turn of phrase
7
4.8
- noun
- /tɜrn ʌv freɪz/
:
giro de frase
- The speaker's clever turn of phrase made everyone laugh during the presentation.
God can be replaced for whatever spiritual turn of phrase feels comfortable for you.
- God can be replaced for whatever spiritual turn of phrase feels comfortable for you.
- We don't have to wait for absolute certainty or objective evidence or whatever other turn of phrase you want to use to convey that same idea.
- She calls it a disequilibrium, which made my life kind of an endless disputation, which is a nice, nice turn of phrase.
- And so he's going to be here criticizing and rejecting what he calls Cartesian or interesting turn of phrase, material idealism.
Examples
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But that doesn't mean that common turns of phrase are stupid or useless.
Blog text (14) -
It's a nice turn of phrase, but it's not my own.
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In a way, both turns of phrase mean the same thing.
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Well, that is a very powerful turn of phrase, Jack.
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Now, that is a choice turn of phrase if ever I heard one.
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I first heard this turn of phrase at the memorial of a family friend.
Blog text (7) -
As I spied a particular look in your eyes, I settled upon a delicate turn of phrase.
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Anshaw's signature sense of humor and turns of phrase are also present in Lucky.
Fiction book (2002) -
I prefer an intelligent, mature, eloquent turn of phrase that is accurate.
Blog text (1) -
Quote of the Week: a pithy turn of phrase from Albert Einstein.
Blog text (5)
Synonyms
22
3.4
How words are chosen and put together to show meaning
5
8.2
The words and expressions someone uses to say ideas in a particular style
A special way of saying something when speaking or writing
Antonyms
How Distinctive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a particular way of expressing something' is partially derivable because 'phrase' clearly refers to words and 'turn' can denote a manner or way, so a learner could infer 'a way of phrasing'. However, 'turn' has multiple senses (e.g. change) and the collocation is conventionalized; without knowing the 'manner' sense or the fixed phrase, a B1 learner may not reliably predict the idiomatic meaning, though cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. French 'tour de phrase') can aid comprehension.
Etymology
The noun turn of phrase may come from the simple image of giving a short phrase a small turn, as if you twist the words slightly to change their sound or feeling. So a turn of phrase is a 'special' or 'clever' way of saying something.