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A list of metaphors in the English language organised alphabetically by type. A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g.,
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).
Also, en masse refers to numerous people or objects (a crowd or a mountain of things). In colloquial Québécois French, it means "a bunch" (as in il y avait du monde en masse, "there was a bunch of people"). en suite as a set (not to be confused with ensuite, meaning "then"). Can refer, in particular, to hotel rooms with attached private ...
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:
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]
An expression of disbelief. A reference to the Black Sox scandal, in which several members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series on purpose. According to an apocryphal story, when Shoeless Joe Jackson was implicated in the scandal, a young fan approached him and said, "Say it ain't so, Joe!"
Expressions like femme fatale, faux pas, haute couture, bête noire and enfant terrible are still recognisably French. Borrowings are not a one-way process (See Reborrowing). Some words of French origin ultimately come from Old English (Anglo-Saxon words): e.g. bateau, chiffon, gourmet, or Middle English: e.g. lingot.
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language based off the British dialect native to Australia.