On 4/8/2019 11:42 AM, Lieven L. Litaer wrote:
Slang on the other hand, can be used by a limited group of people who use incorrect words to refer to a thing, but anyone outside group will not understand.
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not interpreted literally. Slang is a word or phrase that belongs to a limited group of speakers or context. Slang does not refer to "incorrect" words, and it's often widely understood outside its context. Within a slang expression's limited group or context, the slang follows its own rules and is "correct." For example, /woke/ is a modern slang word meaning that the subject is highly aware of social injustices. It is generally used by the young, and when older generations try to use it, there is a feeling that they're not part of the group that uses that word; it's awkward. It's meant to be interpreted metaphorically: someone who is woke is /awakened/ to social injustices. /Under the weather/ is a common idiom whose meaning has nothing to do with the weather; it means the subject is sick. It can be used in all but the most formal of contexts and groups. -- SuStel http://trimboli.name