~ Minangkabau Boy

IDIOMS

An idiom is an expression that conveys something different from its literal meaning, and that cannot be guessed from the meanings of its individual words. “Between a rock and a hard place” is an idiom that means “in a difficult or bad position with no good way of getting out of it.” What makes an idiom different from a figure of speech is that its nonliteral meaning is already familiar to speakers of the language.

The purpose use of idioms

The purpose behind this vast use of idioms is to ornate their language, make it richer and spicier and help them in conveying subtle meanings to their intended audience.
Not only do idioms help in making the language beautiful, they also make things better or worse through making the expression good or bad. For example, there are several idioms that convey the death of a person in highly subtle meanings and some do the same in very offensive terms. They are also said to be exact and more correct than the literal words and sometimes a few words are enough to replace a full sentence. They help the writer make his sense clearer than it is, so that he could convey maximum meanings through minimum words and also keep the multiplicity of the meanings in the text intact.

It has also been seen that idioms not only convey subtle meanings but also convey a phenomenon that is not being conveyed through normal and everyday language and also they keep the balance in the communication. Furthermore, they provide textual coherence, so that the reader could be able to piece together a text that he has gone through and extract meanings the writer has conveyed.

Common Idioms

Some idioms are used by most people that speak English; others are used by a more select group.

Common idioms that refer to people include:

A chip on your shoulder - means you are holding a grudge
High as a kite - means you are drunk or on drugs
Sick as a dog - means you are very ill

Idioms that refer to your actions would be:

Rub someone the wrong way - meaning to annoy or bother
Jump the gun - would mean to be doing something early
Pay the piper - means you need to face the consequences of your actions

Some idioms use color words to convey other meanings. For example, there are several that use the word “blue:”

“The blues” can refer to both a style of music and feeling sad.
If something occurs rarely, it is said to happen “once in a blue moon”, because a blue moon is two full moons in one month, which doesn’t happen often.
“Out of the blue” means something happens that was unexpected.

SYMBOLISM

symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning. When an author wants to suggest a certain mood or emotion, he can also use symbolism to hint at it, rather than just blatantly saying it.

Symbolism in Literature

Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing. Symbolism can give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.

In literature, symbolism can take many forms including:

A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning.
The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story.

Symbolism in Everyday Life

Our language contains an immense number of symbols whose intended meaning or significance is well-known and accepted by the majority. Of course, many of these do wind up in books, magazines, stories, and other written works.

Symbolism is found in colors:

Black is used to represent death or evil.
White stands for life and purity.
Red can symbolize blood, passion, danger, or immoral character.
Purple is a royal color.

Symbolic Objects

Objects are often used to symbolize something else:

A chain can symbolize the coming together of two things.
A ladder can represent the relationship between heaven and earth or ascension.
A mirror can denote the sun but when it is broken, it can represent an unhappy union or a separation.

Flowers as Symbols

Even flowers can have a symbolism:

Roses stand for romance.
Violets represent shyness.
Lilies stand for beauty and temptation

Symbolism, as you see, can be found almost anywhere. Any time there is something that represents more than its literal meaning, this can be an example of symbolism.