a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language

[ Syn: parlance ]

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English; he has a strong German accent; it has been said that a language is a dialect with an army and navy

[ Syn: dialect , accent ]

the style of a particular artist or school or movement; an imaginative orchestral idiom

[ Syn: artistic style ]

an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

[ Syn: idiomatic expression , phrasal idiom , set phrase , phrase ]