Wiktionary:Idioms
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Idioms are fixed phrases that carry a figurative meaning rather than making any literal sense, such as stock phrases, metaphors, and symbols. Explaining these and their significance often requires far more than a simple defining vocabulary. As a dictionary, Wiktionary's role is to explain the linguistic importance, origin, and usage of these terms; broader and more detailed explanations will typically be the function of Wikipedia. Like any other entry, idiom entries are subject to our criteria for inclusion.
Idioms are distinct from other set phrases, such as proverbs (which are statements of wisdom whose meaning can be determined from the parts) and catchphrases (which are associated with a particular person or group).
Set phrases
[edit]Set phrases are, in the strictest definition, phrases that subject to little or no variation. The appearance of adjuncts within the phrase structure is usually fatal to an item being a set phrase.
There are a few tests for determining if an expression is a set phrase:
- A constituent may inflect (plural/singular, tense)
- *kick the buckets
- kicks the bucket
- kicking the bucket
- kicked the bucket
- A verb constituent may not accept negation and be used with auxiliaries.
- did kick the bucket
- The constituents may not be modified individually by adjuncts, at least those that appear inside the candidate set phrase itself.
- *kick the milk bucket
- theatrically kick the bucket
- A noun constituent may not accept alteration of determiners and articles.
- *kick [__] bucket
- *kick a bucket
- *kick this bucket
- A coordinated phrase may not be substituted for the component words. Any coordination will do, but the appear of "and" or "or" before or after the candidate phrase is the most convenient way of searching for such a phrase.
- *kick and damage the bucket
- *damage and kick the bucket
- *kick the bucket and the dog
Tests of idiomaticity
[edit]Where possible the list is partitioned by test, in each case listing under the most applicable test for idiomatic status. Tests can be used as guides during request for deletion (RFD or RfD), however, they are not hard/fast rules and are subject to interpretation and change.
Tests are proposed by contributors as a way to rationalize how and why some terms are idiomatic when others are not. Besides original basis on the Pawley List, these tests are derived from the list of terms that survived RFD, not the other way around.
These tests are considered inclusive and incomplete, meaning that each needs to be narrowly written so as not to include any non-idiomatic terms. Please do not add tests before discussing whether that criterion is met.
"Coal mine" test
[edit]Multiword terms that are not necessarily idiomatic but are the significantly more common forms of attestable single words. For instance, coal mine is the more common form of coalmine.
Discussions:
- Talk:coal mine
- Wiktionary:Votes/pl-2009-12/Unidiomatic multi-word phrases to meet CFI when the more common spelling of a single word
- Wiktionary:Votes/pl-2012-03/Overturning COALMINE
- Wiktionary:Votes/2019-08/Rescinding the "Coalmine" policy
- Wiktionary:Votes/2024-11/Updating COALMINE rule
"Empty space" test
[edit]The frequent use of terms appearing to contain elements of redundancy is sometimes used as an argument for inclusion.
"Fried egg" test
[edit]Terms that have specific restrictions to the meaning of constituents, which could not be surmised pragmatically. For instance, a fried egg is pan fried, not deep fried, and also not scrambled.
"In a jiffy" test
[edit]Terms which would have passed at some point in the history of the English language, under current criteria for inclusion. For instance, in a jiffy can be understood by looking up the individual words, but the word jiffy (“short time”) once only existed within, and derives from, that phrase. Thus, in a jiffy passes.
This is not a grandfather clause. If criteria for inclusion change, a term can be re-evaluated.
"In between" test
[edit]Terms that are tightly bound, in which a pause cannot be inserted, or for which concatenation seems natural, if not standard.
"In hospital" test
[edit]Terms that are not recognized in a different dialect although all constituents are understood. Formerly known as the "fancy dress" test.
"Light bulb joke" test
[edit]Terms that imply certain social knowledge that could not be derived from any of the constituents, nor from their combination. For instance, a light bulb joke requires a scenario where various numbers of people are needed to change a light bulb based on a certain characteristic of those people.
"Once upon a time" test
[edit]This category includes terms that are syntactically irregular or archaic, including polite formulations.
"Prior knowledge" test
[edit]Terms that have a particular technical meaning within a certain field.
"Red dwarf" test
[edit]Terms in which at least one constituent is ascribed a meaning that it does not have outside the compound (a collocational restriction). For instance, red does not mean "small, relatively cool, and of the main sequence" outside the term red dwarf.
"Rocking chair" test
[edit]Terms signified as logical units by unusual patterns of stress or intonation.
"Tennis player" test
[edit]Terms normally regarded as designating professions. Most, if not all, terms that pass the tennis player test would also qualify for inclusion as translation hubs.
Fractions
[edit]Some written-out fractions, like one eighth and three quarters, have survived RFD. Though there does not seem to be consensus that inclusion of a Unicode single-character equivalent justifies these entries, some have been created on this basis.
General guidelines for making English fractions are at Appendix:English numerals § Common fractions. There are no entries for reducible fractions like two fourths. The lowest-denominator entry that does not exist is two sevenths.
Discussions:
Lemming test
[edit]Having entries in lexical sources that are frequently referenced (e.g. general monolingual dictionaries, such as the Oxford Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, etc. for English) is often used as an argument for keeping challenged entries.
This is jocularly named after the "lemming principle" of doing what everybody else does, like mythical lemmings following each other over a cliff.
Discussions:
Formatting
[edit]Entry name
[edit]- Most of the time, you should use one or one's, rather than his or your, though for phrases that only exist in one form specific words should be used.
- Most of the time you should use a bare verb form, as would be found in a dictionary: e.g. scrimp and save, not to scrimp and save. though sometimes you will find idioms that only exist in one form of the verb.
Headword
[edit]To mark an entry or a definition as idiomatic, use {{lb|xx|idiomatic}}, which automatically inserts the proper text and category.
Translations
[edit]Per Wiktionary:Translations, do not give literal (word-for-word) translations of idioms, unless the literal translation is actually used in the target language.
Failed idiomaticity
[edit]For comparison, here are some entries that failed to survive RFD because they are not idiomatic:
- Talk:art exhibition = art + exhibition
- Talk:broken English = broken + English
- Talk:go for a drive = go for + a drive
- Talk:intelligent being = intelligent + being
- Talk:invisibility cloak = invisibility + cloak
- Talk:legendary progenitor = legendary + progenitor
- Talk:mackinaw shirt = mackinaw + shirt
- Talk:mesh with = mesh + with
- Talk:middle voice verb = middle voice + verb
- Talk:ROM image = ROM + image
- Talk:smoking fetish = smoking + fetish
- Talk:vulgar slang = vulgar + slang
In some cases a term is reduced to a minimal idiomatic part, such as:
- compare apples and oranges
- Elliott wave theory
- unable to find one's way out of a paper bag
