Dictionary

set phrase en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From set + phrase.

Meanings

1. An established expression whose wording is subject to little or no variation, and which may or may not be idiomatic.
   • American courts sometimes use cherry in place of apple, but the latter fruit vastly predominates. The American version is that rare set phrase that is not so well set, variations on the phrase being more common than the main phrase itself. 2009, Bryan A. Garner, Garner on Language and Writing, page 525:
   • Bally remarks in passing, as Hall does not, that the inversion in toujours est-il que is part of a set phrase and hence invariable. 1951, Gordon M. Messing, “Structuralism and Literary Tradition”, in Language, volume 27, number 1, page 3:
2. An idiomatic expression in general.
   • If it proves clearly unfeasible to make the audience laugh at a thin and far-fetched joke, it is always better to change the way the joke works . . . for instance, a pun based on the speaker's taking literally some set phrase or metaphor with a pun based on phonetic similarity. 1992, Stanislaw Baranczak, "How to Translate Shakespeare's Humor?: (Reflections of a Polish Translator)", in the Performing Arts Journal, volume 14, number 3, page 83

Forms

Relateds

saying · collocation · proverb · cliché · catchphrase · colloquialism · idiom

Synonyms

phraseme · fixed phrase · fixed term · fixed expression

Translations (57)

be усто́йлівае словазлучэ́нне (expression subject to little variation) · de feststehende Redensart (idiomatic expression) · fr locution figée (idiomatic expression) · de Wortverbindung (expression subject to little variation) · ca frase feta (idiomatic expression) · fi sanaliitto (expression subject to little variation) · nl vaste verbinding (idiomatic expression) · pl idiomatyzm (expression subject to little variation) · sv fast uttryck (expression subject to little variation) · pl frazeologizm (expression subject to little variation) · pl idiom (expression subject to little variation) · fi vakiintunut ilmaus (expression subject to little variation) · ru усто́йчивое словосочета́ние (expression subject to little variation) · de Wortgruppe (expression subject to little variation) · de Phrasem (expression subject to little variation) · de Floskel (idiomatic expression) · ja 慣用句 (expression subject to little variation) · uk уста́лене словосполу́чення (expression subject to little variation) · cmn 固定搭配 (expression subject to little variation) · fi idiomi (idiomatic expression) · ko 관용구 (expression subject to little variation) · uk уста́лений ви́слів (expression subject to little variation) · fr expression consacrée (expression subject to little variation) · pl idiom (idiomatic expression) · de Redewendung (expression subject to little variation) · ru усто́йчивое словосочета́ние (idiomatic expression) · ca dita (idiomatic expression) · pl idiomatyzm (idiomatic expression) · pt expressão idiomática (idiomatic expression) · nl staande uitdrukking (idiomatic expression) · ko 성어 (idiomatic expression) · ru фразеологи́ческая едини́ца (idiomatic expression) · it frase fatta (idiomatic expression) · ja 成句 (idiomatic expression) · fr phraséologisme (expression subject to little variation) · es frase hecha (idiomatic expression) · ko 성구 (idiomatic expression) · ko 관용구 (idiomatic expression) · cmn 習慣用語 /习惯用语 (idiomatic expression) · it locuzione cristallizzata (idiomatic expression) · ru усто́йчивое выраже́ние (expression subject to little variation) · ca frase feta (expression subject to little variation) · fi kiteymä (expression subject to little variation) · sv idiom (idiomatic expression) · nl vaste verbinding (expression subject to little variation) · pl idiomat (expression subject to little variation) · cmn 成語 /成语 (idiomatic expression) · de feststehende Wendung (expression subject to little variation) · pl związek frazeologiczny (expression subject to little variation) · fr phraséologisme (idiomatic expression) · uk ста́лий ви́раз (expression subject to little variation) · uk ста́ле словосполу́чення (expression subject to little variation) · pl frazeologizm (idiomatic expression) · de formelhafte Wendung (expression subject to little variation) · pl związek frazeologiczny (idiomatic expression) · pl idiomat (idiomatic expression) · hu állandósult szókapcsolat (idiomatic expression)