Definition of Colloquialism
1. Noun. A colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech.
Examples of language type: Firewall,
Fix,
Heavy Lifting,
Biz,
Game,
No-brainer,
Crapshoot,
Snogging,
Wash,
Aggro,
Fun,
Hell,
Sin,
Dickey-bird,
Dickeybird,
Dicky-bird,
Dickybird,
Bunny,
Bunny Rabbit,
Bib-and-tucker,
Delf,
Funny Wagon,
Boom Box,
Ghetto Blaster,
Lemon,
Stinker,
Long Johns,
Main Drag,
Put-put,
Rathole,
Rattrap,
Redbrick University,
Ritz,
Security Blanket,
Shooting Gallery,
Sunday Best,
Sunday Clothes,
War Paint,
Smoke,
Class,
Setup,
Backbone,
Grit,
Gumption,
Guts,
Moxie,
Sand,
Way,
Number,
Enormity,
Drag,
Hot Stuff,
Voluptuousness,
Eye,
Oculus,
Optic,
Peeper,
Proboscis,
Countenance,
Kisser,
Mug,
Phiz,
Physiognomy,
Smiler,
Visage,
Can Of Worms,
Hang-up,
Think,
Crosshairs,
Turn-on,
Negative Stimulation,
Turnoff,
Plague,
Bare Bones,
Pertainym,
Teaser,
Pickup,
Double Dutch,
Put-down,
Squelch,
Squelcher,
Takedown,
Rap,
Bull Session,
Huddle,
Powwow,
Pep Talk,
Homestretch,
Barnburner,
Blessed Event,
Happy Event,
Creeps,
Blahs,
Banger,
Firewater,
Swad,
Maffia,
Mafia,
Turf,
Borscht Belt,
Borscht Circuit,
Borsht Belt,
Borsht Circuit,
Drink,
Number One,
Big Cheese,
Big Deal,
Big Enchilada,
Big Fish,
Big Gun,
Big Shot,
Big Wheel,
Head Honcho,
Bull,
Cop,
Copper,
Fuzz,
Pig,
Canary,
Cannon Fodder,
Fodder,
Fresh Fish,
Crazy,
Looney,
Loony,
Nutcase,
Weirdo,
Dick,
Gumshoe,
Hawkshaw,
Dimwit,
Doofus,
Half-wit,
Nitwit,
Dodo,
Fogey,
Fogy,
Fossil,
Don't-know,
Fence,
Dud,
Flop,
Washout,
Fuddy-duddy,
Gal,
Geezer,
Head,
Headhunter,
Hustler,
Operator,
Wheeler Dealer,
Know-all,
Know-it-all,
Lazybones,
Man,
Middlebrow,
Mouth,
Mouthpiece,
Paperhanger,
Rainmaker,
Clone,
Dead Ringer,
Ringer,
Shoofly,
Gloomy Gus,
Picklepuss,
Pouter,
Sourpuss,
Greyback,
Johnny,
Johnny Reb,
Reb,
Rebel,
Killjoy,
Party Pooper,
Spoilsport,
Wet Blanket,
Square,
Square Toes,
Stuffed Shirt,
Thrush,
Townee,
Card,
Wag,
Wit,
Woman,
Cleanup,
Killing,
Giveaway,
Meal Ticket,
Swag,
Ice,
Sparkler,
Load,
Soup,
Size,
Size Of It,
State,
Frazzle,
Horniness,
Hot Pants,
Hotness,
Charley Horse,
Charley-horse,
Dumps,
Mopes,
Crack,
Shot,
Street,
Throw,
Fug,
Soup,
Sticks And Stone,
Week From Monday,
Month Of Sundays,
Blue Moon,
Figure,
Foot,
Hoof,
Hoof It,
Leg It,
Keep One's Eyes Open,
Keep One's Eyes Peeled,
Keep One's Eyes Skinned,
Give It A Try,
Give It A Whirl,
Break,
Potted,
Come-at-able,
Get-at-able,
Getatable,
Un-come-at-able,
Un-get-at-able,
Ungetatable,
Dead-on,
Hot,
Fly,
Hot Under The Collar,
Huffy,
Mad,
Sore,
Livid,
Dinky,
Dishy,
Primo,
Chicken,
Chickenhearted,
Lily-livered,
White-livered,
Yellow,
Yellow-bellied,
Bone-idle,
Bone-lazy,
Chancy,
Flukey,
Fluky,
Iffy,
Punch-drunk,
Silly,
Slaphappy,
Anserine,
Dopey,
