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Questions tagged [colloquialisms]

A colloquialism is a word or phrase used in everyday conversation, but generally avoided in formal speech and writing.

Some examples of informal colloquialisms can include words (such as "y'all" or "gonna" or "wanna"), phrases (such as "old as the hills" and "graveyard dead"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat").

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Not "On the Rocks"

I walk into a bar and order a drink. The bartender may ask me:Do you want that on the rocks?I usually respond "Yes" or "No" Is there a colloquial expression for not on the rocks?
Gary's Student
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common name for small villages

Is there a special name for small villages? Like a made up name of the village or a real one that functions as a recognizable synonym for a small village? E.g. "This 'town' he lives in is actually the size of _(the name of small village)" Edit: I…
user78169
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Biden is both "proud dad & pop"?

I searched for Biden's twitter page and in his bio it states this: "46th President of the United States, husband to @FLOTUS, proud dad & pop." Why would he say dad & pop? Isn't it the exact same thing?
Alexandros Kourtis
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Why are detectives/investigators referred to as "gumshoe"s?

Why are detectives/inspectors colloquially referred to as Gumshoes? Is it anything other that they would travel a lot in investigations and, presumably, wore hard-wearing shoes?
StuperUser
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Is it "stern talking too", or "stern talking to"?

In the following sentence: I'll have to give myself a stern talking to. is it "stern talking to", or "stern talking too"?
Patches
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Acceptability and use of "to got"

Possible Duplicate: “Don’t got” — how common is it in American usage? Recently, I've started to hear more and more often people use "got" as a present simple form (obviously originating from I have got -> I've got -> I got -> Do you got? -> I…
Malis
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Colloquial usage of "for to" instead of "in order to"

Earlier today I was talking to a friend and said something like I'm gonna buy carrots for to make stew. After my friend finished chastizing me for this obviously wrong grammar, I decided I was curious about it. However, it was hard to find…
Mahkoe
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Phrase for action "testing and correcting"

What is a phrase to indicate the action testing and correcting? For example, imagine a situation in which you don't know what you should do exactly and step by step you change things and see the results.
2hamed
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"Always/never" Example of colloquialism

When someone in conversation says something like "you always forget [x]" or "you never remember to [y]", is the use of the word always/never when it is understood that it is not literally always or never, considered a colloquialism?
Andrew
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What is the standard tag question after a statement containing "I should have ..."?

Whenever I use "I should've done _____", I like to add an extra part to the sentence looking for confirmation as in "I know, right?", where "right?" is the part asking for confirmation. My question here is: What is the most natural way to ask for…
Rico Kahler
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What type of colloquialism is 'soon as it ready'?

I am wondering if there is a specific name for the type of speech pattern (I am not sure if that is the right term) or vernacular used below. Example: "I'll beep you, soon as it ready." Being a contraction of "I'll beep you, as soon as it's…
Xdakut Wizzlekrank
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"Oh, no you di'int!"

In (American?) English-language comedy - people often respond to a comment or situation by yelling the colloquial phrase "Oh, no you di'int!" (contraction for "Oh, no you did not!"). To exactly what type of comment or situation is this response…
Brad
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Is the term "blind spot" something that only native English speakers would understand?

Is the term "blind spot" peculiar to the English language, or is it likely to be well understood worldwide, even by people who don't have English as their first language? Some background I'm currently searching for a term I can use in some software…
Mal Ross
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What is the usage and etymology of phrases such as "Grumpy McGrumpface"

There is a bunch of phrases such as Grumpy McGrumpface Fatty McFatface F***y McF***face Sh***y McSh**face all with some thousand google hits, Trumpy McTrumpface, or software such as Bloaty McBloatface. How are those phrases used, and how did they…
shuhalo
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What is the etymology of saying "when" to stop pouring or serving?

I was wondering: What is the origin of asking someone to say "when" (to mean "enough") while they are serving food or beverages?
Bryan Petty
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