Ask the Mountie
What is the name for a term such as 'take a mulligan'
Dear Mountie
What is the name for a term such as ‘take a mulligan’ or any other term such as ‘Oh I’ve done a Clinton on that one’ etc..
Weapon X
Dear Weapon X
The term you are looking for is “idiom”.
From the OED:
A form of expression, grammatical construction, phrase, etc., peculiar to a language; a peculiarity of phraseology approved by the usage of a language, and often having a signification other than its grammatical or logical one.
A current favorite is “screwed the pooch.”
The Librarian says:
The ones you mention, which often have regional or a local historical origins, or have been taken from obsolete technology (“mind your ps and qs” - from letterpress printing), are still idioms, but I’m not sure if there’s a more specific term for them if they’re rooted in a historical reality.
Yours Truly
Mr Mountie
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