idioms

there are some idioms in the following example which ineed your assistance to make it more simple for me to understand


She was very concened about the speeches he was making and dangled carrots in fornt of his nose to try to shut him up.


In this example what does (dangled carrots in fron of his nose as well as to shut him up stand for ?

thanks for your help.

[Tdol]

The idea of a 'carrot' is an incentive. We talk about a carrot and stick, where the stick is a threat and the carrot is a positive incentive.

[RonBee]

"To shut him up" is not an idiom. Instead, it is a phrasal verb. It means to make somebody stop talking (about something).

:)

[Tdol]

I missed the phrasal verb.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by tdol

I missed the phrasal verb.

You left something for me to do. Thanks.

:wink:

[Tdol]

I thought you looked in need of something.

[RonBee]

LOL!

:wink:

[MW]

You all missed the main point.

Mules are notoriously stubborn animals. A mule driver ties a carrot to the end of a pole and dangles it in front of a mule that has intentionally been underfed. The mule, wanting to eat the carrot, moves in the direction of the carrot.