Do you know what a colloquialism is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on colloquialisms, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
According to Collins English Dictionary, a colloquialism is a word or phrase that is appropriate to conversation and other informal situations, such as a slang term in everyday speech. This does not have the characteristic of formal English. The pronunciation of colloquialism is kəˈləʊkwɪəˌlɪzəm. These are often used by English speakers. Colloquial names for things are a part of ordinary natural language. They are prominent in subcultures and specific social groups like teenagers, locations like Australia or the United States, as well as by authors like Shakespeare and in narrative novels like the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or Holden Caulfiels in The Catcher in the Rye. In British English and American English, there are different colloquialisms and informal words that are used by a native speaker. Profanity could also be considered colloquial language, jargon, dialect, dialogue, or informal speech.
Many different languages also contain words that mean colloquialism. You may notice that some of these translations of colloquialism look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of colloquialism is provided by Word Sense.
A colloquialism can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of colloquialisms that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at these colloquialism examples from Your Dictionary and see how many you know!
Swag – a sleeping bag
Chirping – making fun of or taunting someone
Whinge – to whine and complain
Flake – a person who cancels plans regularly or the act of regularly canceling plans
Click – a kilometer
Pop, Coke – soda, soft drink
Blimey – exclamation of surprise
Pull someone’s leg – joke
Bomb – to do terribly on a test
Dodgy – something less than safe or secure
Anorak – someone who is a little bit of a geek with expertise usually in an obscure niche
Brilliant – something that’s really great
Lurgy – an illness with symptoms like a cold or flu
Skive – to skip work or school
Cheers – thank you
Chuffed – proud or excited
Bottle-o – a liquor store
Mongrel – a person who is unkind or troublesome
Serviette – a napkin
Swot – a very serious, possibly geeky, student
Posh – something or someone that is very fancy
Keener – someone who tries too hard to win favor
Score – to get what you want
Chockablock – something that is completely filled
Tosh – something that’s untrue
Pencil crayons – colored pencils
Knackered – totally exhausted
Rapt – really pleased
Smarmy – smug or snobby with a false earnestness
Gong show – an event that gets out of control
Codswallop – something made-up or not true
Skid – a kid from a poor family
Brolly – an umbrella
Gobsmacked – completely surprised
Dog’s dinner – a big mess, often used to describe a situation
Rubbish – an exclamation meaning something is untrue or of poor quality
Raincheck – a promise to reschedule plans that had to be canceled
Furphy – unlikely stories or rumors
Podunk – used to describe a small town
Flat out – extremely busy
Kerfuffle – a difference of opinion that causes a fuss
Poppycock – something ridiculous and possibly untrue
Eh or Hey – used at the end of a sentence to signal a check for agreement
Deadset – something that is true
Chinwag – a chat
Ballpark – used to describe something that is close to accurate
Cattywampus – a crooked thing
Toque – a warm cap or beanie, rhymes with “duke”
Trash – to destroy something
Ace – word to describe something excellent
Bludger – a lazy person
Cheeky – to be overly familiar or bold, sometimes in an endearing way
Bloke – a regular man or “guy”
Lemon – a purchase that is unreliable and has many problems
Gutted – horribly disappointed
What are other literary techniques and devices?
There are many different grammatical and literary techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading poetry or prose. Knowing these devices is very important because they are always used in writing or speech for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers and listeners understand the speaker or author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of literary devices from Reedsy and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you.
Dramatic irony
Frame story
Chiasmus
Tautology
Soliloquy
Exposition
Hypophora
Alliteration
Allusion
Foreshadowing
Synecdoche
Isocolon
Onomatopoeia
Repetition
Tragicomedy
Cumulative sentence
Anachronism
Aphorism
Zoomorphism
Hyperbole
Anthropomorphism
Juxtaposition
Anaphora
Malapropism
Euphemism
Flashback
Simile
Allegory
Polysyndeton
Paradox
In Medias Res
Motif
Tone
Irony
Point of view
Oxymoron
Anastrophe
Metonymy
Personification
Litotes
Archetype
Imagery
Symbolism
Tmesis
Satire
Overall, the word colloquialism means a form of informal speech used from a specific region or subculture.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
December 15, 2021
Common Questions
