set phrase

set phrase
a) A common expression whose wording is not subject to variation.

Bally remarks in passing, as Hall does not, that the inversion in toujours est-il que is part of a set phrase and hence invariable.

b) A common expression whose words cannot be replaced by synonymous words without compromising the meaning.

If it proves clearly unfeasible to make the audience laugh at a thin and far-fetched joke, it is always better to change the way the joke works . . . for instance, a pun based on the speakers taking literally some set phrase or metaphor with a pun based on phonetic similarity.


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  • set phrase — index expression (comment) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Set phrase — A set phrase is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose parts are fixed (see examples below). It is often possible to express the idea conveyed by a set phrase with a different phrasing, but it is marked to do so. Two word set phrases arise… …   Wikipedia

  • set phrase — noun an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up • Syn: ↑idiom, ↑idiomatic expression, ↑phrasal idiom, ↑phrase • Derivationally related forms: ↑phrasal (for: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • set phrase — noun an unvarying phrase having a specific meaning or being the only context in which a word appears …   English new terms dictionary

  • Set — (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set battle.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Set hammer — Set Set (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Set line — Set Set (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Set nut — Set Set (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Set screw — Set Set (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Set speech — Set Set (s[e^]t), a. 1. Fixed in position; immovable; rigid; as, a set line; a set countenance. [1913 Webster] 2. Firm; unchanging; obstinate; as, set opinions or prejudices. [1913 Webster] 3. Regular; uniform; formal; as, a set discourse; a set… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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