiomatic truth
concluded that they form a very complicated group of expressions which does not have
clear-cut boundaries. The main features of idioms, according to the various theories, are:
playfulness.
For the purposes of the present thesis, idiom is defined as a piece of language (a word,
– conventionality
– informality
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3 Plant Idioms
Plant idioms are quite numerous in both the Czech and English language because they
reflect the environment in which people live: gardens, forests and fields. They also reflect
upon agriculture; some plants are more important and more common in one type
of agricultural context than in another. Due to the interesting and inspiring shapes and
colors of different plants and their parts, plant idioms are exceptionally vivid in their
imagery and are often used for various kinds of comparison. Very often they also contain
an element of humor and language play, which makes them even more interesting.
In the present thesis, the group of plant idioms is further subdivided into
– Tree Idioms
This group contains idioms with lexeme tree (strom) and tree species lexemes (hyponyms
– Flower Idioms
Idioms in this group contain lexemes for plants whose main feature is their blossom.
General lexemes flower and blossom and their Czech equivalents are included. Also,
idioms with verbs to bloom (kvést) and to blossom (kvést) are included.
As the title of this group suggests, it contains idioms with lexemes that are neither trees
nor do they have distinct blossoms. Lexemes like grass (tráva), bush (keř) and clover are
included. Also it was decided to include idioms with the lexeme mushroom (houba)
although they are not, technically speaking, plants. This choice was made because
mushrooms and plants share similar features and idioms containing the houba lexeme are
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– Fruit and Vegetable Idioms
Idioms in this group contain the general lexeme fruit; fruit and vegetable lexemes like
apple (jablko), carrot (mrkev) and potato (brambora); and lexemes for plant parts that are
edible but are not generally considered to be fruit or a vegetable, e.g. kmín (caraway).
Sometimes it is difficult to draw the line between fruit/vegetable lexemes and lexemes that
should be included under the group of Other Plants. The criteria was this: if the idiom
conveys the idea of a part of plant that is edible, it is fruit/vegetable; if the idiom conveys
the idea of whole plant, as in lézt někomu do zelí (sneak into someone's cabbage) in which
zelí stands for the field of cabbage, the idiom falls into Other Plants Idioms group.
This group contains idioms with lexemes like root (kořen), branch (větev) and bud. Also,
dead parts of plants and plant materials are included: stump (pařez), stick (klacek, palice),
The present thesis aims to compare the system of Czech and English idioms that contain
plant lexemes. This includes the comparison of grammatical, lexical, stylistic and semantic
levels of idioms. Special emphasis has been placed upon all instances of correspondence
between Czech and English idioms. Instances of correspondence were then analyzed
Two major sources were used to compile the corpus of idioms: dictionaries (general
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English dictionaries and idiom dictionaries, both monolingual and bilingual) and
After the corpus had been compiled using dictionaries of both languages, four
native speakers of English (two British, an American and a Canadian) were asked
to contribute plant idioms that had not been included. As the next step, the native speakers
of English were asked to review the corpus of idioms and mark those idioms which they
had never before encountered and/or which they considered outdated. These idioms are
A brief analysis of findings from the native speakers of the above mentioned
The idiom analysis methodology used in this thesis has been inspired by the methodology
Jana Vokáčová uses in her dissertation. She divides body part, animal and color idioms into
three major categories (2008: 62-67): total correspondence (further subdivided into 100%
several levels-stylistic (...), semantic and formal;” partial correspondence (this category
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is also further subdivided into several subcategories according to the differences in the
demonstrate a certain degree of correspondence but are not similar enough to be called
not have any equivalent and (...) all idioms which are expressed non-idiomatically.”
In the present thesis, plant idioms from the two languages (English and Czech)
are divided into five categories according to the correspondence of their semantic, stylistic,
– total correspondence
– close correspondence
– partial correspondence
c) use of cohyponyms
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
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d) plant lexeme x body part lexeme
– non correspondence
b) no equivalent expression
Pairs of idioms that fall into the category of total correspondence agree on semantic,
The above idioms have the same semantic meaning (both of them mean to shiver from cold
or fear), they are stylistically neutral, use the same lexical means (tremble = quake = třást
se, aspen = osika) and have the same grammatical structure (like = jako).
The close correspondence category consists of idioms that have the same denotational
meaning and contain a corresponding plant lexeme. However, the form of the plant lexeme
might be slightly different in the two languages (singular x plural, singular x collective,
neutral x diminutive). Also, some of the other lexemes that the idioms consist of might be
slightly different (use of a different preposition) or have a different word order. The idioms
in this category correspond very closely, but because of these minor differences they
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a) use of a different form of the plant lexeme (e.g. singular x plural, singular x
b) use of a different part of speech for the plant (e.g. adjective x noun, noun x verb)
The mushroom shape of nuclear cloud is expressed by adjective mushroom in English and
c) use of different lexical means (i.e. other than the plant lexeme)
Both idioms mean ''to gain experience,'' the act of gaining is conveyed by different lexical
means: English take the fruit of and Czech jíst ze (eat from).
not see the wood/forest for the trees pro stromy nevidět les
The corresponding Czech idiom has a different word order: for the trees not see the wood.
