Idiom
noun
A phrase or expression with a special meaning different from the normal meaning of the words in it.
To 'kick the bucket' is an idiom meaning to die.
Often appears as...
- common idiom
- understand idiom
Usage tips
Idiomatic
noun
A characteristic manner of speaking or way of expressing something peculiar to a language, group, or individual.
Each language has its own idioms and expressions.
Often appears as...
- language idiom
- speaking idiom
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or a movement.
The artist's unique idiom is recognizable in all his works.
Often appears as...
- artistic idiom
- music idiom
Usage tips
Literary
noun
A phrase or expression with a special meaning different from the normal meaning of the words in it.
To 'kick the bucket' is an idiom meaning to die.
Often appears as...
- common idiom
- understand idiom
Usage tips
Idiomatic
noun
A characteristic manner of speaking or way of expressing something peculiar to a language, group, or individual.
Each language has its own idioms and expressions.
Often appears as...
- language idiom
- speaking idiom
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or a movement.
The artist's unique idiom is recognizable in all his works.
Often appears as...
- artistic idiom
- music idiom
Usage tips
Literary
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Context
Some idioms are rooted in cultural history or traditions and may not translate well into other languages.
Saying 'bite the bullet' may confuse learners not familiar with historical wartime medical practices.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Meaning
Idioms should be understood figuratively, not literally; they express ideas in creative ways.
When someone says 'break a leg', they are actually wishing you good luck.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-literal Use
Understanding the non-literal meaning of idioms can be challenging, but it's essential for fluency.
He 'let the cat out of the bag' about the surprise party, ruining the secret.
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Context
Some idioms are rooted in cultural history or traditions and may not translate well into other languages.
Saying 'bite the bullet' may confuse learners not familiar with historical wartime medical practices.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Meaning
Idioms should be understood figuratively, not literally; they express ideas in creative ways.
When someone says 'break a leg', they are actually wishing you good luck.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-literal Use
Understanding the non-literal meaning of idioms can be challenging, but it's essential for fluency.
He 'let the cat out of the bag' about the surprise party, ruining the secret.
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Context
Some idioms are rooted in cultural history or traditions and may not translate well into other languages.
Saying 'bite the bullet' may confuse learners not familiar with historical wartime medical practices.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Meaning
Idioms should be understood figuratively, not literally; they express ideas in creative ways.
When someone says 'break a leg', they are actually wishing you good luck.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-literal Use
Understanding the non-literal meaning of idioms can be challenging, but it's essential for fluency.
He 'let the cat out of the bag' about the surprise party, ruining the secret.
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Video examples
Antony Gormley: Sculpted...
as if we had arrived for the first time, what is the relationship of the human project to time and space? Taking that idiom of, as it were,
Video examples
Antony Gormley: Sculpted...
as if we had arrived for the first time, what is the relationship of the human project to time and space? Taking that idiom of, as it were,
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Deborah Tannen
American Sociologist
We tend to assume that we have a baseline of speech that's going to be normal in all contexts, but the truth is, we all change our ways of speaking depending on who we're talking to. And so I think it's kind of a gesture of politeness to the people you're speaking to to try to say something in their own idiom.
Quote examples
Varun Grover
American Writer
Speaking in Hindi has helped me a lot as I can tell my stories with the exact idiom in which they come to me. I think it also helps the audience when I am speaking in a language that is non-elite, so to say, as my stories are also from that perspective.
Quote examples
Garth Hudson
Canadian Musician
Unfortunately or fortunately, in order to become acquainted with the idiom of country or rock music, it is necessary to occasionally play in a bar. Bars are a rehearsal place.
Quote examples
John Millington Synge
Irish Poet
Foreign languages are another favourite topic, and as these men are bilingual they have a fair notion of what it means to speak and think in many different idioms.
Quote examples
Kehinde Wiley
American Artist
Questlove is an artist who I respect because he constantly shifts within the idiom, challenging perceptions of hip-hop and black American culture.
Quote examples
Jackie Shroff
Indian Actor
K. Thiagarajan is a painfully shy young man. But he is the human personification of the idiom 'Still waters run deep.
Quote examples
George Crumb
American Composer
The development of new instrumental and vocal idioms has been one of the remarkable phenomena of recent music.
Quote examples
Gordon W. Allport
American Psychologist
Each person is an idiom unto himself, an apparent violation of the syntax of the species.
Quote examples
Eric Zorn
American Journalist
You can't buy time or save it, common idioms notwithstanding. You can only spend it.
Quote examples
Paul Keating
Australian Politician
I try to use the Australian idiom to its maximum advantage.
Quote examples
Deborah Tannen
American Sociologist
We tend to assume that we have a baseline of speech that's going to be normal in all contexts, but the truth is, we all change our ways of speaking depending on who we're talking to. And so I think it's kind of a gesture of politeness to the people you're speaking to to try to say something in their own idiom.
Quote examples
Varun Grover
American Writer
Speaking in Hindi has helped me a lot as I can tell my stories with the exact idiom in which they come to me. I think it also helps the audience when I am speaking in a language that is non-elite, so to say, as my stories are also from that perspective.
Quote examples
Garth Hudson
Canadian Musician
Unfortunately or fortunately, in order to become acquainted with the idiom of country or rock music, it is necessary to occasionally play in a bar. Bars are a rehearsal place.
Quote examples
John Millington Synge
Irish Poet
Foreign languages are another favourite topic, and as these men are bilingual they have a fair notion of what it means to speak and think in many different idioms.
Quote examples
Kehinde Wiley
American Artist
Questlove is an artist who I respect because he constantly shifts within the idiom, challenging perceptions of hip-hop and black American culture.
Quote examples
Jackie Shroff
Indian Actor
K. Thiagarajan is a painfully shy young man. But he is the human personification of the idiom 'Still waters run deep.
Quote examples
George Crumb
American Composer
The development of new instrumental and vocal idioms has been one of the remarkable phenomena of recent music.
Quote examples
Gordon W. Allport
American Psychologist
Each person is an idiom unto himself, an apparent violation of the syntax of the species.
Quote examples
Eric Zorn
American Journalist
You can't buy time or save it, common idioms notwithstanding. You can only spend it.
Quote examples
Paul Keating
Australian Politician
I try to use the Australian idiom to its maximum advantage.
Example 1 of 10
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