Idiom
Definition
The term refers to a set expression or a phrase
comprising two or more words. An interesting fact regarding the device is that
the expression is not interpreted literally. The phrase is understood as to mean
something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply.
Alternatively, it can be said that the phrase is interpreted in a figurative
sense. Further, idioms vary in different cultures and countries.
Idiom Examples
“Every
cloud has its silver lining but it is sometimes a little difficult to get it to
the mint.”
The statement quoted above uses “silver lining”
as an idiom
which means some auspicious moment is lurking behind the cloud or the difficult
time.
Functions of Idiom
Writers and public speakers use idioms generously. The purpose behind this vast use of idioms is to ornate their language, make it richer and spicier and help them in conveying subtle meanings to their intended audience.Not only do idioms help in making the language beautiful, they also make things better or worse through making the expression good or bad. For example, there are several idioms that convey the death of a person in highly subtle meanings and some do the same in very offensive terms. They are also said to be exact and more correct than the literal words and sometimes a few words are enough to replace a full sentence. They help the writer make his sense clearer than it is, so that he could convey maximum meanings through minimum words and also keep the multiplicity of the meanings in the text intact.
It has also been seen that idioms not only
convey subtle meanings but also convey a phenomenon that is not being conveyed
through normal and everyday language and also they keep the balance in the
communication. Furthermore, they provide textual coherence, so that the reader
could be able to piece together a text that he has gone through and extract
meanings the writer has conveyed.
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