semiidiomatic

Semiidiomatic is an adjective used in linguistics and literary analysis to describe language that blends idiomatic meaning with literal language. A semiidiomatic expression contains an idiomatic component—a figurative sense that cannot be fully inferred from the literal meaning of its parts—alongside non-idiomatic elements whose meaning remains transparent. In other words, the expression is partially idiomatic rather than wholly conventional.

The term is not universally standardized but appears in discussions of figurative language, translation studies, and discourse analysis. It is applied to phrases whose idiomatic status is uncertain, vary by dialect or register, or depend on contextual cues for their figurative force. Analysts may label a construction semiidiomatic when the idiom contributes to comprehension but the surrounding syntax remains literal or compositional.

Examples illustrate the idea. “She has a heart of gold, but she often forgets practical matters” uses the idiom “heart of gold” alongside literal content. “The plan is a long shot, but it could work” relies on the idiom’s sense of low probability, while the rest is literal. In translation or cross-cultural writing, authors may deliberately mix idiomatic and literal elements, yielding semiidiomatic effects.

See also: figurative language; idiom; metaphor; translation studies.