A Journey of Language, Growth, and Autism Perspectives: Stephen’s Evolution

Making Sense of Idioms Through their Origins - An Autistic Perspective

• Stephen McHugh • Episode 46

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Unlock the secrets to smoother conversations by breaking down the complex puzzle of language and idioms! This episode aims to improve your communication skills as I, someone who has navigated the nuances of language on the autism spectrum, shares invaluable insights. By exploring the origins and meanings of common idioms, such as "break the ice," I offer a fresh perspective that I believe could make language more accessible, relatable, and even enjoyable for you. Imagine visualising a boat effortlessly gliding through ice to connect with others. This phrase could revolutionise how you approach social interactions.

Join me as I embark on a new path focusing on language and communication development, with an emphasis on figurative language that can often leave some of us puzzled. Through personal stories and engaging imagery, I not only share my personal journey, but also provide practical tips that may resonate with anyone determined to develop  their language skills. Whether you're on the autism spectrum, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking new ways to understand communication, during this episode, I aim to offer a unique view on how to make more sense of idioms. Prepare for a mix of insight, fun, and wisdom that, I believe, can help you master the art of communication, starting with the simple act of breaking the ice.

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Thanks for listening. You can find me on my website stephensevolution.com, or on twitter here. You can sign up to receive news of new episodes when they're released here.


Artwork produced by Elena Designe
Music composed by Nela Ruiz

Stephen McHugh:

Hi there and welcome back to another episode of the Stephen's Evolution podcast. I'm Stephen McHugh and I'm grateful if you've been able to join me here for this episode. For those of you who may not yet know me, for the past two years every two weeks, I've been creating episodes based on my lived experiences as someone on the autism spectrum. For me, on the whole, it's been a journey of sharing and I'm truly grateful for those of you who took the time and trouble to tune in to listen to what I've had to say along the way. Now, I want to tell you that I'm moving forward in a new direction with my podcast. I'll be focusing on topics centred around language and communication development.

Stephen McHugh:

Language is very important to me, especially as I had trouble with it when I was young and growing up, and would have difficulty with things like idioms, metaphors and other forms of figurative language. Over time, my language ability has seen an improvement. When I look at it now, I can see how language can be a fascinating puzzle, and, as someone who thinks a little bit differently, I've discovered other ways of breaking it down, and trying to understand some of it, and how it works. What my hope here is that this new focus will not only resonate with you, but also offer tips, insights and maybe even a bit of fun mixed in as we explore these topics together.

Stephen McHugh:

For this episode, what I'll be talking about is the origins of a few common idioms, those little phrases we sometimes come across in our everyday conversations with other people. But we may not always stop to think about what they mean. For me, understanding the origins of idioms has been very important for me in terms of trying to figure out what such phrases mean, and how to use them. I'll also share how I personally try to make sense of these phrases, and give you ideas on how you might be able to approach them too, whether you're on the spectrum yourself, like me, or you may even be supporting someone who is, or you may simply maybe just looking for a fresh perspective. So, let's get stuck in and explore some of the fascinating stories behind some of these phrases. To get started, it feels only fitting that I begin with the idiom break the ice. After all, what better way to ease into any conversation or podcast episode than with a phrase that's all about making things flow more smoothly and efficiently.

Stephen McHugh:

When we talk about breaking the ice, we could be referring to a situation where we ease hesitation to start a conversation in a group. The way I look at it here is, I like to picture a boat trying to reach an island where people are waiting for their friends on the boat. However, for the people on the boat, they may find their path blocked by a sheet of ice, and what they need to do is break it to try and make a pathway to get there. For me, this helps me to make more sense of how breaking the ice is about opening up a way to connect with others. Similarly, in social situations, there can often be this invisible barrier, for example, hesitation, that may prevent others from connecting.

Stephen McHugh:

When we break the ice, what we're doing is, in a way, creating a way for interaction and conversation to flow more freely and efficiently, much like opening up waterways for the boat to reach its destination. and the people on the boat to connect with those waiting for them on the island. If this idea works for you, you could imagine an interaction where you're on a boat and you just need to break through some ice in order to reach a destination like an island, much like saying hello or asking somebody a question. Once the ice is broken, it's like the conversation can then begin and flow more naturally. It's okay if this feels a bit abstract at first. What the key here is, is for you to try and find a way of thinking about idioms that helps to make them more sense to you. For me, this boat image can make it easy, but you might come up with another way entirely.

