What is the difference between similies and idioms?

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Wiki User · Accepted Answer

A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the "as" or "like".

Example: He is as slow as a snail.

A personification is giving human actions or characteristics to nonhuman objects or animals.

Example:The sky whispered to the sun.

AnswerBot · Answer

Similes are figures of speech that compare two unlike things using "like" or "as," while idioms are expressions specific to a language or region that have a figurative meaning different from the literal interpretation. Similes are used to make descriptions more vivid or creative, while idioms often convey cultural or situational meanings that may not be immediately apparent.

Wiki User · Answer

Idioms, metaphors and similes are figures of speech. They do have that in common. Similes compare two things and usually engage certain words of comparison ie: like, than, as. An example would be, You are like a fish out of water. Now, could this also be considered an idiom? Not usually. An idiom has a meaning that isn't readily understood with the information available; many times considered figurative speech. An example would be, He's a dead fish. Native speakers of English understand this phrase, non-native speakers would not. A metaphor also compares two things that are unlike each other But without the helping words of comparison, for example, There are plenty of fish in the sea. The speaker is usually not talking about literal fish but about the possibility of finding another boyfriend or girlfriend. Could this be an idiom? Yes and no. All by itself, without context, it is an idiom. Inside the context of a conversation about finding a new mate, it is a fair example of a metaphor.

Wiki User · Answer

as i know and idiom is an idiomatic expression who's meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definition and the arrangements of it's parts,but refers instead to a figurative meaning. While HYPERBOLE ia a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. it may be used to evoke feelings...

examples:

Example: I'm going to blow my top.

In the English language expression to kick the bucket, for example, a listener knowing only the meaning of kick and bucket would be unable to deduce the expression's actual meaning, which is to die. Although it can refer literally to the act of striking a specific bucket with a foot, native speakers rarely use it that way. It cannot be directly translated to other languages - for example, the same expression in Polish is to kick the calendar, with the calendar being as detached from its usual meaning as the bucket in the English phrase is. The same expression in Dutch is het loodje leggen (to lay the piece of lead), which is entirely different from the English expression, too. Other expressions include break a leg, crossing the Rubicon and fit as a fiddle. It is estimated that William Shakespeare coined over 2,000

An idiom is generally a colloquial metaphor - a term which requires some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture where parties must have common reference. And idioms are therefore not considered an official part of the language, but rather a part of the culture. As cultures are typically localized, idioms are more often not useful for communication outside of that local context. However some idioms can be more universally used than others, and they can be easily translated, or their metaphorical meaning can be more easily deduced.

Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is often used in poetry and is a literary device as well as a referendum.

Some examples include:

"He has a brain the size of a pea."

"I could eat a horse."

"I've heard that a million times."

"She is a hundred feet tall."

Antonyms to hyperbole include meiosis, litotes, and understatement.

In show business and in the political arena, hyperbole (known as hype or media hype) is the practice of spending money on public relations, or expending political commentary in an attempt to bolster public interest in (for example) a movie, television show, performing artist,[1] politician, or proposed public policy. Often the entertainment or political value of the thing being hyped is exaggerated. Consequently, hype (but not traditional, literate hyperbole) has a bad connotation.

In a similar tendency, it is difficult to distinguish where art and artists receive objective or hyperbolic praise, because of the subjective way that both art and artists are appreciated.

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Christin...
A hyperbole is an exaggeration - "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
An idiom is a word/phrase that means something different than its literal definition - "She kicked the bucket" (as opposed to "she died.")
Google is your friend bb.
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tlingles...
Hyporbole (sic) "hyperbole" is an exageration. An idiom is a saying that means something different than its literal meaning.
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JB
Hyperbole (pronounced /haɪˈpɝbəli/ or "hy-PER-buh-lee"; "HY-per-bowl" is a mispronunciation) is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally.
Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is often used in poetry and is a literary device as well as a referendum.
Some examples include:
"He has a brain the size of a pea."
"I could eat a horse."
"I've heard that a million times."
"She is a hundred feet tall."
Antonyms to hyperbole include meiosis, litotes, and understatement.
In show business and in the political arena, hyperbole (known as hype or media hype) is the practice of spending money on public relations, or expending political commentary in an attempt to bolster public interest in (for example) a movie, television show, performing artist,[1] politician, or proposed public policy. Often the entertainment or political value of the thing being hyped is exaggerated. Consequently, hype (but not traditional, literate hyperbole) has a bad connotation.
In a similar tendency, it is difficult to distinguish where art and artists receive objective or hyperbolic praise, because of the subjective way that both art and artists are appreciated.
Derived from the Greek ὑπερβολή (literally 'overshooting' or 'excess'), it is a cognate of hyperbola.
Bathos is the opposite of a hyperbole. Bathos is the 'let down' after a hyperbole in a phrase.
IDIOM
An idiom is an expression (i.e., term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. In linguistics, idioms are widely assumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality; however, some debate has recently arisen on this subject.
Example: I'm going to blow my top.
In the English language expression to kick the bucket, for example, a listener knowing only the meaning of kick and bucket would be unable to deduce the expression's actual meaning, which is to die. Although it can refer literally to the act of striking a specific bucket with a foot, native speakers rarely use it that way. It cannot be directly translated to other languages - for example, the same expression in Polish is to kick the calendar, with the calendar being as detached from its usual meaning as the bucket in the English phrase is. The same expression in Dutch is het loodje leggen (to lay the piece of lead), which is entirely different from the English expression, too. Other expressions include break a leg, crossing the Rubicon and fit as a fiddle. It is estimated that William Shakespeare coined over 2,000 idioms still in use today.[citation needed]
Idioms hence tend to confuse those not already familiar with them; students of a new language must learn its idiomatic expressions the way they learn its other vocabulary. In fact many natural language words have idiomatic origins, but have been sufficiently assimilated so that their figurative senses have been lost.
Source(s):http://en.wikipedia.org
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