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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).
Syllepsis: the use of a word in its figurative and literal sense at the same time or a single word used in relation to two other parts of a sentence although the word grammatically or logically applies to only one. Synecdoche: form of metonymy, referring to a part by its whole, or a whole by its part.
Literal and figurative language is a distinction that exists in all natural languages; it is studied within certain areas of language analysis, in particular stylistics, rhetoric, and semantics. Literal language is the usage of words exactly according to their direct, straightforward, or conventionally accepted meanings : their denotation .
In horse racing, it describes a win so close that only the nose of the winning horse came in ahead of the other. AHDI dates the sports usage to about 1900, the figurative to sometime after 1950. [92] OED, however, cites a literal usage in 1851, but does not cite a figurative usage until 1997, and that in the phrase "lost by a nose." [93]
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Figuratively, an assurance of a deferral or extension of an offer, especially an assurance that a customer can take advantage of a deal or sale later because the item or service offered is temporarily not available (as by being sold out); or a (sometimes vague) promise to reissue or accept a social offer at an unnamed later date.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults get 1.1 to 1.6 grams of omega-3s per day to ensure nutritional adequacy. “Aim for two servings of fatty fish (8 to 12 ounces) each week ...
Woof — it’s been a looooooong week. If you feel like you’ve been working like a dog, let us offer you the internet equivalent of a big pile of catnip: hilarious tweets about pets.