Which term refers to expressions that carry non-literal meanings and are widely understood?

Which term refers to expressions that carry non-literal meanings and are widely understood?

• A. Idiom
• B. Utterance
• C. Turn Taking
• D. Vague Language

Answer: (A)

Idioms are expressions that carry non-literal meanings and are widely understood. They convey figurative meaning beyond the literal words, and people who know the language recognize them as having a fixed, common sense. For example, "kick the bucket" means to die, not literally kicking a bucket, and "break the ice" means to start a conversation and reduce awkwardness. Because the meaning is conventional and learned through usage, listeners interpret idioms from context and culture rather than from the literal wording. Other terms describe different things—an utterance is any spoken sentence, turn taking is about who speaks when in a conversation, and vague language is imprecise wording—so they don’t capture this idea of a phrase with a widely understood figurative meaning.