Hi teachers, I have found some useful idioms, but the dictionary says they are limited to British English. I wonder if American has their own expression similar to the British Idioms:
The kiss of life: to help someone who has stopped breathing to breathe again by blowing into their mouth and pressing their chest.
Kill or cure: a way of solving a problem which will either fail completely or be very successful.
not know you 're born: not realize how easy your life or situation is compared to other people's
Not all dictionaries are as strong on the first, so it might, at least, be more widely recognised than your dictionary suggests:
Wiktionary says it's BrE.
Merriam-Webster says it's mostly British.
Encarta says nothing.
The American Heritage Dictionary says nothing.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Idioms says it's mostly British and Australian.
Let's see what AmE speakers say about it.
The kiss of life: "mouth to mouth resuscitation" or simply "mouth to mouth"
Kill or cure: "sink or swim"
not know you 're born: not realize how easy your life or situation is compared to other people's not as interesting but we'd probably say "he doesn't know how good he's got it".
Kiss of life: besides being referred to colloquially as "mouth to mouth," it is also commonly called by the initials CPR (short for Cardiopulminary Resusitation).
Last edited by Ouisch; 26-Sep-2008 at 17:50.
kill or cure = do or die, death or glory (possibly 'all or nothing')
Brian
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