Humorous Idioms When you are tired of trying to learn new voc | Cedric's Journal

Humorous Idioms

When you are tired of trying to learn new vocabulary, this post if for you. It brings together expressions which look and sound ridiculous. However they are real words and some of them can even be used in quite formal written English such as articles, reports or essays.

Chock-a-block - completely full/squashed together in a limited space:

A: Excuse me, I want to get past. I must get to the platform.
B: Don't bother. It's chock-a-block with passengers because there's a delay. Apparently the train can't leave the station.
A: Yes I know. I'm the train driver!

Claptrap - insincere, foolish talk/nonsense:

A: What do you think of Linda's painting?
B: I like it. She said that she used only blue paint in order to indicate a sad, lonely mood. It's a very clever idea.
A: Don't listen to that claptrap. Linda used blue paint because it was the only colour she had!

Hotchpotch - a mixture of different things or ideas which do not go together:

A: I hate writing reports but my boss says I should do more. What do you think of the latest one l've done?
B: To be honest it's a hotchpotch of ideas and opinions. I don't think your boss will like it at all.
A: That's wonderful. It means she'll never ask me to write one again!

Gobbledegook /ˈɡɒb(ə)ldɪˌɡuːk/ - complicated/meaningless language (written or spoken):

A: My solicitor has sent me a letter which says something about £450! The problem is that he's used so much jargon I can't understand it. I really hate gobbledegook - can you help?
B: Yes of course. I used to be a solicitor myself so l'm sure I can Yes, he says that you owe tell you what it means. Let's see ... him £450.
A: Are you sure? Oh dear. I don't want to understand gobbledegook