Idiom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
An idiom is an expression whose meaning does not seem to follow logically from the combination of the meaning of its parts; by the "rules of language" the term could be defined as a language oddity. Idioms can often be colloquial metaphors-- the most common ones can have deep roots, traceable accross many languages. The term can be applied in specific graduations, for example, one's city, one's county, or one's country-- a dialect may be described as being distinct from the parent language, because it carries a number of its own localized idioms.
In the English, a person may be said to be "under the weather" (meaning 'temporarily ill'), even though this has nothing to do with weather or being literally "under" anything. Idioms are often, though perhaps not universally, classified as figures of speech. While all idioms can be seen as particular to their own language (or even dialect-- such as with Cockney rhyming slang), many have translations in others languages, some of which are direct. "Get lost," (with exclamation) meaning "go away!" or "stop bothering me," is said to be a direct translation from an older Yiddish idiom. This aspect of idioms and their uniqueness makes them frustrating for learners of a new language.
It is likely, though not absolutely certain, that every human language has idioms, and very many of them. Indeed much of language is idiomatic in structure-- even the most formal of structures contain characteristics, such as general typology, which categorically distinguish it from other languages. In the case of English, a typical commercial idiom dictionary lists about 4000. Catch phrases and bits of slang or jargon are sometimes called idioms. They are somewhat related, but some people passionately argue that they are not actually idioms. In any case, they are not idioms in the sense discussed here.
See also List of idioms.
External links
- http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/
- http://www.briggs13.fsnet.co.uk/idiomslist.htm
- http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/idioms.html
- http://home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/
- http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/amerispeak.htm
In musical terminology, idiomatic refers to parts or pieces which are written both within the natural physical limitations of the instrument and human body and, less so or less often, the styles of playing used on specific instruments.