The category of partial correspondence is a very broad one. The idiom pairs contained
therein have the same denotational meaning and each idiom contains a plant lexeme.
However, the idioms differ significantly on both lexical and grammatical levels. These
Idioms in this category contain the corresponding plant lexeme but cannot be considered
as closely corresponding, since they differ significantly on a lexical level. The denotational
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meaning remains the same.
Both idioms use the plant lexeme rose (English roses x Czech adjective růžovým (rose)).
The Czech idiom provides a very similar picture as the English one but expresses it via
The lexical, grammatical and stylistic levels stay the same, plant lexemes differ.
c) use of cohyponyms
The plant lexemes used in these partially corresponding idioms have the same hyperonym.
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
In one idiom a hyperonym plant lexeme is used, the other contains a hyponym of this
hyperonym.
Also, different verbs are used in these two idioms: English push up x Czech čichat ke
(smell).
The entire idiom is expressed with different lexical means in the other language. However,
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is different than the plant lexeme of the first idiom).
be out off one's tree být dutý jako pařez (be hollow like a stump)
The category of plant idiom/non plant idiom correspondence contains pairs of idioms
that have a plant lexeme in one language only. The expression in the other language
is idiomatic and has the same denotational meaning but lacks any plant lexeme. This
category is a very broad one and it is very difficult to further subdivide it. Some
of the idiom pairs clearly belong to more than one subcategory, but it was decided to
include them in only one subcategory, according to this principle: lexical features
are stronger than grammatical ones. Word to word translation of the Czech idioms
money doesn't grow on trees peníze nepadají z nebe (money doesn't fall
from heaven)
Corresponding lexemes in this pair: money = peníze. Also, both idioms contain negations.
Idioms in this subcategory share the same grammatical structure, their lexical structure
differs significantly.
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c) plant lexeme x animal lexeme
In the pair of idioms, one language uses a plant lexeme, the other language uses an animal
he could charm the birds out of the trees vymámil by z jalové krávy tele (he could
charm a calf out of a barren cow)
The Czech idiom replaces birds with tele (calf) and trees with krávy (cow).
In the pair of idioms, one language uses a plant lexeme, the other language uses a body
part lexeme. Other lexical features usually differ, in addition to grammatical structure.
The Czech idiom uses the diminutive form of word for dead tree - sušinka/souška,
The pairs of idioms in this subcategory share no common features except for the same
denotational meaning.
Non correspondence category contains plant idioms that do not have idiomatic
counterparts in the other language. The category is further subdivided into two sections:
This subcategory contains plant idioms that have no idiomatic counterpart in the other
language, however, the meaning of the idiom can be expressed by other means: one-word
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b) no equivalent expression
The concept, expressed by a plant idiom in one language, does not exist in the other
language.
5 Idiom Analysis
grass tráva
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British native speakers consulted never came across this form of idiom, they suggested see
the grass grow, which falls into the close correspondence category.
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5.2 Close Correspondence
Both idioms mean “to gain experience,” the act of gaining is conveyed by different lexical
means: English take the fruit of and Czech jíst ze (eat from).
not see the wood/forest for the trees pro stromy nevidět les
Czech idiom has different word order: for the trees not see the wood.
be like a rose among thorns být někde jako růže mezi trním
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there is no rose without a thorn není růže bez trní
In the English idiom, cornflower is an adverb modifying adjective blue. In the Czech
idiom, chrpa (a cornflower) is a noun and the construction is therefore slightly different:
English adjective x Czech diminutive noun růžičky (have cheeks like little roses)
A different word order in Czech idiom: she is modest like a little violet.
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b) use of a different plant part of speech
English compound adjective x Czech noun len (to have hair like flaxen)
The mushroom shape of nuclear cloud is expressed by adjective mushroom in English and
the grass is always greener on the other side jinde je tráva vždycky zelenější
of the fence/hill
Instead of more specific on the other side of the fence/hill, the Czech idiom contains
English look to x Czech nespat na (not sleep on). Also, the Czech idiom does not use the
possessive form.
English rest on x Czech usnout na (fall asleep on). Again, there is no possessive in the
Czech idiom.
English spring up x Czech růst (grow), Czech idiom is more detailed: po dešti (after rain).
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be like wormwood BrX být hořký jako pelyněk
The Czech idiom uses noun (x English adjective) in like-structure (eyes like almonds).
The speaker of Canadian English suggested idiom cucumber season, which he, however,
was not completely sure existed. The pair of idioms cucumber season = okurková sezóna
stolen fruits are the sweetest BrO zakázané ovoce chutná nejlíp
English are sweeter/the sweetest x Czech chutná nejlíp (taste the best)
Despite the major lexical differences (only the lexeme fruits=ovoce stays the same), both
of these idioms agree on both semantic and stylistic levels and contain the same structure –
superlative.
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there is enough dirt behind his ears to sow mít špínu za ušima, že by tam mohl
half a ton of potatoes AmX BrO brambory sázet
Dirt is modified with enough and potatoes are modified with half a ton in the English
The English idiom uses existential structure (there is), while the Czech idiom uses
the verb mít (to have). The English idiom uses infinitive of purpose (to sow), the Czech
These two idioms use slightly different lexical means and grammatical structures
but the most significant lexemes (potatoes=brambory, dirt=špínu) are the same. In both
The speaker of Canadian English suggested a shorter form of this idiom: have
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c) use of different lexical means
English nip x Czech zničit/udusit (destroy/stifle). Also, the Czech idiom adds proverb už
(right).
English verb phrase take roots x Czech verb zakořenit (root in)
The English idiom contains lexeme color, the Czech idiom does not contain this lexeme
In the Czech idiom, the verb zaklepat (knock) takes an object. Only the verb zaklepat
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d) use of different word order
c) use of cohyponyms
To convey the concept of slimness, Czech idioms use lexemes bříza (birch, which
connotates a female), jedle (fir) and topol (aspen, which implies a male).
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
be out off one's tree být dutý jako pařez (be hollow like a stump)
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5.3.2 Partial Correspondence - Flower Idioms
The semantic meaning of the English idiom is expressed by two very similar Czech
idioms. Both Czech idioms contain a form of plant lexeme růže (rose):
adjective: život není procházka růžovým sadem (life is not a walk through a rose orchard)
plural noun: nemít na růžích ustláno (not to have bed made on roses)
Both idioms use the plant lexeme rose (English roses x Czech adjective růžovým (rose)).
The Czech idiom gives a very similar picture to the English one but expresses it utilizing
c) use of cohyponyms
have eyes like forget-me-nots AmX BrX mít oči jako čekanka/čekanky/chrpy/len
flowers/flax)
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
as fresh as a flower AmX CX svěží jako růžička (as fresh as a little rose)
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push up daisies čichat ke kytičkám
English hyponym daisies x Czech hyperonym kytičkám (little flowers). Also, a different
verb is used in each of these two idioms: English push up x Czech čichat ke (smell).
Czech idiom mít se jako prase v žitě (live like a pig in rye) is more general than the English
destination.
need to get roses in one's cheeks BrX být jako bledule (be like a snowflake)
live like a pig in clover BrO mít se jako prase v žitě (live like a pig in
rye)
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grass widow AmX BrX CX slaměná vdova (straw widow)
grass widower AmX BrX CX
slaměný vdovec (straw widower)
have hair like seaweed mít vlasy jako šnytlík (have hair like chive)
c) use of cohyponyms
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
be entwined like the honeysuckle and the vinout se k někomu jako liána/psí víno
bindweed AmX BrX CX (entwine somebody like a liane/wild vine)
sit like a cabbage AmX BrO CX sedět jako pecka (sit like a stone)
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fruit bukvice (beech nut)
c) use of cohyponyms
The speaker of Canadian English is only familiar with this variation: turn beet red.
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
apple-knocker AmX BrX CX čouhá mu sláma z bot (he has straw sticking
out from his shoes)
follow through for sour apples AmX BrX CX dostat čočku (be given lentils)
dostat houby s voctem (be given mushrooms
and vinegar)
be as green as a gooseberry AmO BrO CX být bledý jako zelinka/zelenka (be as pale
as a green plum)
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she's a peach (of a girl) to je děvče jako jahoda/malina/lusk (the girl
is like a strawberry/raspberry/pod)
feel the sap rising again AmX CX dostávat druhou mízu (be getting the second
sap)
sit like a bump on a log BrX sedět jako bluma/pecka (sit like a
plum/stone)
it is not worth a straw AmX CX nestojí to za špetku tabáku (it is not worth a
pinch of tobacco)
not care/give a straw/two straws AmX CX houby si z něčeho dělat (not care
mushrooms about something)
za mák o něco nedbat (not care poppyseed)
English thorn x Czech awn. Also, the Czech idiom does not contain a possessive.
c) use of cohyponyms
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d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
English hyponym logs x Czech hyperonym dříví (wood). Both idioms mean to snore.
have hayseed in one's hair sláma mu leze z bot (he has straw sticking
out from his shoes)
be like a young sapling být pružný jako proutek (be springy like a
twig)
be like a wisp of straw být slabý jako třtina (be weak like cane)
Both idioms mean to deteriorate in condition, the Czech idiom is slightly more expressive.
