idiom

Please put on your batteries — a Mexican Spanish idiom that means to cowboy up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Perhaps more pertinent is the footballing idiom 'doing a Leeds', which addresses the Whites' fall during that era from the dizzying heights of a Champions League semi-final to relegation three years later.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

Part of that idiom is the boisterous humour that the Punjab region is known for, portrayed in part through Sajawal's mother, the imposing matriarch Sohni Ammi.

From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026

It may be the most overused idiom to ever exist, but life is short; the only way to live it is to try our hardest to like it.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2025

NOTE.—This suffix, except when signifying an idiom, is found only in words of Greek origin.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

Mr. Argue applies the same brilliant synthesis of influences and mastery of several musical idioms that has distinguished his own magnificent 18-piece Secret Society ensemble, but here carrying a less urgent, more subdued feel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

It's hard to miss the evidence: huge, bright ads of chilli-laced dishes and, sometimes, Chinese idioms, in malls, buses and subway stations.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2025

Nothing more comforting than hearing a bunch of guys from San Clemente describe things as “gnarly” or Australians deploy idioms that I could only dream of.

From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024

The examples of how translation could go awry in any language are endless: Words take on new meanings, idioms come and go, and communities adopt slang and dialects for everyday life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

Though no writer can avoid idioms altogether—they’re part of the English lexicon, just like individual words—good writers reach for fresh similes and metaphors that keep the reader’s sensory cortexes lit up.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker