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A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language.
The Proverbs of Alfred; Proverbs of Hendyng; T. There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip; Time is money (aphorism) To rob Peter to pay Paul;
The proverb scholar Wolfgang Mieder defines the term proverb as follows: A proverb is a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and which is handed down from generation to generation.
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).
A legal term meaning that something is prohibited because it is inherently wrong (cf. malum prohibitum); for example, murder. malum prohibitum: wrong due to being prohibited: A legal term meaning that something is only wrong because it is against the law (cf. malum in se); for example, violating a speed limit. mandamus: we command
From the Vulgate, Proverbs 6:6. The full quotation translates as "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" [2] vade mecum: go with me: A vade-mecum or vademecum is an item one carries around, especially a handbook. vade retro Satana: go back, Satan: An exhortation to Satan to be gone, often a Roman Catholic response to ...
For example, the phrase, "John, my best friend" uses the scheme known as apposition. Tropes (from Greek trepein, 'to turn') change the general meaning of words. An example of a trope is irony, which is the use of words to convey the opposite of their usual meaning ("For Brutus is an honorable man; / So are they all, all honorable men").