have/be heart of oak AmX BrX CX mít statečné srdce (have brave heart)
money doesn't grow on trees peníze nepadají z nebe (money doesn't fall
from heaven)
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be barking up the wrong tree být na špatné adrese (be at a wrong address)
be off one's tree být úplně mimo (be totally off)
he could charm the birds out of the trees vymámil by z jalové krávy tele (he could
charm a calf out of a barren cow)
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5.4.2 Plant Idiom/Non Plant Idiom Correspondence - Flower Idioms
a) use of one corresponding lexeme
je toho jako kvítí (they are like flowers) they are like pebbles/sand on the beach
a tall poppy AmX BrX CX vyčuhovat z davu/z řady (be sticking out of
a crowd/a line)
come up roses jít jako po másle/na drátkách (go like on
butter/little wires)
everything's/it's all roses jde to jako po másle/na drátkách (go like on
butter/little wires)
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trpělivost přináší růže (patience brings good things come to those who wait
roses)
good wine needs no bush AmX CX dobré zboží se chválí samo (quality goods
praise itself)
a bird in hand is worth two in the bush vrabec v hrsti je lepší než holub na střeše (a
sparrow in hand is better than a pigeon on
the roof)
be as green as grass CX být zelenáč (be a greener)
go to grass CX
jdi k čertu (go to devil)
AmX BrX CX
like an owl in an ivy bush jako sůva v nudlích (like an owl in noodles)
die/wither on the vine zajít na úbytě (wither on decrease)
it's like a grain of wheat in a bushel of chaff je to jako kapka v moři (it's like a drop in
AmX BrO CX
the sea)
be as deceitful as a snake in the grass být falešný jako kočka (be two-faced like
a cat)
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vycákat si rákos (drain the cane) drain the lizard
not let the grass grow under one's feet nesedět se založenýma rukama (not sit with
folded arms)
být/chodit ještě na/po houbách (still be/be be still a twinkle/gleam in one's father's eye
walking mushrooming)
Houby! (mushrooms!) My eye! AmO BrX CO
beat about/around the bush chodit kolem něčeho jako kolem horké kaše
(walk around something like around hot
porridge)
bush telegraph BrO tamtamy (tomtoms)
on/through the grapevine jedna paní povídala (a lady said that)
go to grassCX patřit do starýho železa (belong to the old
iron)
go to grassCX natáhnout bačkory (put on slippers)
sow one's wild oats CX vybouřit se (storm oneself out)
být dutý jako bambus (be hollow like not know a blind/damn thing
bamboo)
být houby platné (be mushrooms useful) be a fat lot of use
být na houby (be for mushrooms) be no bloody good
dělat někde oleandr/křoví (play oleander/ be part of the backcloth AmX BrX CX
bush somewhere)
kápnout někomu pelyňku do něčeho (drop put a damper on someone's something
wormwood into something for someone)
rozumět něčemu jako koza petrželi be like a duchess with a spade CX
(understand something like a goat under-
stands parsley)
jít s něčím k šípku (go to briar with go to hell
something)
mít IQ šumící trávy (have IQ of grass in the be thick as two short planks
wind)
lézt někomu do zelí (sneak into someone's poach on someone's preserve/territory
cabbage)
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být bit jako žito (get beaten up like rye) get the hiding of one's life BrO
5.4.4 Plant Idiom/Non Plant Idiom Correspondence - Fruit and Vegetable Idioms
an apple for the teacher BrX šplhat u učitele (climb for the teacher)
run off like a little boy caught stealing utéct jako malý kluk (run off like a little
apples boy)
be full of beans být plný energie (be full of energy)
be not worth a bean/a row of beans/a hill of nestojí to ani za fajfku tabáku (be not worth
beans/beans a pipe of tobacco)
give somebody beans AmX BrX CX dát někomu za vyučenou (give somebody
education)
not have a bean AmX CX nemít ani vindru (not have a cent)
bring something to fruition dovést něco k vítěznému konci (bring
something to the victorious end)
look like a lemon AmX CX vypadat jako jelimánek (look like a booby)
mluví jako když má v puse horký brambor speak like if someone has marbles in their
(speak like if someone has a hot potato in mouth CX
their mouth)
kouká, jako by spadl z jahody/maliny/višně he looks as if he doesn't know which way to
(he looks as if he fell from a strawberry/ turn
raspberry/ cherry)
35
být zdravý jako křen/tuřín/řípa (be as be as fit as a fiddle
healthy as horseradish/swede turnip/turnip)
je toho/jich jako máku/maku (they are like they are like the pebbles on the beach
poppyseed)
být nejhrubšího zrna (be of the roughest be of the deepest dye AmX BrO CX
grain)
je to jako když hrách na stěnu hází (it's like it's like water off a duck's back
throwing peas at the wall)
jsou tam namačkáni, že by ani jablko they are packed like sardines there
nepropadlo (they are packed there that an
apple would not fall through)
být padavka (be a fallen-down fruit) be chicken
36
one's little finger)
cornfed girl CX
holka krev a mlíko (girl blood and milk)
she is strawberries and cream holka krev a mlíko (girl blood and milk)
prolévat slzy jako hráchy (cry tears like cry one's eyes/heart out
peas)
načapat/chytit někoho na hruškách/luskách/ catch someone red-handed
švestkách (catch someone stealing
