Submit An Idiom

[Red5]

Submit An Idiom



We have now made it easy for you to new add idioms to our Idioms Dictionary. Use our simple online form to make your suggestions.

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[Noego]

Red5,

I'm assuming we should provide definitions using our own words.

Copy/pasting a definition from somewhere else would be unacceptable, am I correct?

I'll give you an example of what I mean:

Against the clock:
in a race with time; in
a great hurry to get something done before
a particular time.

Now the above definition isn't from me. Would I have to rephrase it in my own words so that it wouldn't violate any copyright infringements?

The problem I have with that is that sometimes a definition is perfect the way it is and rephrasing it just so that it doesn't look the same at the cost of quality just doesn't seem like a good solution to me.

Does intellectual property applies to idioms?

[Red5]

Yes, I believe copyright and intellectual property rights apply to idioms and other reference definitions. However, I've also asked the Editor to take a look at this discussion and give his views.

[Noego]

Ok thanks.

I'm looking forward to his explanations.

Idioms being what they are, I think it's kind of "dodgy" as far as what is copyright infringement and what isn't.

Would changing a single word in a definition bypass any copyright legislation as it would then change the original definition to a new one?

If not, I'm puzzled as to what extent I can use another reference's definition.

Let's wait and see

[Tdol]

There's nothing really dodgy- if it's copied, it's an infringement. Many definitions will naturally be almost identical, but it is a matter of trying to weed out those that are copied from original wordings. If enough words were changed that it did not resemble a straight copy, it would be acceptable. If hundreds of idioms were identical or differed by one word, then that would constitute an infringement. If a few get past the filter, then I doubt that much would happen. They don't appear on the site immediately, so there are opportunities to deal with this.

[Noego]

Ok. I'm seriously considering submitting some idioms.

Out of vanity, where exactly will our name appear in the credits?

[Red5]

See: http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...eadwinner.html

[Noego]

If I do submit an idiom, will I be contacted in some way?

Will you PM to tell me if my idiom was accepted? If it's refused, will you tell me why so that I can't make whatever changes are necessary?

Thanks.

EDIT: One more thing, I've noticed there's no examples proposed with the idioms.

I would personally suggest providing an example fr every single idiom as the usefulness is more limited without examples in context.

Just something to think about.

EDIT 2: I've sent my idiom, but I'm not sure whether or not it got through. I had no confirmation whatsoever...

[Tdol]

The system works like this:

Submissions go into the CMS. I delete any rubbish and duplicates and approve any new idioms, possibly changing words here or there, or adding definitions where people have only put the idiom. Then they will appear in the section. You can check here http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/new.html to see if it's there; I don't contact because this area is not part of the forum and anyone, member or not can submit.

There will often be a time lag of up to a day depending on where people are in the world- I am on Cambodian time and generally check in the afternoon. If it's a new idiom, I will always include it, though it could also go into the slang database if that is more appropriate. I may change the wording a bit, though that is generally when learners submit.

[Noego]

Ok, I'll check daily. I'm sure it will pop up eventually.