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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).
Idiom. 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]
goomar or goomah: Americanized form of comare, a Mafia mistress. goombah: an associate, especially a senior member of a criminal gang. heavy: packed, carrying a weapon. hit: to murder; also see whack. initiation or induction: becoming a made man. juice: the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan; also see vig.
Idioms—phrases that come to mean more than each word's "literal meaning" on their own—have been a part of spoken language for a long time.They may change as the years go by and often vary from ...
Kuiper uses the fact that this idiom is a phrase that is a part of the English lexicon (technically, a "phrasal lexical item"), and that there are different ways that the expression can be presented—for instance, as the common "hail-fellow-well-met," which appears as a modifier before the noun it modifies, [6] [7] versus the more original ...
The proverb's meaning is similar to the phrases "you can't have it both ways" and "you can't have the best of both worlds." For those unfamiliar with it, the proverb may sound confusing due to the ambiguity of the word 'have', which can mean 'keep' or 'to have in one's possession', but which can also be used as a synonym for 'eat' (e.g. 'to ...
Cold hands, warm heart [a] Comparisons are odious [a] Count your blessings [a] Courage is the measure of a Man, Beauty is the measure of a Woman [a] Cowards may die many times before their death [a] Crime does not pay [a] Cream rises. Criss-cross, applesauce [a] Cross the stream where it is shallowest.
Break a leg. " Break a leg " is an English language idiom used in the theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor), [1] "break a leg" is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition.