Writing and reading about the difference between an idiom and

a phrase brings this interesting idiom to mind. ‘The writing’s

on the wall.’ There is scope here to discuss both idiom and
phrase. The idiom and the phrase here go hand in hand as
the pronoun phrase – on the wall is part of the idiom. The
idiom needs the phrase to fulfil its meaning. An idiom needs a
phrase but a phrase may not necessarily be an idiom.

Learning about the origin of ‘The writing‘s on the wall’ helps to

understand more about idioms and phrases and how do
phrases play their part in idioms. The writing on the wall stems
from a Biblical event when Daniel was called upon to read the
writing on the palace wall written by a ghoulish severed hand
with a message for King Belshazzar who was defiling holy
temple goblets at his debauched parties. The writing told of
eminent danger. The king did not pay attention to the written
message. This idiom is now used to predict danger or failure of
some sort and like all idioms contains a phrase. Idioms have
their origins in all manner of events and scenarios and the
phrase is an integral part of the idiom.

In grammatical terms a phrase is a group of words used to

define an expression. An idiom is an expression made by
grouping words together to mean something that is different
from the literal meaning of the phrase or saying.

Phrases can be taken literally while idioms are not literal in

their meaning but figurative. Idioms can also be called
colloquial metaphors. Another significant difference is that a
phrase is always a group of words but a single word can on
occasions be an idiom. For example: moonlighting, a single
word meaning something different in the way it is used and it
does not have anything to do with moonlight.

A phrase stands together with the words in it as a unit of

speech. There are different types of phrases depending on their
place within the sentence or the structure of the sentence. An
idiom, containing a phrase, has a meaning that cannot be taken
from the literal meaning of the words. One of the most
significant differences between the two is that a phrase has
literal meaning while an idiom is a figurative expression giving
meaning to a phrase or conversation.
How are idioms used and how do they become part of
language expressions?

Idioms have fixed meanings and may not be easy to understand

if you are not familiar with them. Idioms give language
character and interest. They are known to be obscure and
challenging to the second language learner. Sometimes it can
help the learner to try and relate an English idiom to a similar
expression in their own language.

For example someone in a foreign country may refer to some

article of food appearing bigger or better than their own. An
English speaking person will talk about the grass being greener
on the other side of the fence. Both the expressions use
something you don’t have as being a better option. This could
be more relatable to someone trying to learn English as a
second language.

Metaphorical language helps with the meaning of an

idiom. When someone is ‘fed up’ it is easy to imagine how they
would feel because of the relative comparison to food and
eating. It also helps to know that many idioms are based on
different sources that categorise the idiom according to the
genre they belong to.

Sports idioms – hit the ground running, got to bat for someone,
step up to the plate
Military idioms – bite the bullet, bury the hatchet
Religious idioms – to the ends of the earth, no rest for the
wicked
Animal idioms – a dark horse, be the ugly duckling, a snake in
the grass.

Idioms add to the informal social side of the language and share
cultural and historical information. They broaden the way
people learn to understand a language and show how familiar
they are with the use of the language as a native speaker of the
language.

Idioms add depth to a language and distinguish the native

speaker from the non-native speaker. There are two types of
idiom that can be used in the English language, the opaque
idiom and the transparent idiom.
The transparent idiom is easier to understand and use. For
instance to ask someone ‘to lend a hand’ is a transparent idiom
and simply means to help. Then the opaque idiom is more
difficult to understand as it is more obscure. For example ‘he’s
pulling my leg’ meaning someone is joking with you is not as
obvious in its meaning. Pulling a leg could lead to an accident
and would therefore not be very funny.

How are phrases used and what part do they play in the
English language?

Phrases are a functional part of the construction of sentences

and the language needed to express opinions and dialogue.

Phrases are functional and are a formal part of a

sentence. There are different types of phrases that support
different parts of a sentence.
 Some basic phrases to consider are:
 Noun phrase- the noun phrase includes a person place or thing
in the small group of words. For example Katy lives in the blue
house.

…the blue house. This is the noun phrase.

 Verb phrase – a group of words including the verb, a portion of
a sentence as well as a direct or indirect object. It can be the
predicate of the sentence.
For example The big ship sailed across the ocean.

….sailed across the ocean. This is the verbial phrase.

 The adjective phrase – is the group of words that describe the
noun. The adjectival phrase gives the sentence more colour.
 For example. The boy took his clever, bouncy dog Rover for a
walk in the park.

His clever, bouncy dog is the adjectival phrase.

 Prepositional phrases – these phrases are set right after the
preposition.
For example – The book on the table in the classroom
belongs to Barbara. The prepositional phrase shows the
relationship between the object and another word in the
sentence.

There is a catch to using phrases and a catch phrase!

Firstly care needs to be taken when a writer uses phrases

because bad use of phrases can weaken the power behind the
work. Words like absolutely and necessary weaken the
meaning of the phrase that could just as easily and as effectively
expressed as a simple powerful statement.
For example – It is absolutely essential to switch off the light
and conserve electricity.

One can also say – It is essential to switch off the light and
conserve electricity. So don’t get caught out using lengthy
phrases with weak words that detract from the power of your
writing.

Then the ‘catch phrase’ has a whole new meaning in the world
of media and movie icons. A catch phrase attracts attention
and can be associated with a product or a person or even a
particular TV show. Different cultures can have catch phrases
that identify with their particular shows and programmes.

British television has coined phrases like ‘Is that your final
answer’ from ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’. The words are
said by Chris Tarrant.

American television made the series The Simpsons popular and

the catch phrase of ‘eat my shorts’ was expressed by Bart
Simpson

The movie culture has had many catch phrases and the words
spoken by the terminator have become a well- known catch
phrase ‘I’ll be back.’

Phrases and idioms are therefore part of the language structure

and can be factual expressions taken literally or metaphorical
phrases taken as part of the colloquial language.
Phrases and idioms are there to enrich descriptions and the
spoken word. They are the symbols of language that often
distinguish the native speaker from the second language
student.

Wikipedia states that there are over 25 000 idioms in the

English language. That is an enormous number of tricky little
phrases to get to grips with. English idioms are so natural to
most native English speakers that is hard to believe so many
exist and often the native English student is unaware of the
casual idiomatic phrase slipped into the written and spoken
word.

The phrase and the idiom are intrinsically linked to one another
but definitely different when put under the microscope of
language analysis. It is worth remembering to ‘look at the
writing on the wall’ and decide for yourself if there is a possible
danger of using idiom or phrases incorrectly and damaging
your image in the writing or linguistic world.