English idioms - nouns as verbs

English idioms - nouns as verbs

Nouns can sometimes be used as nouns. Here are some examples of this below. It must be remembered that these verbs are used almost exclusively as part of the idiom that will be mentioned in each of the examples.

To shoulder
“To shoulder the blame” = this means to take the blame.
Remember, “to shoulder” cannot be used as a synonym for “to take”. You can’t, for example, shoulder your girlfriend to the cinema.

To foot
“To foot the bill” = this means to pay the bill.
Remember, “to foot” cannot be used as a synonym for “to pay”. You wouldn’t, for example, foot more than your friend foots for rent, just because you live in a more expensive area. Neither would you eagerly await “foot-day”.

To coat
“To coat with paint” = this means to paint…er…with paint.
Again, we can’t use “to coat” meaning “to paint” in everyday English. You don’t learn how “to coat” in your art classes.

To table
“To table a question” = this means to ask a question.
Once again, I must remind you that if you ask someone if you can “table” them something, you will only ever be answered with a very confused look.

To shop
“To shop a thief” = to report a thief
I’m sure you all know the other meaning of “to shop”. But remember, if you are out shopping, and see someone shoplifting, you might want to shop the thief to the shop-keeper, before shopping around for whatever it was you came to the shops for in the first place.

To tiptoe
“To tiptoe into a room” = to come into a room silently, walking on your toes, or your “tip-toes”.
You often “tiptoe around” when someone is sleeping, or when you don’t want to make a noise. You can also “walk on your tiptoes”.