IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishavoid like the plague
Meaning: To stay as far away as possible from someone or something.
Example: “Ever since the argument, my brother has avoided his old roommate like the plague.”
Origin: The comparison is very old: St. Jerome, in the 4th century, advised avoiding certain people as one would the plague. An English form, "eschewed as the plague," is recorded in 1566.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Fuir comme la peste Literally: To flee like the plague
Portuguese: fugir como o diabo foge da cruz Literally: To flee like the devil flees from the cross
More English idioms
- welcome with open arms To greet or accept someone with great warmth and enthusiasm.
- count on the fingers of one hand To be very few in number, five or fewer.
- give someone an earful To scold someone at length, or tell them angrily what one thinks.
- one's eyes pop out of one's head To be astonished, often at something striking or desirable.
- turn one's stomach To make someone feel sick, physically or with disgust.
- have eyes in the back of one's head To notice everything, even what happens behind one's back.
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Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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