Language Geeks!!!

[techdragon]

I need a question answered..... Is there a specific term for a phase such as "leap of faith", "pushing the limit" or "end of the rope"....

I am trying to explain to PJ that these are phrases that don't just have a literal meaning and I am only able to descibe them as a figure of speech and that seems a little weak. Help me out??

Comments

[amblypygid.livejournal.com]

Idiom?

[bitterdessa.livejournal.com]

Cliche? :-p

No, they're idiomatic expressions.
1. A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements from free dictionary.com

[techdragon.livejournal.com]

I thought that was something more like "Rock ON!" where the words take a completely different meaning than the actual one....while "leap of faith" can mean something

[alyska.livejournal.com]

nope, they're idioms.

ned (the stromkirby) used to try and teach me german idioms when he'd come home at bartime. the one i remembr spending the most time on was "das Bocks mal nichts darauf," which literally means "i don't care abotu the goat" but idiomatically translates to "i don't give a shit."

p.s. i'd call "rock on" a colloquialism, which is kind of like an idiom, but not. *grins*

[bitterdessa.livejournal.com]

http://www.idiomconnection.com/

Here's a list of a great many idioms. However, I am not sure, on second thought, that "leap of faith" is an idiom, since it actually discribes what you are doing; you are making a jump from one idea to another on the assumption that they are connected, while lacking concrete evidence. I think "leap of faith" is actually just a plain old phrase, but I could be wrong.

[lostlostagain.livejournal.com]

In forensics (yes, I was a speech/debate geek), we referred to things like that with the example of "red herrings," in that the word red has a meaning and herring has a meaning but together they have a meaning the has nothing to do with individual words. I think we referred to them as idioms:

"idiom -- a phrase or grouping of words whose meaning cannot be determined from knowing the meaning of the individual words"

[enzie.livejournal.com]

They are idioms.

[enzie.livejournal.com]

Oh, and if he's having issues grasping that they aren't literal, maybe check some of the Amelia Bedelia books out from the library.

[techdragon.livejournal.com]

That is an awsome idea! - Thanks... this is new territory for PJ (and for me trying to explain things)

[amblypygid.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a great idea. I love those books.

[intimations.livejournal.com]

This is totally no help to your already-answered question, but my favorite idiom is one my husband brought back with him from Abu Dhabi. It translates:

"When the dust settles, we shall see who is riding the horse, and who is riding the donkey!"