Idiom
Kelly asked about
idioms, wondering if they should be treated like slang or nonstandard English.
Not really. An idiomatic expression is one that the people in a given language or region
understand even though it makes little sense if the words are parsed literally.
If you indicate that you
are avidly listening to someone, you might say, “I’m all ears.” To acknowledge
your clumsiness, you could say, “I’m all thumbs.” Neither expression is to be
taken at face value, and native speakers know that.
The word idiom comes from
a Greek word that meant a property or a peculiarity. Some idioms are understood
by everyone who speaks a particular language. Some are confined to a particular
dialect. Other limitations might include geographical area, categories of
people, or a given era. These days, it has expanded beyond language and may be
applied to other arts. Jazz might be referred to as a musical idiom, and cubism
as an art idiom.
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