Which term describes an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the individual words?

Which term describes an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the individual words?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Idiom
• C. Simile
• D. Analogy

Answer: (B)

Expressions whose meaning cannot be predicted from the individual words are idioms. An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is established by common usage and culture, not by the literal meanings of its parts. For example, “kick the bucket” doesn’t mean to physically kick a bucket; it means to die. The whole phrase has to be learned as a unit because its meaning isn’t tied to the words themselves. Other terms describe different kinds of figurative language. A metaphor states that one thing is another to highlight a shared quality, like saying the classroom was a zoo, and you interpret it through the implied comparison. A simile explicitly compares using like or as, such as “as brave as a lion,” which you can often reason about from the words. An analogy is a more extended comparison used to explain a relationship, often to make a point or argument.

Expressions whose meaning cannot be predicted from the individual words are idioms. An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is established by common usage and culture, not by the literal meanings of its parts. For example, “kick the bucket” doesn’t mean to physically kick a bucket; it means to die. The whole phrase has to be learned as a unit because its meaning isn’t tied to the words themselves.

Other terms describe different kinds of figurative language. A metaphor states that one thing is another to highlight a shared quality, like saying the classroom was a zoo, and you interpret it through the implied comparison. A simile explicitly compares using like or as, such as “as brave as a lion,” which you can often reason about from the words. An analogy is a more extended comparison used to explain a relationship, often to make a point or argument.