DOMAINES FOURNISSEURS DES EXPRESSIONS FIGÉES
ORIGINS OF IDIOMS

Summary/Abstract: Many idiomatic expressions, in their original use, were not figurative but had literal meaning. Also, sometimes the attribution of a literal meaning can change as the phrase becomes disconnected from its original roots, leading to a folk etymology. However, at the beginning all the have been motivated: comparison, metaphor, images or clichés, some have completely lost their first meaning, others are still addressed to the speaker’s imagination and suggest a relationship with their etymology.

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