Hedgie's English Quest
Map › Ch 5 · Idioms and Proverbs
🕳️ Review 🪶 0
Chapter 5 · Book pages 16–18

🗝️ Idioms and Proverbs

Secret-meaning phrases and wise old sayings: unlock what the words really mean.

By the end of this lesson, you can…
  • tell the difference between the literal (word-by-word) meaning and the real meaning of an idiom
  • explain what an idiom is and what a proverb is
  • choose the correctly worded proverb, like Once bitten, twice shy
  • match a proverb to a situation or a hint, like Don't count your chickens before they hatch
  • complete idioms such as a fish out of water, a storm in a teacup and as different as chalk and cheese
Start the story →Jump to quiz
Is it really raining cats and dogs? Let's unlock the secret meanings! 🗝️
📖 Story time

It's Raining Cats and Dogs!

Dark clouds rolled over Bramblewood. Nutty Squirrel burst into Ollie's classroom, dripping from tail to whiskers.

🐿️
Nutty SquirrelQuick, shut the door! It's raining cats and dogs out there!
HedgieCATS and DOGS?! Falling from the sky? I'll fetch a big basket and catch them before they get hurt! 🧺
🦉
Ollie the OwlHoo-hoo, wait, Hedgie! Look out of the window. Do you see a single cat falling?
HedgieNo… just a LOT of rain. Ohhh! It means it's raining very heavily!
🦉
Ollie the OwlExactly. That's an idiom: a group of words with a hidden meaning. The literal (word-by-word) meaning is silly. The real meaning is something else.
🐢
Tara TortoiseMy favourite saying is Slow and steady wins the race. That's a proverb: a short, wise sentence that gives advice. I live by it!
🦊
Fizz the FoxHa! Then here's my test, Hedgie. Finish this: “The early bird catches the… bus?”
HedgieBirds don't take buses, Fizz! It's The early bird catches the worm. It means people who start early get the best chances.
🦉
Ollie the OwlSplendid! Remember: idioms and proverbs are like a lock and key 🗝️. The words are fixed. Change even one word and the key won't fit.

And so Hedgie began collecting secret keys to unlock hidden meanings…

💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

1

🔐Idioms and proverbs: hidden meanings

An idiom is a group of words whose real meaning is different from the meaning of each word. It usually fits inside a sentence.

A proverb is a short, well-known sentence of advice or wisdom, passed down from grandparents' grandparents.

Every idiom has a literal meaning (a silly picture if you read word by word) and a real meaning (what people actually mean).

IdiomLiteral (silly) pictureReal meaning
raining cats and dogspets falling from the skyraining very heavily
a piece of cakea slice of cakevery easy
break the icesmash frozen waterstart a friendly chat
under the weatherstanding below the cloudsfeeling unwell
all earsa face full of earslistening carefully
  • The maths test was a piece of cake for Riya. idiom: inside a sentence, means very easy
  • Practice makes perfect. proverb: a full sentence of advice
Hedgie's trickProverb = a full sentence of advice, like a wise grandparent talking. Idiom = a phrase with a secret meaning that slips into your sentence.
Olympiad trap!Never take an idiom word by word. If a sentence suddenly talks about cats, eggs, chickens or stones when the story has none, it's probably an idiom!
🧐 Quick check
Which of these is a proverb?
2

⏰Proverbs about time and effort

These proverbs tell us to start early, keep going and do, not just say.

ProverbReal meaning
The early bird catches the worm.Start early and you get the best chances.
A stitch in time saves nine.Fix a small problem now, before it grows big.
Rome wasn't built in a day.Big things take time and patience.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.Every great achievement starts small.
Better late than never.Arriving late is better than not coming at all.
Actions speak louder than words.What you do matters more than what you say.
Slow and steady wins the race.Careful, steady work beats hurrying.
  • Meera sewed the small tear in her bag at once, so it didn't become a big hole. A stitch in time saves nine! one stitch now saves nine stitches later
  • Kabir promised to help, and then he really washed all the dishes. Actions speak louder than words. doing proves more than saying
  • Zoya practised her dance a little every day for the show. Rome wasn't built in a day. big goals need many days
Hedgie's trickPicture each one: an early bird with a wriggly worm 🐦, one needle stitch saving nine, a giant city built brick by brick. Pictures help you remember the exact words!
Olympiad trap!The book changes ONE word to trick you: Words speak louder than actions, A timely stitch saves nine, Rome wasn't built overnight. Only the exact, famous wording is correct.
🧐 Quick check
Which is the correct proverb?
3

🥚Proverbs about being careful

Lots of these proverbs use eggs, chickens and birds. They teach us to be careful, wise with money and not too sure too soon.

