An idiom is a common phrase whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words, like "kick the bucket" meaning "to die." It can also refer more broadly to a style of speaking or writing typical of a group or period.
From Latin "idioma," from Greek "idiōma" meaning "special feature" or "peculiarity," from "idios" meaning "one’s own, private." It originally referred to special expressions unique to a language or group.
Idioms are like inside jokes shared by a whole language community—you understand them not by logic, but by belonging. They’re also traps for language learners, because knowing every word still doesn’t tell you what the phrase really means.
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