Idiom or Metaphor

[Lazz]

As a new member taking a quick glance around, I notice that many of the phrases listed under your rubric "English Idioms" are not actually "idioms" at all. Do we believe meanings are without importance on such a language site - or should the concern be dismissed as mere pedantry?

While I am at it, I also notice that many items listed as "Cockney Rhyming Slang" are cheap imitations without valid Cockney connection. Is the issue overly specious or does it matter?

I also cannot help noticing that for each post I am required to repeat an increasingly tiresome image verification. Having officially logged-in already, I truly fail to see the point of this protocol. It seems like a participation repellent.

[emsr2d2]

The image verification requirement might go away now that you have made 10 posts. New users have to go through various formalities in order for us to protect the forum from trolls and spam. Alternatively, you might not have set the forum settings to keep you permanently logged in. That might clear up the issue too.

I've moved this thread to the Support Area as it is an enquiry better directed at the editors.

[Piscean]

should the concern be dismissed as mere pedantry?

Probably

Is the issue overly specious?

Probably.

It seems like a participation repellent.

Well, thousands of people have managed over the years not to be repelled.

[Tdol]

1 We take a broad interpretation about things that might concern learners from very different language families- purists can take care of themselves.
2 What is a valid Cockney connection? Do we have to remain rooted in the nineteenth century? Nelson Mandela would probably fail your purity test, but I have heard it used in pubs in areas within the sound of the bells.

Feel free to create a list of idioms and rhyming slang that meet your definitions and standards- a purist vision would also be welcome. Some of the phrasal verbs don't meet the pure definition either, but they may still be of use to, say, a learner from East Asia, no matter how much purists grimace.

With regard to the Captcha verification, you have posted over ten times, which should allow you to post freely. First posts have to go through moderation, and any posts up to ten that contain links go through the same process, which helps reduce spam and advertising. This does include posts that quote messages as that includes a link. Please let me know if you are still getting the message because there is no reason for this and I will look into the matter.

[Tdol]

Here's an example. A first-year undergraduate student, say, in Osaka finds a sentence that says that someone has shown a certain je ne sais quoi since they went on the wagon. A purist could happily not include either of these in a list of idioms, which would help if the learner were sure that the list was complete. If they came to our site, they would stand a chance of understanding the sentence, even though one is French and the other is a prepositional phrase. We try to take the messier pragmatic route that might help said learner. We will plead guilty if charged with including impure idioms.