Stephen McHugh:

Now that we've broken the ice, let's imagine we're playing a game of tennis with an opponent. Picture them hitting the ball over the net to your side of the court. At that moment, it'll be your decision where to aim, how hard to hit or even whether to let it go. That, for me, brings us perfectly to our next idiom the ball is in your court. When we say the ball is in your court, it can be like referring to a situation where it's your turn to make a decision or take some form of action. Here it would be where I would imagine the ball come flying over the net into my side of the court. At that moment, it's then entirely up to me. Do I hit it back softly, go for a powerful shot, or maybe even let it go? The choice and the action is up to me. This helps me to see that when someone says this idiom, they're telling me that I have control over what occurs next.

Stephen McHugh:

If this makes sense to you, you could imagine yourself being in a situation where you have to make a decision. It can be like being in a game of tennis, where someone gives you the ball or hits the ball to you, and it's now up to you to decide where to hit it and how to hit it. That's how I like to think about tasks or choices when I hear this idiom in any everyday conversation. Even if tennis doesn't click for you or if you find it difficult, you could think about any game or activity where it may be your turn to act. Find something that fits your world. It might be your turn in a board game to decide what to do or what action to take next. It doesn't necessarily have to be tennis if something else makes more sense to you.

Stephen McHugh:

If you found these first two idioms easy to understand, you might even go on to say they were 'a piece of cake'.

Stephen McHugh:

Now, this phrase brings to mind something simple and enjoyable, much like the act of eating a soft, sweet slice of cake. You may have had a slice of cake for dessert many times. So, let's go on to explore what makes this idiom so easy to grasp. To grasp when we say something is a piece of cake, we're not just talking about a dessert or a treat. It's the idea that something is so easy, smooth and even pleasant, just like enjoying a sweet, soft cake for dessert. It can be comparable to a situation where you're handed a task that's very easy, so simple. It can be almost like eating a cake, no effort needed, more in terms of enjoyment.

Stephen McHugh:

And now let's explore this idiom. For me, the way I look at it here, is I like to think about how soft, sweet and pleasant a cake tastes. Eating a piece of cake doesn't take much effort. It's very enjoyable and, at the same time, simple. What helps me here is to connect with the idiom to its meaning, like when something is so easy, it can feel like the joy of eating a cake. It's a piece of cake, so in essence, it's a piece of cake.

Stephen McHugh:

If this works for you, what you could imagine is, being given a task that's as easy as eating a piece of cake that tastes delicious. This reminds me of times when I've been given tasks at school or college that I found both easy and enjoyable. Maybe it could be a simple task or solving a particular problem you may already know well. The problem or task may be straightforward, like enjoying doing something you like very much. It's okay to use your favourite examples. Maybe for you it might not be the cake, but something else you find easy and pleasant. The key here is making it personal, so that the idiom is easy for you to understand.

Stephen McHugh:

And now it's over to you, my listeners. What methods do you use or have you used to make sense of idioms? Or, if you're someone who may support an autistic individual, what strategies have you found most useful to encourage or teach them about idioms, and how to understand them? I'd also like to hear about any idioms you've come across recently in any conversation with other people, whether you found them easy or difficult, like any idioms. You're very welcome to share those too. This podcast is also a space where we can shine a light on any tricky parts of language, and figure them out together. You can do this by texting the podcast through the link in the episode description. I'm always looking forward to hearing from you and learning about your experiences.

Stephen McHugh:

And that brings us to the end of this episode.

Stephen McHugh:

During this episode, we've explored together the fascinating origins of a few idioms like break the ice, the ball is in your court and a piece of cake. What I shared was the ways in which I think about these phrases and how their origins can help me to make sense of what they mean. Hopefully, this inspired ideas of your own for approaching idioms in your own unique ways or supporting others in trying to understand them. Supporting others in trying to understand them. Before I wrap up, I'd like to remind you if you wish to stay updated on all things podcast related, like new episode releases and other podcast related news, just head over to the homepage of my website, stephensevolution. com, and click on the Stay in the Loop link near the footer of the homepage. Thank you very much for joining me in this episode. Whether you are here to gain insights, find strategies, find ways to support others or simply learn more about language and phrases. I'm grateful to have you join me along for this journey. Until next time, take care, and I'll see you in the next episode.