Language
What is An idiom?
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning can't be guessed from its individual words, like 'kick the bucket' or 'spill the beans.' Idioms are figures of speech that a culture understands by convention, not by literal meaning.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains an idiom.
Key things to understand
- 1Its meaning differs from the literal words.
- 2'Break a leg' means good luck, not an injury.
- 3Idioms are learned by exposure, not by logic.
- 4Every language has its own, often untranslatable, idioms.
- 5They make speech vivid but can confuse learners and translators.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an example of an idiom?
- 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily — the meaning has nothing to do with the literal animals.
- Why are idioms hard for language learners?
- Their meanings can't be worked out from the words, so each must be memorized like a separate vocabulary item.
- How are idioms different from slang?
- Idioms are fixed figurative phrases understood broadly; slang is informal, often newer vocabulary tied to specific groups.