Idioms — I’m Letting the Cat out of the Bag

Idioms — We use them all the time, but does everyone understand?

According to Grammar Monster, an idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. Here in the south where I live we use them all the time and are likely to make up a few of our own.

I’m letting the cat out of the bag on this one. My friend Vonda Bland Hamilton has recently released her book for deaf children to help them understand the idioms we use everyday without even thinking about them. Her book is called Letting the Cat out of the Bag. If I signed “letting the cat out of the bag” a deaf child may have difficulty understanding the meaning. Who would put a cat in a bag? The cat would be scratching and clawing and screeching. That’s not the meaning of the phrase at all! It means to share a secret.

Vonda’s book shares the secrets of idioms with deaf and hearing children. The book is set up very logically. The illustrator, Samantha Smith, drew a kid-friendly picture depicting the expression. Then Vonda wrote the idiom beneath the picture. The next page gives the meaning of the idiom with a picture of the meaning. Lastly, Vonda relates the idiom to a scripture verse.

Mrs. Hamilton has an idiom for each letter of the alphabet but there are so many more. She and her husband Steve are missionaries with the Deaf with Expressions of Em manuel. Her book, which also contains a DVD, can be purchased through Expressions of Emmanuel. You don’t have to be deaf to enjoy Vonda’s book. We can all have fun playing with expressions and learning how to apply scripture to the words we share.

You can learn more about Vonda and her family by visiting the website www..expressionsofemmanuel.com

I hope this book brings a ray of sunshine into your learning this summer.

Gail Cartee

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Comments

Idioms — I’m Letting the Cat out of the Bag — 10 Comments

Janice+D.+Green on July 19, 2021 at 8:51 am said:

What a cool book, especially for the deaf. I must share this with some friends who work with the deaf and who teach sign language.

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- Gail W, Cartee on July 19, 2021 at 4:09 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Janice. I hope it will be helpful.
  
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Wendy Lanier on July 19, 2021 at 12:18 pm said:

Great idea! As stepmom to a deaf child (now adult), I can tell you idioms are a real challenge for the deaf. Love that this has a biblical tie-in, too!

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- Gail W, Cartee on July 19, 2021 at 4:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Wendy. I hope you’ll find this book a joy to share with your family even if they are adults.
  
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Lori Z. Scott on July 20, 2021 at 5:38 pm said:

I never thought about how odd those idioms must seem to deaf children. Incredible!

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- Gail Cartee on July 20, 2021 at 11:29 pm said:
  
  Though I had learned to sign a little for a preschooler, I had no idea until Vonda brought my attention to them through her book.
  
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Claire Noland on July 22, 2021 at 1:23 am said:

Gail, thanks for introducing this wonderful book. I am going to share your post with speech and language teachers. This looks like an important resource.

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- Gail+W,+Cartee on July 28, 2021 at 2:25 pm said:
  
  Thanks Claire. I hope the teachers find this book useful.
  
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Mindy Baker on July 22, 2021 at 2:44 pm said:

Interesting post, thanks!

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- Gail+W,+Cartee on July 28, 2021 at 2:26 pm said:
  
  Thanks Mindy. I always loved watching the songs signed in church. I think anyone would find this book interesting.
  
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