idiom

noun5

1. •
   An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.

   • She often spoke in idioms, pining for salad days and complaining about pots calling the kettle black.
2. •
   A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.

   • In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.
   • Some of the usage prescriptions improved clarity and were kept; others that yielded discordant violations of idiom were eventually revised.
3. •
   A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.

   • I have to use the same assignment and call to raw_input in two places. How can I avoid that? I can use the while True/break idiom: […] — 2005
4. •
   An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
5. •
   A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context, etc.

   • In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.