Dopy,
Foolish,
Gooselike,
Goosey,
Goosy,
Jerky,
Buddy-buddy,
Chummy,
Thick,
Togged,
Bare-ass,
Bare-assed,
In The Altogether,
In The Buff,
In The Raw,
Naked As A Jaybird,
Peeled,
Raw,
Stark Naked,
Starkers,
Comfortable,
Comfy,
Bad,
Tough,
Flustered,
Hot And Bothered,
Perturbed,
Rattled,
Boss-eyed,
Broken,
Busted,
Knocked-out,
Licked,
Plummy,
Done For,
Gone,
Kaput,
Tall,
Cushy,
Easygoing,
Soft,
Flat-footed,
Hopped-up,
Stoned,
Live,
Anxious,
Dying,
Ritzy,
Het Up,
Crazy,
Dotty,
Gaga,
Wild,
No-frills,
Crazy,
Big-ticket,
High-ticket,
Cool,
Groovy,
Swagger,
In,
Prehistoric,
Classy,
Posh,
Swish,
Snazzy,
Gammy,
Niffy,
Chummy,
Matey,
Pally,
Palsy-walsy,
Stuffed,
Bang-up,
Bully,
Corking,
Cracking,
Dandy,
Great,
Groovy,
Keen,
Neat,
Nifty,
Not Bad,
Peachy,
Slap-up,
Smashing,
Swell,
Hopeless,
Crappy,
Icky,
Lousy,
Rotten,
Shitty,
Stinking,
Stinky,
No-good,
Rubber,
Shirty,
Snorty,
Straight,
Killing,
Sidesplitting,
Dickey,
Dicky,
Big,
Fiddling,
Footling,
Lilliputian,
Little,
Niggling,
Petty,
Picayune,
Piddling,
Piffling,
Trivial,
Potty,
Hep,
Hip,
Hip To,
Highbrow,
Highbrowed,
Banging,
Humongous,
Thumping,
Walloping,
Whopping,
Man-sized,
Whacking,
Bittie,
Bitty,
Itsy-bitsy,
Itty-bitty,
Teensy,
Teensy-weensy,
Teentsy,
Teeny,
Teeny-weeny,
Wee,
Weensy,
Weeny,
Dinky,
Hot,
Canned,
Transcribed,
Blue-eyed,
Fair-haired,
White-haired,
Hexed,
Jinxed,
Blood-and-guts,
Bodacious,
All-fired,
Decent,
Together,
Awful,
Frightful,
Terrible,
Tremendous,
Some,
Square,
Stuck,
Mind-bending,
Mind-blowing,
Dressy,
Hot,
Crazy,
Half-baked,
Screwball,
Softheaded,
High-flown,
High-sounding,
Inflated,
Jumped-up,
White-shoe,
Fat,
Juicy,
Kosher,
Cool,
Fishy,
Funny,
Shady,
Suspect,
Suspicious,
Lunatic,
Moonstruck,
Screw-loose,
Screwy,
All Right,
Fine,
Hunky-dory,
O.k.,
Ok,
Okay,
Umpteenth,
Umptieth,
Umteenth,
Hot,
Clubable,
Clubbable,
Bad,
Shy,
A-one,
Ace,
Crack,
First-rate,
Super,
Tiptop,
Top-notch,
Topnotch,
Tops,
Boss,
Brag,
Bum,
Cheap,
Cheesy,
Chintzy,
Crummy,
Punk,
Sleazy,
Tinny,
Ropey,
Ropy,
Gobsmacked,
Goggle-eyed,
Openmouthed,
Popeyed,
Jiggered,
Buttoned-up,
Pumped,
Pumped Up,
Pumped-up,
Wired,
Economical,
Frugal,
Scotch,
Sparing,
Stinting,
All In,
Beat,
Bushed,
Dead,
Whacked,
Fuggy,
Knock-down-and-drag-out,
Knockdown-dragout,
Cockamamie,
Cockamamy,
Goofy,
Sappy,
Silly,
Wacky,
Whacky,
Zany,
Boiling,
All,
Altogether,
Completely,
Entirely,
Totally,
Whole,
Wholly,
Plum,
Plumb,
All Right,
Alright,
O.k.,
Okay,
Anyplace,
Anywhere,
Someplace,
Somewhere,
All Over,
Everyplace,
Everywhere,
Good And,
Anon,
Apparently,
Evidently,
Manifestly,
Obviously,
Patently,
Plain,
Plainly,
Awful,
Awfully,
Frightfully,
Terribly,
By All Means,
By No Means,
Not By A Blame Sight,
Not By A Long Sight,
Good,
Soundly,
Thoroughly,
