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A Study of the Problems of Learning and Translating Idioms
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Idioms are a very important part of the English language: you are told that if you want to go far (succeed) you should pull your socks up (make a serious effort to improve your behaviour, the quality of your work, etc.) and use your grey matter (brain).1 Learning and translating idioms have always been very difficult for foreign language learners. The present paper explores some of the reasons why English idiomatic expressions are difficult to learn and translate. It is not the aim of this paper to attempt a comprehensive survey of the vast amount of material that has appeared on idioms in Adams and Kuder (1984), Alexander (1984), Dixon (1983), Kirkpatrick (2001), Langlotz (2006), McCarthy and O'Dell (2002), and Wray (2002), among others. The paper concentrates on idioms as a learning-translation problem; it makes no claim to be comprehensive or academically rigorous. Leech (1989) defines an idiom as follows: “An idiom is a group of two or more words which we have to treat as a unit in learning a language. We cannot arrive at the meaning of the idiom just by adding together the meanings of the words inside it. E.g.John and Mary usedto be hardup (='They had very little money'.)”(P.186) To be more exact, an idiom is a sequence of words which is semantically and syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit. From a semantic point of view, the meanings of the individual words cannot be summed to produce the meanings of the idiomatic expression as a whole. Thus, fly off the handle, which means lose one's temper, cannot be understood in terms of the meanings of fly, off, or handle. The idiom phrase hot air, which means empty or boastful talk, is neither hot nor air; with hot air we are dealing with a set phrase where the meaning cannot be suggested on the basis of the two constituent words. The idiomatic meaning of spill the beans in So who spilt the beans (=told the secret) about her affair with David? has nothing to do with beans or with spilling in its literal sense. The foreign-language learner is left trying to figure out where and how the beans were spilt. From a syntactic viewpoint, the constituent parts of an idiom often do not permit the usual variability they display in other contexts. The point to be emphasized here is this: most idioms do not lend themselves easily to manipulation by speakers and writers; they are invariable and must be learned as wholes, but concord ofnumber, person and gender in the idiom phrase is still necessary, i.e. the verbs must be put into the correct form, and pronouns must agree with their antecedents: I don't give a hoot for her opinion! 2 • She doesn't give a hoot for my opinion! etc.)║He won, but only by the skin of his teeth2• She won, but only by the skin of her teeth• Iwon, but only by the skin ofmy teeth,I had to run for the train, and caught it by the skin of myteeth, etc.║He kept pullingmy arm, throwing me off my balance 2 • She kept pulling his arm, throwing him off his balance • We kept pullingher arm, throwingher offher balance, etc.2 The present paper is divided into five parts, as follows: Part I: An Overview; PART II: Learner’s Difficulties with Idioms; PART III: Some Pedagogical recommendations and Suggestions about Idioms; Part IV: Activities to Practice Idiomatic Expressions; Part V: Summary and Conclusion.

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Publication Date
Tue Mar 10 2026
Journal Name
Al–bahith Al–a'alami
Framing an argument of Normalization with Israel on the websites of directed satellite channels Analytical study of the sites (Al-Alam, Al-Hurra) channels
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The aim of this paper is to study the frames of Argument of normalization with Israel on the websites of the satellite channels directed in the Arabic language (Al-Alam and Al-Hurra Iraq) channels by analyzing the mechanisms of framing an Argument, The way in which we frame an issue largely determines how that issue will be understood and acted upon، The research adopted the survey method applied to the sites of(Al-
Alam and Al-Hurra) channels, at the period 13 Aug. - 12 Nov. 2020, which included (855) news items, (633) for Al-Alam channel website, and (222) for Alhurra Iraq channel website.
The most important results are: The two channels dependence on the Argument Directed, Al-Alam channel focuses on Islamic and Arab attitudes,

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Publication Date
Tue Mar 10 2026
Journal Name
Misan Journal For Physical Education Sciences
An analytical study of the percentage of performance contribution of some defensive skills by playing positions (1,5,6) for the free player (libero) in volleyball
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The game of volleyball, like all other sports, has been made by new amendments, the most important of which is the system of what is not the system of the free player in 1998, which gave added importance to the skills of receiving the transmission and defending the stadium being one of the important skills where the law allowed the free player to move and position in the back positions of the stadium Limited support mainly defensive skills. This is to make the state of stability and balance between defensive and offensive skills, which helps in the development of the game and make it exciting and enjoyable for players and fans. Therefore, the researchers decided to shed light by identifying the percentage of the contribution of the free pla

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Publication Date
Wed Sep 11 2024
Journal Name
Edelweiss Applied Science And Technology
The effectiveness of a proposed strategy according to the Fraunhofer model of knowledge management in the achievement of second intermediate female students in mathematics
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The goal of the research is to identify the effectiveness of using a proposed strategy according to the Fraunhofer model of knowledge management in mathematics achievement for second-grade female students in middle and high schools affiliated with the General Directorate of Education in Baghdad / Al-Karkh II. The objective was to prove the following null hypothesis: "The average scores of the experimental group who will study with the proposed strategy according to the Fraunhofer model and the scores of the control group students who will study in the usual way in the mathematics achievement test are not statistically significant different at the significance level (0.05)." The General Directorate of Education of Baghdad / Al-Karkh

