Types of idiom and their meaning

An idiom is an expression with a non-literal meaning: you wouldn’t be able to work out what it means just from the phrase itself, but idioms are capable of painting a vivid picture if you encounter them enough times. However, the peculiar phraseology is indecipherable to non-native speakers, so use idioms sparingly if you want them to be understood.

As well as their difficulty to navigate, idioms are incredibly cliché when used in writing, so if you’re trying to avoid this, don’t use them. So, here are some popular examples of idioms and their meaning, for you to study so you can use or avoid them. They’re pretty interesting, either way!

Types of idiom: pure idioms

Pure idioms relate to any phrase which has a completely different figurative meaning to its literal phrasing (e.g. ‘under the weather’ = feeling unwell, or ‘spill the beans’ = divulge a secret).

Examples include:

• ‘Break a leg’ is an expression of good luck
• ‘When pigs fly’ is used to describe something that is unlikely to happen
• ‘Throwing a spanner in the works’ refers to an obstacle preventing a plan from succeeding or slowing it down

Types of idiom: binomial idioms

Binomial idioms are phrases joined by conjunctions or prepositions (e.g. ‘dos-and-don’ts’ = rules on what to/not to do in any given situation, or ‘all in all’ = to look at every aspect of something).

For example:

• ‘Done and dusted’ means something is complete, and needs no further work 
• ‘More or less’ means approximately or almost
• ‘Willy-nilly’ means at random, or in a disorganised manner

Types of idiom: partial idioms

Partial idioms are longer phrases, which have been shortened into one part. The gimmick is that the second part goes unsaid, but its implicit meaning is known without having to mention it (e.g. ‘time flies’ is a shortening of the phrase ‘time flies when you’re having fun’).

Like these:

• ‘When in Rome’ is completed by ‘do as the Romans do’ and means following the customs of another country 
• ‘Birds of a feather’ comes before ‘flock together’ and refers to the similarity of people in close proximity
• ‘Two birds’ leads onto ‘one stone’ and refers to achieving two things at once, not actually slaughtering wildlife!

Types of idiom: patchwork idioms

Patchwork idioms (confusingly also referred to as partial idioms, depending on who you ask; renamed here for clarity) are comprised of both literal and non-literal parts (e.g. ‘saucer-like eyes’ refers to the literal sight organs, the eyes, and likens them to saucers to mean they are widened in shock).

Including:

• ‘Bits and pieces’ means small, individual things
• ‘Hitting the sheets’ refers to being so tired you collapse into bed 
• ‘Hitting the nail on the head’ means doing something exactly right

Types of idiom: prepositional idioms

Prepositional idioms are phrases where the meaning is decided by the choice of word before the noun (e.g. ‘agreed to/on/with’ or similar turns of phrase).

Such as:

• ‘Call’ means to communicate with someone on the phone, but ‘calling off’ means to cancel – the meaning is changed by the word following the noun
• ‘Take care’ can be a goodbye, but ‘take care of’ can refer to a task needing completion, or something more sinister (if you’re part of a mob…)
• ‘Get on’ can refer to leaving somewhere, but ‘get on with’ will refer to a task or even a relationship with someone, depending on the context in which it is used

See you later, alligator!

That short and sweet blog outlined the main types of idiom. Of course, there are plenty more out there to get to grips with, but hopefully this basic outline will help if you encounter them in the wild. Many of them have bizarre origins, but can quickly convey a point — only if the audience understands them.