pears/pods/ plums)
to je jako mandle (it is like an almond) it melts in your mouth like butter
zvednout někomu mandle (lift someone's have someone's guts for garters AmX CX
almonds)
strouhat někomu mrkvičku (grate a little thumb one's nose at somebody
carrot for someone)
apple of Sodom AmX BrX CX nahoře huj, vespod fuj (hey on surface, yuck
underneath)
apples and oranges nebe a dudy (sky and bagpipes)
as sure as God made little apples AmX BrX CX jako že je nebe nade mnou (as heaven is
above me)
they are as like as an apple to an oyster AmX
to je jako nebe a dudy (it's like sky and
BrX CX
bagpipes)
freeze someone's apricots AmX BrX CX udělat někomu čáru přes rozpočet (make a
line across someone's budget)
drive someone bananas přivádět někoho k šílenství (bring someone
to crazyness)
go bananas chytit rapla
be off one's bean CX být jako střelený (be like shot)
know how many beans make five AmX BrX CX mít zdravý selský rozum (have healthy farm
common sense)
not to know beans about nemít o něčem ani páru (not have any steam
about something)
spill the beans vyzvonit něco (ring something out)
the carrot and (the) stick (approach) (metoda) cukr a bič ((method of) sugar and
whip)
pop a cherry připravit dívku o věneček (steal the little
wreath from a girl)
37
hoary chestnut AmX CX fousatý vtip (hairy joke)
the milk in the coconut AmX CX
na/pro zmatení nepřítele (to confuse the
enemy)
the smell of garlic takes away the smell of vyhánět čerta ďáblem (chase out imp with
onionAmX CX devil)
be nuts about something být do něčeho blázen (be crazy into
something)
do one's nut AmX CX chytit rapla
not for nuts CX ani za nic na světě (not for anything
in the world)
squeeze/suck the orange dryCX vytěžit z toho, co se dá (mine as much from
it as possible)
be as like two peas in a pod podobat se jako vejce vejci (be as like
an egg to an egg)
like a ripe plum/plums spadnout do klína (fall in the lap)
have a plum in one's mouth CX mít zlato v hrdle (have gold in one's throat)
mít hlas jako zvon (have voice like a bell)
be a couch potato být bábovka (be a cake)
být pecivál (be an oven liar)
great harvest of a little corn AmX BrX CX mnoho povyku pro nic (much ado about
nothing)
serve corn (on the cob) mít řečí jak Palacký (be wordy like Palacký)
eat the seedcorn BrX CX
nemít ani na slanou vodu (not have enough
money even for a salt water)
38
berry/raspberry/ raisin)
natlouct si kokos (bruise one's coconut) come a cropper AmO CX
nerozumět něčemu ani za mák (not not know the first thing about something
understand something for poppyseed)
to pravé ořechové (the right nutty) be just what the doctor ordered
be just the thing
that's the stuff/ticket
dostat někoho do pěkný rejže (get someone put someone in hot water
into pretty rice)
vytáhnout někoho z rejže (pull someone out get someone out of a mess
of rice)
mít nos jako ředkvičku (have nose like a have a button nose
radish)
sebrat si svých pár/pět švestek (pick one's get/gather together one's bag of tricks
pair of/five plums)
clear out bag and baggage CX
pack one's bag
mít IQ tykve (have IQ of a squash) be a brick short of a load
be a sandwich short of a picnic
být z jiného dřeva (be from different wood) be cast in a different mould
ležet jako dřevo (lie like wood) lie there like a wet sack
to je jako hučet/mluvit do někoho jako do it's like talking to a brick wall/a doorpost
dřeva (it is like cajoling/talking to someone
like to wood)
dát někomu přes palici (give someone over give someone a hiding
the stick)
být hluchý jako pařez/špalek/poleno (be as be as deaf as a post/doornail
39
deaf as a stump/log)
přiložit si polínko na oheň (add a log to the add fuel to the flames
fire)
dostat pecku (get a stone) get one's bell rung
hrát na plný pecky (play at full stones) play at full-blast
jako když (kouzelným) proutkem mávne as if at the wave of a wand
(as if someone waves a (magic) stick)
nechávat si něco někde na semeno (keep keep something on ice
something somewhere for the seed)
dostat pořádnou šlupku (get a good peel) get one's bell rung
mít peněž jako šlupek (have money like have pots of money
peels)
neither hay nor grass AmX BrX CX telecí léta (calf age)
find the root of the trouble najít zakopaného psa (find the buried dog)
it's the straw that broke the camel's back tisíc nic umořilo vola (thousand nothings
worn out the ox)
40
could cut wood/logs on him)
to je jako nosit dříví do lesa it's like bringing owls to Athens AmO BrX CX
mít tvrdou/svou palici (have a tough/one's be pig-headed
own stick)
strašit někomu v palici (be haunted in one's have bats in one's belfry CX
stick)
mít vlasy jako roští (have hair like bush) have a rat's nest in one's hair
hold out/offer an olive branch nabídnout ruku k smíru (offer a hand for
peace)
make bricks without straw AmX BrO CX dělat něco na koleně (make something
on the knee)
a man of straw/straw man bezpáteřník (no-spine man)
41
být dřevo (be wood) be a clumsy clot AmX CX
vysázet peníze na dřevo (give money on the give cash on the nail/barrel head
wood)
růst/vyrůstat jako (to) dříví v lese (grow up let the children run wild
like wood in the forest)
házet někomu klacky pod nohy (throw put a spoke in one's wheel CX
sticks under someone's feet)
překročit bludný kořen (step over a wander We are not in Kansas anymore!
