IDIOM
Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
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1998
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© Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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IDIOM, also (archaic) idiotism. 1. The
SPEECH proper to, or typical of, a people or place; a
DIALECT or local
LANGUAGE:
classics in the Tuscan idiom.
2. An expression unique to a language, especially one whose sense is not predictable from the meanings and arrangement of its elements, such as
kick the bucket a slang term meaning ‘to die’, which has nothing obviously to do with kicking or buckets. In linguistics, the term
idiomaticity refers to the nature of idioms and the degree to which a usage can be regarded as idiomatic. Some expressions are more holophrastic and unanalysable than others: for example,
to take steps is literal and non-idiomatic in
The baby took her first steps, is figurative, grammatically open, and semi-idiomatic in
They took some steps to put the matter right, and is fully idiomatic and grammatically closed in
She took steps to see that was done. These examples demonstrate a continuum of meaning and use that is true for many usages. No such continuum exists, however, between
He kicked the bucket out of the way and
He kicked the bucket last night (meaning ‘He died last night’). Such idioms are particularly rigid: for example, they cannot usually be passivized (no *
The bucket was kicked) or otherwise adapted (no *
bucket-kicking as a synonym for
death).
Creative adaptations
Although idioms are normally simply slotted into speech and WRITING, they are occasionally subject to creative wordplay. The phrase
on the other hand, a convention in the presentation of contrasting information (
on the one hand, …
on the other hand), is radically adapted in the following statement, from an article about animals:
A female needs an area which will provide enough food and denning sites for raising kittens, even in a year when food is in short supply. On the other paw, a male has a very much larger home range, which usually overlaps with those of several females (‘Just like Lions’,
BBC Wild Life, Jan. 1989).
Spliced idioms
It is not unusual for even fluent speakers in the heat of conversation to blend or splice two idioms or
COLLOCATIONS whose forms and meanings are similar. The following specimens were collected in the late 1980s: ‘That seems an interesting step to go down’ (splicing
step to take and
road to go down); ‘He stuck his ground’ (splicing
stuck to his guns and
stood his ground); ‘Language plays a decisive factor here’ (blending
is a decisive factor and
plays a decisive role).
See
CATCH-PHRASE,
CATCHWORD,
CLICHÉ,
FIXED PHRASE, HACKNEYED, HOLOPHRASE.
Cite this article
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The Doctrine of Signature.
News Wire article from: Africa News Service; 5/15/2003; 700+ words
; ...was a prevailing theory known by the name of the Doctrine of Signature. The doctrine promoted the radical view of "intended use...colour of the bark. All telltale signs of the doctrine of signature. Each tree and each species is unique...
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Doctrine of Signatures.(Poem)
Magazine article from: TriQuarterly; 6/22/2007; ; 700+ words
; ...abounds. Consider the genius of the doctrine. When find ye a thing seek there its...among its other. Other being, by the doctrine of signatures set forth by Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus...writes William Cole, cureth apoplexy by Signature; for as that disease is caused by...
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The Doctrine of Signatures
Magazine article from: Iowa Review; 10/1/2007; ; 457 words
; Giambattista Porta, sunburned, intent on the ranunculus, repositions his sketchpad, headscratches whether the bloom more resembles a red homunculus fainting in swoon or a rheumatic fist. His other sketches show in minute hand the likenesses of lung to lungwort, the bruise of color through the iris,
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ACLJ Supports Congressional Efforts to Prohibit Return of Fairness Doctrine as Broadcaster Freedom Act is Introduced in House and Senate.
Business Wire; 1/8/2009; 700+ words
; ...of the troubling Fairness Doctrine. The ACLJ received nearly 135,000 signatures on a petition last year...A return of the Fairness Doctrine would be devastating to...reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. The ACLJ heard from nearly...
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Christian Radio Gets Nervous About the Fairness Doctrine; Some worry that Obama and Democrats will impose "stealth" fairness doctrine policies.
News Wire article from: U.S. News & World Report Online; 2/26/2009; 700+ words
; ...collected more than 75,000 signatures for an anti-fairness doctrine petition. Though most secular...oppose reinstating the fairness doctrine, Christian stations are more...The revival of the fairness doctrine is an existential threat to...
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US - JOINT STAFF RELEASES INFORMATION OPERATIONS DOCTRINE (MAR 11/DOD).
Newspaper article from: Periscope Daily Defense News Capsules; 3/11/1999; 700+ words
; ...the form of a military doctrine known as Joint Publication 3-13, Joint Doctrine for Information Operations...October 1998 under the signature of Army Gen. Henry H...the release of the joint doctrine is not revolutionary...
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ACLJ: More Than 160,000 Americans Urge U.S. House to Consider Broadcaster Freedom Act to Prevent Return of Fairness Doctrine.
Business Wire; 6/27/2008; 700+ words
; ...received more than 160,000 signatures on a petition urging the U...the return of the Fairness Doctrine. The ACLJ says it has received...wants to see the Fairness Doctrine return and opposes efforts...that a return to the Fairness Doctrine puts the government in control...
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Blunt Signs Onto Pence Petition to Bring Permanent 'Fairness Doctrine' Ban to a Vote
Newspaper article from: U.S. Newswire; 10/17/2007; 431 words
; ...blow to the Un-Fairness Doctrine is the support of 218 members...moratorium on the Fairness Doctrine to the Financial Services appropriations bill. Securing 218 signatures on the discharge petition...of permanently banning the doctrine. SOURCE House Republican...
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REP. BLUNT SIGNS ONTO PENCE PETITION TO BRING PERMANENT 'FAIRNESS DOCTRINE' BAN TO VOTE
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 10/17/2007; 418 words
; ...blow to the Un-Fairness Doctrine is the support of 218 members...moratorium on the Fairness Doctrine to the Financial Services...appropriations bill. Securing 218 signatures on the discharge petition...permanently banning the doctrine.
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Column: Fairness Doctrine not practical in today's environment.(Column)
News Wire article from: U-Wire; 3/3/2009; 700+ words
; ...no longer required that the doctrine be instated, and that in...awaiting President Obama's signature. Obama, who has publicly stated he is not in favor of the doctrine, will most likely sign the...I'm not sorry to see the doctrine get torn down again. It sounds...
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Doctrine of Signatures
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Doctrine of Signatures the concept that the key to humanity's use of various plants was indicated by the form of the plant. The red sap of the bloodroot...
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signatures, doctrine of
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
signatures, doctrine of the belief (common in medieval times and originally advocated by Pliny) that the form or colouring of a medicinal plant in some way resembled the organ or disease it was used to treat.
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Crollius, Oswaldus (1580-1609)
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology
...part of which is the Book of Signatures. The preface contains a sketch...xE9; vi, summarizes the doctrine of signatures: "The characters of different...Atlantis of human knowledge." The doctrine of signatures has been a persistent...
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Liverwort
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...earlier times, people believed in the “ doctrine of signatures, ” which dictated that a plant part...Western science has long since discredited the doctrine of signatures, although it is still advocated by various...
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Laurel Family (Lauraceae)
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...avocados. (This belief was based on the “ doctrine of signatures, ” which holds that a plant part that...function of that organ. We now know that the doctrine of signatures has no scientific basis.) The California laurel...
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