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An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
Some are more equal than others (George Orwell, Animal Farm) Sometimes we are the student. Sometimes we are the master. And sometimes we are merely the lesson – Jacalyn Smith; Spare the rod and spoil the child; Speak as you find; Speak of the devil and he shall/is sure/will appear; Speak softly and carry a big stick
The incorrigible nature of fools is further emphasised in Proverbs 27:22, "Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him." [5] In Proverbs, the "fool" represents a person lacking moral behavior or discipline, and the "wise" represents someone who behaves carefully and ...
"Happiness is a warm puppy:" A variety of famous quotes about dogs from such luminaries as Charles M. Schulz, Mark Twain, Harry S. Truman, and John Steinbeck. The post Best Dog Quotes: 50 Famous ...
An identical phrase, used to express impossibilities, exists in Romanian, Când o zbura porcul, literally meaning "When the pig shall fly"; an equivalent also implying an animal is La Paștele cailor, literally: "on horses' Easter". The Latin expression ad kalendas graecas "to the Greek calends" The German "Wenn Schweine fliegen können!"
An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a figurative or non-literal meaning, rather than making any literal sense.Categorized as formulaic language, an idiomatic expression's meaning is different from the literal meanings of each word inside it. [1]
The English-language idiom "raining cats and dogs" or "raining dogs and cats" is used to describe particularly heavy rain. It is of unknown etymology and is not necessarily related to the raining animals phenomenon. [1] The phrase (with "polecats" instead of "cats") has been used at least since the 17th century. [2] [3]
This is a list of idioms that were recognizable to literate people in the late-19th century, and have become unfamiliar since. As the article list of idioms in the English language notes, a list of idioms can be useful, since the meaning of an idiom cannot be deduced by knowing the meaning of its constituent words.