root)
být na palici (be on stick) be not right in the head
vtlouct někomu něco do palice (pound knock something into someone
something into someone's stick)
mlčet jako pařez (be silent like a stump) stay buttoned up
dát někomu pecku (give someone a stone) knock somebody for sixCX
jet na plný pecky (go on full stones) give a hundred and ten percent
je jako když proletí roštím (look as if one look as if one has been pulled through a
has flew through bush) hedge backwards AmX CX
vzplanout jako sláma (catch fire like straw) go up in flames
nevydělat si ani na šlupky (not make not have a pot to piss in (expressive)
enough money enough for peels)
barely make ends meet
mít se jako nahý v trní (live like a naked in have struck/hit a bad patch
thorns)
sedět někde jako na trní (sit somewhere like be on pins/tenterhooks
on thorns)
být z něčeho na větvi (be on a bow because be wonder-struck
of something)
be at the top of the tree AmX být na vrcholu kariéry, nemít další možnost
postupu nebo povýšení
tall oaks from little acorns grow CO z něčeho malého může vzniknout něco
42
velkého
b) no equivalent expression
b) no eqivalent expression
43
5.5.3 Non Correspondence - Other Plants Idioms
b) no equivalent expression
44
to go pear-shaped nepodařit se
the rough end of the pineapple AmX CX
špatné/hrubé zacházení
CX
hold one's potatoes být trpělivý
Irish apricot/apple/plum BrX brambora, ertepla
meat and potatoes základní, ale nepostradatelné věci
strain the potatoes AmX BrX CX vymočit se
b) no equivalent expression
b) no equivalent expression
45
6 Statistics
In this part of the thesis, the data is analyzed statistically and organized into tables.
The figures represent the number of pairs of idioms (and the percentage they represent)
which belong to the given groups and categories. If an idiom has several equal
A brief analysis of the data is given for each category. Possible explanations are
Tree Idioms Flower Other Plants F.+V. Idioms Plant Parts total
Idioms Idioms Idioms
total 27 54 66 122 107 376
% 7. 2% 14. 3% 17. 6 % 32. 4 % 28. 5% 100%
As can be seen from the above table, the most numerous group of the field of plant idioms
are the fruit and vegetable idioms, followed by plant parts idioms. Idioms containing
flower lexemes and other plant lexemes are almost equal in number. The least numerous
Tree Idioms Flower Other Plants F.+V. Idioms Plant Parts total
Idioms Idioms Idioms
total 1 9 2 12 8 32
% 0. 3% 2. 4% 0. 5% 3. 2% 2. 1% 8. 5%
Pairs of idioms that correspond on all levels are the least numerous. Most corresponding
idioms can be found in fruit and vegetable group (which is the most numerous).
46
Interestingly, quite a lot of totally corresponding idioms are in the flower idioms group
which is the second least numerous. From this, a conclusion can be drawn that both
Subcategories:
Tree Idioms Flower Other Plants F.+V. Idioms Plant Parts total
Idioms Idioms Idioms
total a) 0 3 0 0 2 5
% 0% 0. 8% 0% 0% 0. 5% 1. 3%
total b) 0 2 2 1 1 6
% 0% 0. 5% 0. 5% 0. 3% 0. 3% 1. 6%
total c) 2 2 6 3 9 22
% 0. 5% 0. 5% 1. 6% 0. 8 % 2. 4% 5. 9%
total d) 1 1 0 0 0 2
% 0. 3% 0. 3% 0% 0% 0% 0. 5%
total 3 8 8 4 12 35
% 0. 8% 2. 1% 2. 1% 1. 1% 3. 2% 9. 3%
There are slightly more idioms that correspond closely than idioms that correspond totally.
However, this category is the second least numerous. The most numerous is subcategory
c). Groups of tree idioms (which is the least numerous group) and, surprisingly, fruit and
vegetable idioms show the least number of corresponding pairs. As in the category
47
of totally corresponding idioms, the largest number of corresponding idioms is in the group
of plant parts idioms (the most numerous one). Also, a large number of corresponding
idioms are in the group of flower idioms (which is the second least numerous). This again
Subcategories:
c) use of cohyponyms
d) use of hyponyms/hyperonyms
Tree Idioms Flower Other Plants F.+V. Idioms Plant Parts total
Idioms Idioms Idioms
total a) 0 2 0 1 3 6
% 0% 0. 5% 0% 0. 3% 0. 8% 1. 6%
total b) 0 2 6 3 5 16
% 0% 0. 5% 1. 6% 0. 8% 1. 3% 4. 3%
total c) 1 2 0 2 0 5
% 0. 3% 0. 5% 0% 0. 5% 0% 1. 3%
total d) 0 3 1 0 1 5
% 0% 0. 8% 0. 3% 0% 0. 3% 1. 3%
total e) 2 4 2 5 7 20
% 0. 5% 1. 1% 0. 5% 1. 3% 1. 9% 5. 3%
total 3 13 9 11 16 52
% 0. 8% 3. 5% 2. 4% 3. 0% 4. 3% 13.8%
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The category of partially corresponding idioms shows that about 13.8% of the time, idiom
pairs use different plants to convey the same meaning. If contrasted with the number
of idiom pairs that use the same or slightly modified plant lexeme in both languages (total
idioms actually use the same plant to convey the same idea than idioms that use a different
plant.
