Phraseological unit

A phraseological unit is a stable, reproducible word-combination with an integral, figurative meaning that is not derived directly from the meanings of its individual components (idioms such as "to twiddle one's thumbs," "to lead by the nose"). Phraseological units are distinguished by the fixedness of their composition, semantic indivisibility and expressiveness, and their meaning is fixed by linguistic tradition. They are condensations of folk wisdom, observation and figurative thinking, and therefore lend speech vividness, aptness and national colour. In literature phraseological units characterise a personage, intensify the authorial narrative, create a humorous or satirical effect; writers often creatively transform established phrases. Phraseology as a section of linguistics is devoted to the study of the composition, structure, origin and functioning of stable word-combinations.