A Lead Pipe Cinch
Many years ago water pipes in the home were made of lead, and when their joints were cinched (tightened) they were very secure. That led to this idiom which refers to something that is a certainty or something that is done with ease. "It's
a lead pipe cinch I'll pass this examination." (a certainty) "That job was
a lead pipe cinch," Horace grinned, (easy)
2012 © John B. & Ching Yee Smithback
* IDIOMS IN CATEGORIES
One of the problems about learning English is that the sort of thing you find in textbooks or in the classroom is usually "correct usage," whereas in real life you may
think you know English -- but then you turn on television, read a newspaper or hear people talking and discover you only understand half of what's going on.
* FUN WITH IDIOMS
If something is
the cat's pajamas, would that make you want to hurry out to
paint the town red? Or if you are
bored to tears and
can't find your feet, is that because you're a
glutton for punishment? These are idioms, and unless you know them they can
make your head spin! Yet expressions like these are an essential part of our language, adding color, vibrancy and punch to the way we speak and write.
* FUN WITH PROVERBS
What is a proverb? It is a succinct phrase that, through the years, has been used to express a meaning or a shade of meaning. Through the use of lighthearted illustrations and quirky prose, the husband and wife team of John and Ching Yee Smithback demonstrate the proverbs that have developed in the English language over hundreds of years.
**Read about John & Ching Yee 亞 莊 & 清 儀