As in previous two categories, pairs of flower idioms are quite numerous in this
group, even though they are not a very numerous in number, compared to the other groups.
This again hints that the two languages use flower-based idioms to convey the same ideas.
There are not very many partially corresponding idioms in the fruit and vegetable group,
Subcategories:
Since only one idiom from the pair contains a plant lexeme, the table is further subdivided
into the number of English idioms containing plant lexemes and Czech idioms containing
plant lexemes (first number gives the total, numbers in brackets follow this pattern:
English/Czech).
49
Tree Idioms Flower Other Plants F.+V. Plant Parts total
Idioms Idioms Idioms Idioms
total a) 9 (4/5) 6 (4/2) 10 (6/4) 12 (7/5) 15 (3/12) 52 (24/28)
% 2. 4% 1. 6% 2. 7% 3. 2% 4. 0% 13. 8%
(1.1/1.3) (1.1/0.5) (1.6/1.1) (1.9/1.3) (0.8/3.2) (6.4/7.4)
total b) 1 (0/1) 1 (0/1) 2 (1/1) 6 (1/5) 6 (2/4) 16 (4/12)
% 0. 3% 0. 3% 0. 5% 1. 6% 1. 6% 4. 3%
(0/0.3) (0/0.3) (0.3/0.3) (0.3/1.3) (0.5/1.1) (0.8/3.2)
total c) 1 (1/0) 2 (0/2) 3 (1/2) 9 (6/3) 8 (3/5) 23 (11/12)
% 0. 3% 0. 5% 0. 8% 2. 4% 2.1% 6. 1%
(0.3/0) (0/0.5) (0.3/0.5) (1.6/0.8) (0.8/1.3) (2.9/3.2)
total d) 1 (0/1) 0 3 (1/2) 12 (7/5) 7 (3/4) 23 (11/12)
% 0.3% 0% 0. 8% 3. 2% 1. 9% 6. 1%
(0/0.3) (0.3/0.5) (1.9/1.3) (0.8/1.1) (2.9/3.2)
total e) 4 (0/4) 5 (3/2) 16 (6/10) 40 (27/13) 25 (9/16) 90 (45/45)
% 1. 1 % 1. 3% 4. 3% 10. 6% 6. 6% 23. 9%
(0/1.1) (0.8/0.5) (1.6/2.7) (7.2/3.4) (2.4/4.3) (12/12)
total 16 (5/11) 14 (7/7) 34 (15/19) 79 (48/31) 61 (20/41) 204
(95/109)
% 4. 3% 3. 7% 9. 0% 21 % 16. 2% 54. 3%
(1.3/2.9) (1.9/1.9) (4.0/5.0) (12.8/8.2) (5.3/11) (25.3/29)
The category of plant idiom/non-plant idiom correspondence, in which only one member
of the pair of idioms contains one plant lexeme, is the most numerous, taking up about half
of the corpus of idioms collected for this thesis. There are several possible reasons for this
fact. One of the explanations might be that Czech and English are from different language
families and they do not share very many common influences. For example, the influence
of other Slavic languages is missing in the history of the development of English language.
On the other hand, there is very little French influence in the Czech language. The next
significant factor might be the presence of a different climate, and, therefore, a different
type of agriculture in the English speaking countries. A relevant example to illustrate this
fact are the English idioms with bean/beans. In some parts of the U.S., beans are very
50
common. However, beans are not that widely grown and eaten in the Czech Republic,
The most numerous groups of idioms are fruit and vegetable idioms, plant parts
idioms and other plants idioms, which corresponds to their overall share. The most
idioms in the pair share only the same denotational meaning. It represents almost one
quarter of the whole corpus, showing the variety of the language means.
Subcategories:
b) no equivalent expression
of expression is idiomatic and contains a plant lexeme. For this reason, the table is further
subdivided into the number of English idioms containing plant lexemes and the number
of Czech idioms containing plant lexemes (first number gives the total, numbers in
51
It is quite interesting that plant idioms that have no counterpart form only about 14%
of the corpus of idioms compiled for the present thesis. The expected number was much
higher. This shows that both languages are rich in idiomatic expressions and sometimes
even offer more possibilities to complete the idiomatic pair. The most numerous group of
idioms in this category is fruit and vegetable idioms, followed by other plants idioms.
What is also interesting is that there are more English plant idioms that have
no Czech idiomatic counterparts than there are Czech plant idioms that have no English
idiomatic counterparts.
Four native speakers of English (two British, one American and one Canadian) were asked
to review the corpus of idioms compiled for the present thesis from various dictionaries.
The author of the present thesis is aware that four native speakers do not represent
a statistically reliable group, since the knowledge of idioms is a highly individual issue and
idiomatic language differs from region to region in the above-mentioned countries. Also,
the speakers all come from the same social background (middle class, university educated,
This said, some interesting facts were discovered. About 7% of the idioms
in the corpus have never been heard by all of the native speakers. This represents quite a
large number and shows that many idioms from the dictionaries have already disappeared
from the language or even might have never been part of it.
