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The best condiments are authentic flavors; The best defense is a good offense; The best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry; The best things in life are free; The bigger they are, the harder they fall; The boy is father to the man; The bread never falls but on its buttered side; The child is the father of the man
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).
Glossary of English-language idioms derived from baseball; Bed of roses; Belling the Cat; Best friends forever; Between Scylla and Charybdis; Bill matter; Birds of a feather flock together; Black sheep; Blessing in disguise; Blood, toil, tears and sweat; Born in the purple; The Boy Who Cried Wolf; Bread and butter (superstition) Break a leg ...
"The least bad [choice] is the best." The lesser of two evils principle known from the Platonean times. Μηδὲν ἄγαν. Mēdèn ágan. "Nothing in excess." Inscription from the temple of Apollo at Delphi Μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος Mêlon tês Éridos "Apple of Discord" goddess Eris tossed the Apple of Discord "to the fairest".
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]
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. See that article for a fuller ...
These included "for the good of the kids", "I meant it for the best" and "we are equal opportunities employers". Ms. Lauryn Hill used the phrase "See the road to hell is paved with good intentions" in her 2002 song "Mr. Intentional" from her album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0.
The best known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave it", wherein "leaving it" is strongly undesirable. The phrase is said to have originated with Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), a livery stable owner in Cambridge , England, who offered customers the choice of either taking the horse in his stall nearest to the door or ...