Christmas Idioms

We’re pretty sure you associate the word 'Christmas' with some happy, cheesy stuff, like you all wrapped up in a red woollen jumper knitted by your nan a decade ago – if it still fits you -, putting up knick-knacks on your windowsill while watching snowflakes landing gently on your lawn, right?

Well, the word 'Christmas' is not only evocative of quaint snow-whitened Lapp villages and snow shakers, but can be found in not so nice idioms conveying messages that are far from being sweet and Christmassy.

Let’s start:

Like turkeys voting for an early Christmas

Some people, can, sometimes, be deemed as not very intelligent creatures and so are often associated with turkeys, which, are themselves, not known for their intelligence. Turkeys are in fact known for their taste (especially when they end up on our plate on Christmas day.) Therefore, if people are like turkeys voting for Christmas it means they choose to accept a situation which will have a bad outcome for them.

○ Teachers agreeing to even larger class sizes would be like turkeys voting for an early Christmas.

 Lit up like a Christmas tree

This idiom has nothing to do with Christmas decorations but is used to describe an intense military attack on enemy positions through the use of heavy artillery.

○ The enemy forces lit up the city like a Christmas tree.  

To cancel someone’s Christmas

To kill or destroy someone. The whole idea is that the dead person won’t live until Christmas.

○ Patrick threatened to cancel Jack’s Christmas if Jack didn’t clear his debt.

Cold turkey

What is Christmas without turkey (at least in the UK or US)? What is the day after Christmas without cold turkey sandwiches? But what we mean here is not cold turkey sandwiches but actually going without, or quitting something suddenly.

○ Claudia quit smoking cold turkey on New Year’s day last year and has never looked back!

Bah! Humbug!

'Bah! Humbug!' is an expression to show disgust at the Christmas season. It was made famous by the fictional character Mr Scrooge in the Charles Dicken’s novel “A Christmas Carol”. Check out this funny video where you can see McDuck as Mr Scrooge saying 'Bah! Humbug!' instead of 'Merry Christmas'

○ Mr Scrooge’s nephew: I love Christmas, don’t you Mr Scrooge?

   Mr Scrooge: Bah! Humbug!

Christmas comes but once a year

Since Christmas comes only once a year, it is suggested that we should turn a blind eye to overindulgence, which involves eating massive meals and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Equally, Christmas represents the opportunity for us to be good by giving presents and helping the less fortunate.

○ Christmas comes but once a year, therefore we urge you to help the less fortunate through our Christmas charity campaign.

○ Come on, drink some more wine, don’t be coy! Christmas comes but once a year!

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

This idiom means: don’t be ungrateful when you receive a gift, even if you don’t like it. So, next time you’ll receive your umpteenth scarf or useless gadget on Christmas day, smile, say thank you and don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

○ I know the car’s not in great condition, but you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hopefully our Christmas idioms will help your Yuletide spirit, so eat, drink and be Merry.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year