idiom
/ˈɪ di əm/
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Definition(s):
- (n) a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
- (n) the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
- (n) the style of a particular artist or school or movement
- (n) an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up
Synonym(s)
Derived Word(s)
Usage(s):
- It has been the diversion of certain modernist critics to write about music in terms of color, painting in the idiom of sound.
- The term itself can be merely descriptive or mildly offensive, depending on the user and the hearer; at any rate, it has become part of the American idiom.
- It is with a kind of horror that the modern reader finds an appalling crime described in a debased Tom Swift idiom.
Quotes
- In the New York Times of June 11th, 2006 Juan Cole, a Middle East specialist at the University of Michigan, stated that "Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to wipe Israel off the map, because no such idiom exists in Persian. He did say he hoped...on Nov 8, 2006 By: Juan Cole Source: CounterCurrents.org
- "I like to think of it as a play through voices-something that you would sit and listen to," Meloy explains. "If you're going to attach 'opera' to it, then it's more of a 'folk opera'-from the folk idiom. But then you get in trouble with the...on Mar 2, 2009 By: Colin Meloy Source: Billboard
- "Actors may, or may not, read poems well, but poets have unique rights to their work, and unique insights and interests to offer as we hear their idiom, pacing, tone and emphases," said Mr Motion. "They all, in their different ways, validate...on Nov 29, 2005 By: Andrew Motion Source: BBC News
Word of the Day
languish
/ˈlæŋɡ wɪʃ /
/ˈlæŋɡ wɪʃ /