The document discusses different categories of fixed expressions or idioms (FEIs), including those involving hyperbole and absurdity, truisms, irony, and conceptual metaphors. It provides examples for each category. Many FEIs involve exaggeration rather than impossibilities. Truisms state the obvious through understatement. A few FEIs are always used ironically. Conceptual metaphors are embedded in language and can be seen through related FEIs involving domains like gambling, fire, vehicles, and clothing.

2. Hyperbole and absurdity
Both hyperbole and absurdity indicate that an FEI cannot be
interpreted compositionally.
FEIs that describe literally impossible processes or attributes:
all smiles = look happy and friendly, esp. when other people are
not expecting you to
a storm in a teacup = a lot of unnecessary anger about an
unimportant matter
be neither here nor there = to be unimportant
move heaven and earth = do everything you can to achieve
something
shoot the breeze
tie oneself in knots = to become very confused or worried

3. Hyperbole and absurdity
Many FEIs involve exaggeration and implausibilities rather than
impossibilities:
be coming out of one’s ears = have more of something than you
want or need
cost an arm and a leg = to be extremely expensive
in floods of tears
in the blink of an eye
not enough room to swing a cat
not for all the tea in China = nothing could persuade you to do
something
not lift a finger
wouldn’t touch someone/something with a bargepole/ten-foot
pole

4. Truisms
Truisms state the obvious, and achieve their
rhetorical effect through litotes or understatement.
They are completely truthful but have to be
interpreted in the light of what is implied in the
vehicle of their metaphors.

5. Truisms
The following examples of truisms all contain negatives:
cannot hear oneself think
cut no ice
not a bed of roses
not be a spring chicken
not be someone’s cup of tea
not hold water
not the only pebble on the beach
won’t set the world on fire
be no picnic
business is business
boys will be boys

6. Irony
A very few FEIs are always used ironically. The
mismatch between surface and intended meaning can
be seen as a kind of metaphoricality:
A fine/pretty kettle of fish
Cry all the way to the bank
Big deal
Take the cake/biscuit
Tell me aboit it!
Need something like a hole in the head

7. Irony
However, irony is more commonly constructed
through the discoursal context. The following FEIs are
often used ironically, with negative connotations or
implications:
a bright spark
happ(il)y ever after
one’s heart bleeds
pearls of wisdom
ray of sunshine
whiter than white

8. Conceptual metaphors
Personification, animal metaphors, etc. are part of the
cultural and ideological framework of English and its
metaphorical constructs.
They lead into the area of conceptual metaphors, the
deep metaphors embedded in the language. One
example is the metaphor “Life is a gambling game”,
and FEIs relating to card games and gambling
include:
a trump card
have an ace up one’s sleeve
hold all the aces

9. Conceptual metaphors
lay one’s cards on the table
lucky at cards, unlucky in love
not be playing with a full deck
play one’s cards right
Conceptual metaphors including “fire”: “anger is fire”,
‘love is fire”, and FEIs relating to these conceptual
metaphors:
burn the candle at both ends
catch fire, on fire
carry a torch
spit fire

10. Conceptual metaphors
Conceptual metaphors “life is a vehicle”, “situations
are vehicles” can be seen in FEIs:
abandon ship
a sinking ship
in the same boat
rock the boat

11. Conceptual metaphors
Conceptual metaphors involving clothing: “clothing is
concealment”, “clothing is appearance”, “clothing is
behavior”. FEOs relating to these conceptual metaphors:
a wolf in sheep’s clothing
old hat
something fits like a glove
hand in glove with something/someone
have a bee in one’s bonnet
in one’s shoes
in plain clothes
off the cuff