What term describes an expression with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the words?

• A. Idiom
• B. Expression
• C. Metaphor
• D. Simile

Answer: (A)

An idiom is a phrase whose overall meaning isn’t the same as the literal meaning of its words. For example, “spill the beans” doesn’t mean to literally spill beans; it means to reveal a secret. That non-literal, fixed meaning is what makes it an idiom.

Metaphor and simile are also forms of figurative language, but they work by comparing things directly (metaphor) or using like or as (simile). An expression is any phrase, but it doesn’t by itself signal a non-literal meaning. So the term that best describes an expression with meaning different from the literal words is idiom.