idiom
ID-ee-uhm
/ˈɪdiəm/
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.
Idioms are the 'flavor' of a language and are often the hardest part for learners to master because they aren't logical.
The story behind the word. From the Greek 'idios,' meaning 'private' or 'peculiar to oneself.' An idiom is a way of speaking that is 'peculiar' to a specific language.
Word relationships
- expression: An expression is any phrase; an idiom is a phrase with a hidden, non-literal meaning.
- literalism: The interpretation of words in their usual or most basic sense.
Commonly confused with
- metaphor: A metaphor is a comparison; an idiom is a fixed phrase with a culturally specific meaning.
Word family
- idiomatic (adjective): Using or containing idioms.
Collocations
- common idiom
- idiomatic expression
- master an idiom
Example sentences
- "The English idiom 'to kick the bucket' has nothing to do with buckets; it simply means to die." Explaining the difficulty of English.
- "The idiom of the common people is the lifeblood of literature." Linguistic observation.
Memory hook
An idiom is for 'IDIOts' if they take it literally! (Just a joke to remember the 'idios' root). Peculiar to the language.
When not to use
Don't confuse with 'proverb' (which gives advice) or 'slang' (which is just informal vocabulary).
Fun facts
- The idiom 'break a leg' actually comes from the theater, where it was considered bad luck to wish someone 'good luck'.
Explore more words
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