Flop,
Right,
Forever,
Forever And A Day,
Dingdong,
Right Smart,
Way,
At Any Rate,
At Least,
Leastways,
Leastwise,
Irregardless,
Certainly,
For Certain,
For Sure,
Sure,
Sure As Shooting,
Sure Enough,
Surely,
Easily,
Easy,
Easy,
Soft,
Easy,
Slow,
Slowly,
Tardily,
In A Pig's Eye,
Like Crazy,
Like Hell,
Like Mad,
Like Sin,
Like The Devil,
Like Thunder,
Hopelessly,
Bang,
Bolt,
Slap,
Slapdash,
Smack,
Rough,
Roughly,
Heaps,
Plop,
Plunk,
Plump,
Sweet,
Sweetly,
Ebonics,
SkipGeneric synonyms: Expression,
Formulation
Definition of Colloquialism
1. n. A colloquial expression, not employed in formal discourse or writing.
Definition of Colloquialism
1. Noun. A colloquial word or phrase; a common spoken expression, often regional. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Colloquialism
1. [n -S]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Colloquialism
Literary usage of Colloquialism
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Practical Study of Languages: A Guide for Teachers and Learners by Henry Sweet (1906)
"Degrees of colloquialism But there are degrees of colloquialism. In all languages
the pronunciation may vary according ..."
2. Handy-book of Literary Curiosities by William Shepard Walsh (1892)
"Adam's ale or •wine, a humorous colloquialism for water, as being Adam's only
beverage at the teetotal period when he flourished, occurs as far back as ..."
3. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant: Embracing English, American, and Anglo by Albert Barrère, Charles Godfrey Leland (1890)
"... is a colloquialism for an old maid or gossip. Tabs (tailors), the ears.
Tack or sheet (nautical), a man's saying that he will not start tack or sheet, ..."
4. The Verbalist: A Manual Devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and Wrong by Alfred Ayres (1882)
"... Professor Mathews seems to have a special dislike for this colloquialism.
It is recognized by the lexicographers, and I think is generally accounted, ..."
5. What is Meaning?: Studies in the Development of Significance by Victoria Welby (1903)
"... CHAPTER X colloquialism reveals tendencies as well as attitude and character
of average thought, educated or ignorant. For instance, we come to or take ..."
6. Language for Men of Affairs (1920)
"Avoid colloquialism In working for precision you find that you can no longer use
words in the informal, free and easy manner of conversation, the manner we ..."
7. The Practical Study of Languages: A Guide for Teachers and Learners : with by Henry Sweet (1900)
"Degrees of colloquialism But there are degrees of colloquialism. In all languages
the pronunciation may vary according to the degree of familiarity between ..."
Other Resources:
