I decided to “look up” colloquialism to see how many definitions I could find.   Merriam-Webster is always my first “go to” place.  The definition listed was: “a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.”  However, when I checked its thesaurus, there were no synonyms.  Thesaurus.com however, had “oodles” of them, probably the most commonly used ones were idiom, jargon and slang, each with a slew of words under each of these categories.  

Thesaurus.com’s synonym list was endless, so it puzzled me to find that Merriam-Webster had no such list.  So I searched it again and found that the thesaurus was actually poking fun at the word “colloquialism,” itself.  “Check it out “and see for yourself.

I find that very amusing to think that a major reference such as Merriam-Webster would do this. I’d appreciate another opinion, if anyone would care “look it up.”  Please tell me your opinion, if you do. Word lovers want to know these things.

So, you’re probably thinking, “What is she ‘going on’ about?” That’s the point, isn’t it?  American English is so “riddled “with colloquialisms, that one “bumps into them” even while researching them!

When I first decided to use this as a topic, what had come to my mind, were old sayings from past generations.  Phrases like “smooth as a school marm’s leg”  and “born tired and never got rested” sprung to mind.  These were phrases used by my husband’s grandfather.

Some of my favorite idioms, that are listed on websites, that confuse people who are trying to learn English as a second language, are “costs an arm and a leg,” “kill two birds with one stone,” “not playing with a full deck,” “take it with a grain of salt,” and steal someone’s thunder.”

And when it comes to slang, I only know ones like, “by the skin of your teeth,” drive up the wall,” “piece of cake,” and “plead the fifth.”  The current slang is foreign to me.  I am “in the dark” when it comes to the younger generation and their lingo.

Well, “that just about wraps things up,” so to speak.  I guess I will just have to “take my leave” for now.  I am just beginning to see why people who are trying to learn English find it hard to “wrap their heads” around it.”