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Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Key Examples in Brave New World
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Propaganda:
Idioms are an important part of the totalitarian World State's linguistic and intellectual control over its population. Most of the idioms that Bernard, Lenina, and other characters repeat are simply propaganda, not formed from organic linguistic processes but instead whispered into their minds and fed to them via test tube. These idioms do not describe real life and are not creative in any way—rather, they serve the controlling purposes of the state. Take, for instance, the following series of idioms Lenina spouts while she and Bernard are on a date in Chapter 7:
‘But cleanliness is next to fordliness,’ she insisted.
‘Yes, and civilization is sterilization,’ Bernard went on, concluding on a tone of irony the second hypnopædic lesson in elementary hygiene.
Related Themes:
