On April 22, we celebrate Earth Day — a day where people around the world demonstrate support for the Earth and the protection of the environment.
But it’s not just on Earth Day that we talk about the planet and all the mountains, oceans, and creatures on it. There are English idioms we use every day that invoke to these things while referring to common situations. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Can’t see the wood for the trees
(US: can’t see the forest for the trees)
This means to be so focused on the details of something that you forget the bigger picture or do not understand the most important parts of it.
Example: John was so obsessed with the formatting of his CV that couldn’t see the wood for the trees, and forgot to include some of the most important information.
Note: If the grammatical construction of this idiom is hard to understand, don’t worry. “For the trees” comes from Old English, and this phrasing isn’t used much today. In plain English, the idiom would be something like “he can’t see the forest because he’s too busy looking at the trees”.
Down to earth
This is used as an adjective to describe a person who is practical, realistic and with no illusions.
Example: Many people think that changing our behaviour to help the environment is such a complex process, but there are lots of easy, down-to-Earth solutions we can all do — such as consuming less bottled water.
The tip of the iceberg
It’s a small part of a much bigger problem, most of which isn’t easy to see. This expression of course comes from the way most of a floating iceberg is underwater, with only the top of it visible above the surface.
Example: Reducing our consumption of plastic is a great first step, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of little things we can all do that will make a big difference.
Reach for the stars
This means to try to achieve something difficult, to set your ambitions high.
Example: Trying to protect rhinos and elephants from poaching is a real challenge, but we really have to reach for the stars to protect these amazing species.
Make a mountain out of a molehill
To exaggerate the importance of something, to treat something insignificant like it’s very important.
Example: Lots of people think we’re making a mountain out of a molehill by talking about climate change, but when they see the earth transforming forever, they might change their mind.
A drop in the ocean
A very small amount compared to how much there is or how much is needed.
Example: You might say that commuting by bike instead of by car to protect the environment is just a drop in the ocean, but I believe that every small initiative helps.
Move Heaven and Earth
If you move Heaven and Earth, you do all that’s possible to achieve your goal.
Example: We don’t need to move Heaven and Earth to reduce global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. We just need to all change our habits a little bit.
What/where/why on Earth?
This is a hyperbolic expression to express your surprise at something. It might also imply that there is no obvious answer to the question.
Example: Why on Earth do you always use plastic bags?! They end up in our oceans and kill sea life!
In deep water
To be in deep water means to be in big trouble.
Example: If we don’t start taking environmental protection seriously, we will be in deep water.
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