Glossary:Idiom

Warning:
The material on this page has been created as part of a seminar. It is still heavily under construction and we do not guarantee its correctness. If you have comments on this page or suggestions for improvement, please contact Manfred Sailer.
This note will be removed once the page has been carefully checked and integrated into the main part of this wiki.

Idiom

/ˈɪdɪəm/

Definition

Idiom is a set expression, which meaning is not derivable from the meaning of its individual components.

Examples

"It was raining cats and dogs" - it was raining in great amounts

"Wait until the cows come home" - to wait forever

"Kill two birds with one stone" - to achieve two results at the same time

"One's hour has come" - to die

Related terms

• Phraseme

References and links

Idioms.The Free Dictionary
Oxford Dictionary

Literature

Seidl, McMordie (1978). English idioms and how to use them. London: Oxford Univ. Press.