how's your grammar?

I came across a totally interesting question this week, what's the difference between an idiom and a proverb? The really interesting part is, I had no idea how to answer that, no clue.
After a bit of googling I think I found out, still not 100% sure on this though,but that's not really the point of this post.

Idiom
a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word understood on its own:

Proverb
a short sentence, etc., usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice

It's still a bit vague... But accorcing to these definitions, a proverb must be a SENTENCE while an idiom is just a phrase (a group of words)???

A proverb is a saying such that almost everybody knows and you understand easily what it means. For example "Necessity is the mother of invention" is a proverb.

An idiom is a phrase such that almost nobody knows why it means so. "Kick the bucket" is an idiom to mean "die". Do you understand why it means so?

The point is that I learned this at some point in my english grammar classes, as well as tautology, spoonerisms, and a host of other super interesting grammatical devices. However, I have forgotten this, most of it anyway. And that makes me sad, and thus shall I blog about it.

I would like to issue a challenge, that we all keep our eyes and ears open for cool grammatical happenings. Let's try re-learn some of the ish we learned in high-school.

Borg

Electronic contact

So my gorgeous girlfriend has been in Germany for two weeks, and has another there before she comes back to SA.

She left me behind to run off to Europe to expand her education through a studio for her new Urban Design course. If that sounded bitter, I appolgise, it wasn't supposed to. I'm fully behind her studying and it's Uber-cool that she could do some of the work overseas. It's really awesome :D ... but it does make my life harder.

All I can say is "Thank Tim Berners Lee for the internet!!!"... not solely the internet actually. I find myself very appreciative of the whole plethora modern communications technology. Without SMSs, GChat, Skype and Facebook, I think I'd be a gibbering wreck by now. As it is: I'm not wrecked (any more than before anyway) and there has been scaresly a gibber at all.

Electronic communication is no substitute for physical presence, but it certainly takes the edge off. I feel privileged to be able to make such mundane use of abilities that would have been the greatest of magical powers a century ago.

So the next time you're chatting to someone on the other side of the world, take a moment to appreciate what a truely massive accomlishment that is for the human race.

I miss you, gorgeous... and can't wait for your return: but you must have oodles of fun in Germany and tell me all about it when you get back.

-Odd

"Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone." - Paul Tillich

Word of the Week

Jeremiad - noun

1. a prolonged lamentation or complaint.