traditional expressions
Time-honored verbal formulas
Traditional expressions are phrases passed down through generations that carry conventional meanings beyond their literal words: traditional expressions of sympathy, traditional expressions of gratitude.
The term often appears in discussions of cultural practices, etiquette, or language learning, referring to stock phrases a community uses for particular social situations—greetings, farewells, condolences, congratulations.
- bite the bulletAccept inevitable hardship
- better late than neverDelay preferable to omission
- break the iceInitiate social interaction
- break a legTheatrical good luck phrase
- knock on woodSuperstitious phrase averting jinx
proverb · barking up the wrong tree · spill the beans · kick the bucket · raining cats and dogs · till death do us part · hit the nail on the head · rest in peace · no man is an island · actions speak louder than words · old wives' tale · burn the midnight oil · blood, sweat, and tears · time flies · once upon a time · let the cat out of the bag · under the weather · happily ever after
traditional expressionspop culture references
Allusions to entertainment phenomena
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