Which statement defines an idiom?

• A. An idiom is a phrase with a meaning not predictable from the individual words
• B. An idiom is a literal phrase
• C. An idiom is a fixed sentence pattern
• D. An idiom is a synonym phrase

Answer: (A)

Idioms are expressions whose meaning cannot be predicted from the literal meanings of the individual words. This figurative meaning is understood through common usage and cultural context, not by simply analyzing the words themselves. For example, “kick the bucket” doesn’t mean kicking a bucket; it means to die. Likewise, “spill the beans” means to reveal a secret, again beyond the literal words. Because idioms convey a non-literal meaning that listeners must know from convention, the statement that says an idiom’s meaning isn’t predictable from its parts is the best definition. A literal phrase would be interpreted by its words’ ordinary meanings, a fixed sentence pattern focuses on form rather than meaning, and a synonym phrase would be expressed in equivalent words rather than as a conventional figurative expression.