Idiom, << IHD ee uhm, >> is a phrase or expression whose total meaning differs from the meaning of the individual words. For example, to blow one’s top (get angry) and behind the eight ball (in trouble) are English-language idioms. Idioms come from language usage and generally cannot be translated literally (word for word). Foreign language students must learn them just as they would learn vocabulary words.
The term idiom may also refer to the conventional way of joining words to express a particular idea. Often in English, specific prepositions must follow certain verbs or adverbs. We say unequal to and to become of. Also, the expressions run out of, run into, run from, run over, and run up may mean something different from simple directions. The use of such idioms may vary between different dialects within one language. For example, people living in the Northeastern United States usually use the idiom sick to my stomach, while those living in the Southeastern United States generally say sick in my stomach or sick on my stomach. Residents of northern England usually say quarter till the hour and those from London say quarter to the hour.
