Idiom
An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is understood by custom rather than by the literal meaning of its words. Poets may use idioms to make dialogue sound natural, to show a speaker's background or region, or to add a familiar, conversational tone.
Because idioms are culturally specific, they often lose their meaning if translated word for word.
Example
She said, "When the rain started, I decided to call it a day."
The phrase means she stopped working, not that she phoned someone about the weather.
Ya'll comin' to da party tonight?
Related Definitions
[n] the style of a particular artist or school or movement; "an imaginative orchestral idiom"
[n] a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
[n] an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up
[n] the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; "the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent"
Links
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Related Terms
Acadian, adjectival phrase, Anglo-Indian, argot, Brooklynese, bundle of isoglosses, Cajun, Canadian French, cant, choice of words, class dialect, clause, cliche, Cockney, composition, construction, dialect, dialect dictionary, diction, expression, formula