What is an idiom?
Q: What is an idiom?
A: An idiom is a common phrase which means something different from its literal meaning but can be understood because of their popular use.
Q: How are idioms different from slang?
A: Idioms are made of normal words that have a special meaning known to almost everyone, while slang is usually special words, or special meanings of normal words that are known only to a particular group of people.
Q: What do you need to learn in order to understand an idiom?
A: To understand an idiom, one sometimes needs to know the culture from which the idiom comes and also the history behind it.
Q: What does the term "subtext" mean in linguistics?
A: In linguistics, subtext refers to the real meaning of an idiom which cannot be understood from the dictionary definitions of each word taken separately.
Q: When might someone use the phrase "shape up or ship out"?
A: The phrase "shape up or ship out" might be said by an employer or supervisor to an employee, but not usually used with other people.
Q: What is an example of an idiom?
A: An example of an idiom is "No room to swing a cat", which means there was not much space and originates from 200 years ago when sailors were punished by being whipped with a "cat o' nine tails".
