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Re: SURVEY: Idiomatic Expressions In Your ConLang Or ConCulture

From:Ph.D. <phil@...>
Date:Sunday, November 13, 2005, 23:27
Tom Chappell wrote:
> > [snip] > > To start off, I am going to list a few synonymous idioms > that I happen to like (just pick out the one or ones you > like best); > > His elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. > > He doesn't have both oars in the water. > > [snip]
I'm sure many people will also consider these to be "idioms," but to me they are simply "expressions." To me, an "idiom" is some set phrase which does not quite follow the normal rules of grammar, such as: "My father said there'd be trouble if I didn't mow the lawn, so I guess I better had." Here, "I better had" is what I would call an idiom. It doesn't make sense under the normal rules of English grammar, but every native English speaker knows what it means. Another example is "I will try and attend the meeting." Here, "and" doesn't quite make sense. The expected word would be "to." (To me, the use of "and" implies "I will try the meeting and I will attend the meeting.") --Ph. D.

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