Another interesting fact is that 6.4% of the idioms in the corpus are known only
to the British speakers and not to the American and Canadian speaker. This proportion does
not work the other way around. Also, about 3% of the idioms in the corpus are considered
52
old-fashioned by the British speakers and at the same time are unknown to the American
and Canadian speakers. This may mean that an old-fashioned idiom might have never
made it overseas or that idioms are disappearing faster in the North American English.
However, it is very difficult to draw conclusions from these figures because the research
was focused primarily on the comparison between English and Czech idioms and there are
not enough data to prove any conclusion. The only safe statement is that British idiomatic
The last observation that might be significant is that there are quite a lot of idioms
known to the American and British speakers but not to the Canadian speaker. They
7 Conclusion
The present thesis has set as its aim the analysis of English and Czech idioms containing
plant lexemes. In order to do so, it was necessary to explore what idiom is, what are its
properties and explore the various views that linguists have expressed on the subject.
Having done this, it was also necessary to further describe what is meant by plant idioms
The next step was to devise a methodology of compiling the corpus of idioms.
It was compiled from both monolingual and bilingual, general and idiomatic dictionaries
of both languages. Four native speakers of English were asked to contribute to and review
Once the corpus had been compiled, a system of five categories (with various
of the idiom pairs. The main feature that was examined was the presence/absence
53
of a plant lexeme, the other features were the form of the plant lexeme in the two idioms,
the grammatical structure and lexical means employed. Analysis of individual pairs
Having divided the idioms in the categories according to the degree of their
correspondence, the data collected were statistically analyzed and organized in tables.
– The most numerous group of the field of plant idioms are the fruit and vegetable
idioms, followed by plant parts idioms. The least numerous group is the group of tree
idioms.
– Pairs of idioms that correspond on all levels are the least numerous. Most totally
corresponding idioms can be found in fruit and vegetable group (which is the most
numerous). A relatively large amount of totally corresponding idioms are in the flower
idioms group.
– There are slightly more idioms that correspond closely than idioms that correspond
totally.
– A large number of closely corresponding idioms are in the group of flower idioms.
– A conclusion can be drawn that both languages share similar notions about flowers.
– More idiom pairs use the same plant to convey the same idea than idiom pairs that use
a different plant.
in the pair share only the same denotational meaning. It represents almost one quarter
54
of the whole corpus, showing the variety idiomatic expressions in the two languages.
– Plant idioms that have no idiomatic counterpart form only about 14% of the corpus
of idioms.
– There are more English plant idioms that have no Czech idiomatic counterparts than
there are Czech plant idioms that have no English idiomatic counterparts.
An analysis of data collected from the native speakers of English was held
in the last part of the present thesis. Several observations have been made. Firstly, about
7% of the idioms in the corpus have never been heard by any of the native speakers.
Secondly, about 9% of idioms are only known (or known and considered old-fashioned) to
the British speakers. Thirdly, about 10% of the idioms known to the American and British
55
Résumé
Úkolem této práce je analýza anglických a českých idiomů obsahujících rostlinný lexém.
Aby bylo možno tento úkol splnit, bylo nejprve třeba definovat idiom a jeho vlastnosti
a prostudovat různé úhly pohledu, ze kterých lingvisté na idiom pohlížejí. Dále bylo také
nutno popsat, co se myslí pojmem idiom s rostlinným lexémem a rozdělit tyto idiomy
na skupiny.
Dalším krokem bylo navržení metodiky, pomocí níž by byl sestaven korpus idiomů
pro tuto práci. Tento korpus byl sestaven za použití výkladových i překladových slovníků
obou jazyků. Použity byly jak slovníky obecné, tak slovníky idiomů. Čtyři rodilí mluvčí
anglického jazyka byli poté požádáni, aby zrevidovali tento korpus a případně přispěli
dalšími idiomy.
Poté co byl sestaven korpus idiomů, byl navržen systém pěti kategorií (s různým
počtem podkategorií) podle stupně podobnosti idiomů. Hlavní zkoumaná vlastnost idiomů
Páry idiomů byly rozděleny do kategorií podle stupně podobnosti a získaná data
56
– Můžeme vyvodit závěr, že oba jazyky sdílejí podobné vnímání květin.
– Je více párů idiomů, ve kterých je význam vyjádřen stejnou rostlinou, než těch,
pouze význam. Tato podkategorie tvoří téměř čtvrtinu korpusu, ukazujíce tak
rozmanitost idiomů.
– Rostlinné idiomy, které nemají protějšek ve druhém jazyce, tvoří pouze 14% korpusu.
– Více anglických rostlinných idiomů nemá český protějšek, než je tomu naopak.
se zhruba 7% idiomů z korpusu se nesetkal žádný z nich. Za druhé, asi 9% idiomů znají
(nebo znají a považují za zastaralé) pouze britští mluvčí. Za třetí, asi 10% idiomů, které
57
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