What are idioms?

jacquie38

Wiki says: An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through conventional use. In linguistics, idioms are widely assumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality, however some debate has recently arisen on this subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom [Added link - McG] Jan 26 07, 4:30 AM

Baloo55th

You have to be very careful with online translators when using idioms. An expression like 'going hell for leather', which of course means 'going like the clappers' or 'clogging it' as everyone knows, will not translate into something meaningful to a speaker of a foreign language. One class of idiomatic expression in English includes redundant doubling: 'kith and kin', 'part and parcel'; another, like 'clogging it', makes reference to something either totally obscure ('play gooseberry') or as with 'clogging it' refers to a chain of ideas not obvious to the outsider. Sometimes these may have arisen through deliberate attempts at humour ('one prawn short of a barbie'), and others through folk etymology. Some perhaps arose through the catching on of a mis-said expression. One I use at times I heard from a girl who was complaining about being late (her words: 'There I was stood at the bus stop like a pilchard' - when did you ever see a pilchard at a bus stop?). Before using an online translator, stop and think. Look at your effort and imagine you are talking to a computer. An old-fashioned computer that doesn't try to get ahead of you like MS Word does (I hate Nanny Knows Best software). Or if you've ever dealt with Asperger's Syndrome or similar, imagine you're talking to a case of that. (An actual case I knew was told by a teacher to get his head down, meaning to get on with his work. He was found shortly afterwards with his head resting on the desk. When he came in with a minor wound one day, a teacher without thinking told him 'Go and wash it in the toilets' and I had to stop him very quickly before he did. Sorting out what really happened in the many incidents he was involved in wasn't an easy task.) Jan 26 07, 5:58 AM

BungeeAZ

Idioms are phrases that cannot be translated literally and are known as "figures of speech." Sometimes they consist of similies and hyperboles. Examples Put your head to the grindstone = Get to work The whole kit and kaboodle = Everything Get outta town = You're lying A card short of a full deck = An knock on one's intelligence or slightly abnormal behavior Not the sharpest tool in the shed = A knock on one's intelligence A red herring = a phony offer The 300 pound gorilla in the room = A detraction from the real issue Sucking the oxygen out of the room = Getting all the attention from everyone else who is vying for the attention, either by actively trying, or by everyone else ignoring all the other people but this person. There are many many others. Jan 26 07, 7:58 AM

queproblema

I've never heard of a 300 lb. gorilla in the room, but having an 800-lb. gorilla in the room means denying the obvious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_in_the_room Jan 28 07, 9:21 PM

redsoxloyal

BungeeAZ...be careful of your phrasing. queproblema is right about the gorilla, 300 lb is not a saying, it's 800 lbs. Not to mention that a red herring isn't a phony offer, it's a false lead or a fake clue according to OED b. to draw a red herring across the track (cf. quot. 1686 in 1b): to attempt to divert attention from the real question; hence red herring, a subject intended to have this effect. Sucking the oxygen out of the room is the equivalent of not being able to breath, someone says or does something, perhaps inappropriate that makes the atmosphere in the room awkward. They don't do something to divert attention from other people. Nov 19 07, 10:46 PM

Baloo55th

I agree with redsox about the red herring. A red herring is actually a form of kipper and was used to divert hounds from a scent trail. I would also suggest that it is the nose rather than the whole head that is applied to the grindstone http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/217200.html Nov 20 07, 2:21 PM

baldwin768

An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different from what it says. In everyday English, idioms are in common use. In fact, idioms are so common that most native speakers do not even realize that they are using idioms. http://www.examplesof.com/idioms/index.html Mar 22 09, 2:44 AM