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Publication Date
Sun Jan 01 2017
Journal Name
البحوث التربوية والنفسية
The effect of a training program for chemistry teachers on matching both sides of the brain together on the academic achievement of their students
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Publication Date
Mon Nov 30 2020
Journal Name
Journal Of Economics And Administrative Sciences
Strategic leadership skills as a moderate of the impact of environmental challenges on effective management of the environment according to the model (VUCA Prime)
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Purpose – The main purpose of this research is to highlight the main role of strategic leadership skills for top managements in accessing to effective management in accordance with the (VUCA Prime) methodology in (VUCA) environment as Miniature virtual environment, which refers to (Volatility), (Uncertainty), (Complexity), and (Ambiguity).

methodology – To achieve the research objective, this study selected the quantitative approach in research design, Questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection, the sample comprised the opinion poll (106) individual who functions as a head department. (Structural equation modelling by (Smart Pls3)

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Publication Date
Sun Jun 03 2012
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Study the effect of polyphenols extracted from Iraqi grape seeds on glucose , MDA levels and GST activity in streptozotocin (STZ ) induced diabetic mice.
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1-Objective:- Polyphenols are biochemical compounds with antioxidant activity against differences diseases related to Lipid peroxidation such as diabetes mellitus. Polyphenols distributed widely in medical plants, the aim of the study is to extract and analyze some polyphenolic compounds from grape seeds and examine their effects on (STZ) induced diabetic mice. 2-Methods:- In the present study , a group of polyphenols has been extracted from Iraq

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Publication Date
Sun Mar 03 2013
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Sedimentological and diagenetic study of the Early Middle Miocene Jeribe Limestone Formation in selected wells from Iraq northern oilfields (Ajil; Hamrin; Jadid; Khashab)
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Five subsurface sections covering the entire length of the Jeribe Limestone Formation (Early Middle Miocene) were studied from four oilfields in northern Iraq. It is hoped to unravel this formation microfacies ; depositional environment; diagenetic attributes and their parental processes; and the relationship between these processes and the observed porosity patterns. The microfacies were found to include mudstone, wackestone, packstone, and grainstone, which have been deposited respectively in open platform, restricted platform, and edge platform which represent the lagoonal environment, while the deposits of the lower parts of the Jeribe formation especially in well Hamrin- 2 reflect a deeper fore slope environment. By using the lithofac

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Publication Date
Sun Jun 01 2014
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Study of the Inter-Particle Expectation Values for Inter and Outer Shell: Khalil H. Al-Bayati|Ban H. Al-Asaad|Baidaa S. H.
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In this research the Inter-Particle Expectation Values have been studied for atomics Helium (He) and Beryllium (Be) also for He-like ions, Be-like ions (Li-1, B+1? Li+1, Be+2, B+3) by using Hartree-Fock wave functions, We compared the results to some ions which have the same atomic number from each group with atomic number, We compared the results with published calculations to the last studied .

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Publication Date
Mon Dec 31 2012
Journal Name
Al-khwarizmi Engineering Journal
Experimental Study on the Impact of External Geometrical Shape on Free and Forced Convection Time Dependent Average Heat Transfer Coefficient during Cooling Process
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In this research, an experimental study was conducted to high light the impact of the exterior shape of a cylindrical body on the forced and free convection heat transfer coefficients when the body is hold in the entrance of an air duct. The impact of changing the body location within the air duct and the air speed are also demonstrated. The cylinders were manufactured with circular, triangular and square sections of copper for its high thermal conductivity with appropriate dimensions, while maintaining the surface area of all shapes to be the same. Each cylinder was heated to a certain temperature and put inside the duct at certain locations. The temperature of the cylinder was then monitored. The heat transfer coefficient were then cal

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Publication Date
Wed Mar 13 2024
Journal Name
Al-rafidain Journal Of Medical Sciences ( Issn 2789-3219 )
Dispensing of Antimicrobial Agents Without a Prescription in Iraq: A Call for Upholding the Legislations to Change Long-Standing Practices
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Background: Antimicrobial prescribing patterns have an important role in the emergence of resistance, and community pharmacists have a substantial influence on this issue. Objective: To assess community pharmacists' behaviors and attitudes toward antimicrobial dispensing, determine their proportions and categories, and examine the underlying rationales for this practice. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists in Iraq was conducted from June to August 2023, using a self-administered validated questionnaire. The attitudes, practices, and motivations driving the distribution of antimicrobials without a prescription (AWP) were explored in three areas. Results: A sizable proportion (61.6%) of respondents rejected

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