What Is An Idiom?
What is an idiom? Idioms are some of the most common figures of speech. In this post, we describe an idiom.
What Is An Idiom?
An idiom is phrase which has a meaning that is commonly understood by speakers of the language, but whose meaning is often different from the normal meaning of the words. In our post on Figurative Language we say: ‘The meaning of the idiom is completely different to its literal meaning. They are specific to a language and culture. A piece of cake when used as an idiom means ‘easy to do’.’
According to Wikipedia: ‘An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a figurative or non-literal meaning, rather than making any literal sense. …Â Some well known idioms in English are “spill the beans” (meaning “reveal secret information”), “it’s raining cats and dogs” (meaning “it’s raining intensely”), and “break a leg” (meaning “good luck”).’
If you want more idioms, read these:
Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.