ProverbReal meaning
Once bitten, twice shy.After a bad experience, you become extra careful.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.Don't be sure of success before it happens.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.Don't risk everything on one plan.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.Something you have is better than something you only might get.
A penny saved is a penny earned.Saving money is as good as earning it.
Better safe than sorry.Be careful now, so you won't be sad later.
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.To get something great, you may have to lose a little.
Beggars can't be choosers.If you need help, accept what you are given.
  • Dev planned how to spend the prize money before the results came out, then he didn't win! Don't count your chickens before they hatch. eggs may not all become chickens
  • Aarav once touched a hot pan. Now he always checks first. Once bitten, twice shy. a bite makes you shy (careful), not bold
  • Anaya put her pocket money in her piggy bank instead of buying sweets. A penny saved is a penny earned. saved money = earned money
Hedgie's trickEgg-and-chicken code: chickens = don't be too sure (they haven't hatched yet). Eggs in one basket = don't risk it all (drop the basket and every egg breaks!).
Olympiad trap!Don't mix up the two egg proverbs! “Unwise to assume success” → chickens. “Unwise to risk everything on one plan” → eggs in one basket.
🧐 Quick check
Ishaan bought only one ticket in the lucky draw and already told everyone he'd won the bicycle. Which proverb fits?
4

💞Proverbs about people and life

These proverbs are about how people behave and how life works.

ProverbReal meaning
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.We love people more when they are far away.
A leopard cannot change its spots.People don't easily change their nature.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.It's hard to change old habits.
All good things must come to an end.Happy times don't last forever.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.Silly people rush into danger that wise people avoid.
A picture is worth a thousand words.A picture can explain more than a long description.
Two wrongs don't make a right.Doing something bad back doesn't fix a bad thing.
Every cloud has a silver lining.Something good hides in every bad situation.
  • A friend in need is a friend indeed. a true friend helps you when you're in trouble
  • Too many cooks spoil the broth. too many people on one job can ruin it
  • Don't bite the hand that feeds you. don't be rude to people who help you
  • You reap what you sow. · The grass is always greener on the other side. your actions come back to you · other people's things always look better
Hedgie's trickFonder means more loving. When Bela Bunny went away for the holidays, her friends missed her and loved her even more: absence made their hearts grow fonder. 💗
Olympiad trap!A leopard has spots, not stripes (that's a tiger 🐯). And angels fear to tread, they don't hesitate or refuse. Remember the exact word!
🧐 Quick check
You can't teach an old ______ new tricks.
5

🐟Idioms for feelings and situations

These idioms paint a funny picture in your head. Learn the picture and the real meaning.

IdiomReal meaning
a fish out of watersomeone uncomfortable in a new place
a storm in a teacupa big fuss about a small thing
a blessing in disguisesomething that seems bad but turns out good
kill two birds with one stonedo two jobs with one action
a bolt from the bluea sudden, big surprise
a needle in a haystacksomething very hard to find
a bull in a china shopa clumsy, careless person
a white elephanta costly thing that is of no use
a wild goose chasea useless search
the tip of the iceberga small part of a much bigger problem
  • On her first day at the new school, Anaya felt like a fish out of water. a fish is uncomfortable on land
  • Missing the bus was a blessing in disguise: Dev found his lost cricket bat on the walk! bad thing → good result
  • Meera returned her library book and bought milk on the same trip: killing two birds with one stone. no birds were harmed! It means two jobs, one trip
Hedgie's trickPicture it: a fish flapping on the grass 🐟 (uncomfortable), a tiny storm swirling inside a teacup ☕ (small fuss), a gift wrapped in a scary costume 🎁 (blessing in disguise).
Olympiad trap!Idiom options look alike. Needle in a haystack = hard to find; fish out of water = uncomfortable; bolt from the blue = surprise. Match the feeling in the sentence.
Fun factLong ago, a king of Siam (now Thailand) gave a rare white elephant to people he didn't like. It cost so much to feed that it ruined them! That's where the idiom comes from.
🧐 Quick check
Two friends fought for an hour over who had the blue crayon. It was just ______.
6

🧀Idiom pairs and comparisons

Some idioms come in pairs or comparisons. The pair is fixed: we always say chalk and cheese, never cheese and chalk.

IdiomReal meaning
as different as chalk and cheesecompletely different
with might and mainwith all your strength
heart and soulwith total love and effort
for donkey's yearsfor a very long time
safe and soundsafe and not hurt
the best of both worldsenjoying two good things at once
  • Riya loves noise and Zoya loves quiet. The twins are as different as chalk and cheese. both are white, but totally different!
  • The firefighters worked with might and main to put out the fire. might = power, main = strength
  • Grandpa has lived in the same village for donkey's years. a very, very long time
Hedgie's trickChalk and cheese look alike (both white and crumbly) but are as different as can be: you write with one and eat the other! 😋
Olympiad trap!Day and night or bread and butter may sound right, but the book's famous comparison for very different people is chalk and cheese. After with, the strength pair is might and main.
🧐 Quick check
My uncle has worked at the same bank for ______.
🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

📗 Open the answer key
🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

  1. An idiom is a phrase with a hidden meaning (raining cats and dogs = raining heavily). A proverb is a short sentence of advice.
  2. Always look past the literal (word-by-word) meaning to the real meaning.
  3. The words are fixed: Once bitten, twice shy, not bold. Change one word and it's wrong.
  4. Match proverbs to situations: start early (early bird), be careful (chickens, eggs), save (penny saved).
  5. Idioms paint pictures: fish out of water (uncomfortable), storm in a teacup (small fuss), chalk and cheese (totally different).

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Hedgie thinks “kill two birds with one stone” is about hurting birds! Explain to him the literal meaning and the real meaning, and give him an example from your own day.

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

Take the quiz 🧭
← Singular-Plural and One Word SubstitutionNouns and Pronouns →