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What do you call a phrase that's not an idiom yet?

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I was looking at "get the basics straight", but it doesn't seem to have an entry in any dictionary as an idiom, why is that, and what do you call an idiom that's not an idiom, or a phrase that didn't become an idiom yet, yet has all the appearances of an idiom?

word-request

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frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

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1

I was looking at "get the basics straight", but it doesn't seem to have an entry in any dictionary as an idiom, why is that, and what do you call an idiom that's not an idiom, or a phrase that didn't become an idiom yet, yet has all the appearances of an idiom?

word-request

share|improve this question

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

add a comment | 

I was looking at "get the basics straight", but it doesn't seem to have an entry in any dictionary as an idiom, why is that, and what do you call an idiom that's not an idiom, or a phrase that didn't become an idiom yet, yet has all the appearances of an idiom?

word-request

share|improve this question

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

share|improve this question

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

share|improve this question

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

asked 3 hours ago

frbsfokfrbsfok

872321

2 Answers
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"Neologism"

A neologism describes a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology, and may be directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

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1

In "get the basics straight", I think you are combining two separate expressions: "get [s/th] straight" and "the basics".

The MacMillan on-line dictionary lists both "get something straight" and "the basics", but just as regular word-entries. Neither is marked as an idiom.

However, Merriam Webster does list "get [something] straight" explicitly as an idiom.

I think whether something is an idiom, or just a group of words with a definition, is really a matter of opinion.

There are also combinations of words (and maybe existing idioms) that are just creative products that individual speakers come up with to express what they want to say. I think "get the basics straight" is one of those.

Maybe you are right in your suggestion that if they are interesting and useful enough they could catch on and evolve into idioms. At some point I guess they could evolve past that point and just become regular multi-word parts of speech (like "flat tire", "pine cone", or "sit down").

It looks to me like "the basics" is no-longer an idiom, but just a regular use of the word "basic", and "get something straight" is in transition. It's an idiom in Merriam Webster but just a standard verb phrase in MacMillan.

As to your question, "what are idioms that aren't yet idioms called?" I don't think we have a standard word for it. Maybe a "proto-idiom."

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edited 2 hours ago

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

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4

"Neologism"

A neologism describes a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology, and may be directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

add a comment | 

4

"Neologism"

A neologism describes a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology, and may be directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

add a comment | 

"Neologism"

A neologism describes a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology, and may be directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

answered 2 hours ago

AndrewAndrew

71.7k679157

1

In "get the basics straight", I think you are combining two separate expressions: "get [s/th] straight" and "the basics".

The MacMillan on-line dictionary lists both "get something straight" and "the basics", but just as regular word-entries. Neither is marked as an idiom.

However, Merriam Webster does list "get [something] straight" explicitly as an idiom.

I think whether something is an idiom, or just a group of words with a definition, is really a matter of opinion.

There are also combinations of words (and maybe existing idioms) that are just creative products that individual speakers come up with to express what they want to say. I think "get the basics straight" is one of those.

Maybe you are right in your suggestion that if they are interesting and useful enough they could catch on and evolve into idioms. At some point I guess they could evolve past that point and just become regular multi-word parts of speech (like "flat tire", "pine cone", or "sit down").

It looks to me like "the basics" is no-longer an idiom, but just a regular use of the word "basic", and "get something straight" is in transition. It's an idiom in Merriam Webster but just a standard verb phrase in MacMillan.

As to your question, "what are idioms that aren't yet idioms called?" I don't think we have a standard word for it. Maybe a "proto-idiom."

share|improve this answer

edited 2 hours ago

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510

add a comment | 

1

In "get the basics straight", I think you are combining two separate expressions: "get [s/th] straight" and "the basics".

The MacMillan on-line dictionary lists both "get something straight" and "the basics", but just as regular word-entries. Neither is marked as an idiom.

However, Merriam Webster does list "get [something] straight" explicitly as an idiom.

I think whether something is an idiom, or just a group of words with a definition, is really a matter of opinion.

There are also combinations of words (and maybe existing idioms) that are just creative products that individual speakers come up with to express what they want to say. I think "get the basics straight" is one of those.

Maybe you are right in your suggestion that if they are interesting and useful enough they could catch on and evolve into idioms. At some point I guess they could evolve past that point and just become regular multi-word parts of speech (like "flat tire", "pine cone", or "sit down").

It looks to me like "the basics" is no-longer an idiom, but just a regular use of the word "basic", and "get something straight" is in transition. It's an idiom in Merriam Webster but just a standard verb phrase in MacMillan.

As to your question, "what are idioms that aren't yet idioms called?" I don't think we have a standard word for it. Maybe a "proto-idiom."

share|improve this answer

edited 2 hours ago

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510

add a comment | 

In "get the basics straight", I think you are combining two separate expressions: "get [s/th] straight" and "the basics".

The MacMillan on-line dictionary lists both "get something straight" and "the basics", but just as regular word-entries. Neither is marked as an idiom.

However, Merriam Webster does list "get [something] straight" explicitly as an idiom.

I think whether something is an idiom, or just a group of words with a definition, is really a matter of opinion.

There are also combinations of words (and maybe existing idioms) that are just creative products that individual speakers come up with to express what they want to say. I think "get the basics straight" is one of those.

Maybe you are right in your suggestion that if they are interesting and useful enough they could catch on and evolve into idioms. At some point I guess they could evolve past that point and just become regular multi-word parts of speech (like "flat tire", "pine cone", or "sit down").

It looks to me like "the basics" is no-longer an idiom, but just a regular use of the word "basic", and "get something straight" is in transition. It's an idiom in Merriam Webster but just a standard verb phrase in MacMillan.

As to your question, "what are idioms that aren't yet idioms called?" I don't think we have a standard word for it. Maybe a "proto-idiom."

share|improve this answer

edited 2 hours ago

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510

share|improve this answer

edited 2 hours ago

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510

answered 2 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

4,7721510