In everyday language we use many expressions or set phrases to communicate ideas. These expressions are known as popular sayings or sayings. They all share a common characteristic: their literal meaning and their real meaning do not coincide (for example, if I say "every madman with his subject" I am not referring to any madman).
Each saying has a particular origin and a history of its own. In some cases, the author of them is known, but in most cases they are anonymous expressions that belong to the cultural heritage of a country or language. There are studies on their origin, dictionaries that classify them by subject or linguists who analyze the function of sayings in language.
The concept of the saying has something of a joke and witty occurrence. They are used to illustrate an idea in a certain context. For example, if I want to reaffirm myself in my words, I can use the saying "to what is done, chest" or if I get angry with someone because they have done something very wrong I can say that "I'm going to sing forty". If we use a saying we have to know exactly what it means, when it should be used and not forget that foreigners are not familiar with it.
Sayings and other similar concepts
A saying or phrase is not the same as a saying and a proverb is not the same as a phrase. In this sense, there is a great variety of concepts that have a certain similarity with the sayings: proverbs, aphorisms, phrases, maxims or idioms. A proverb is a sentence of popular origin that tries to transmit a teaching (a journey of a thousand kilometers begins with a simple step is a well-known oriental proverb). An aphorism is a sentence that summarizes a complex idea (virtue is in the middle). As for the phrases, there are adverbial (it came suddenly), adjectives (flag woman) and also nominal or verbal phrases. The maxim has a moral or intellectual content (for example, the famous statement by Descartes I think, therefore I am). An idiom is a descriptive expression very similar to the saying (for example, be a pig). The difference between these concepts is not always obvious, as most of them have common characteristics.
examples of popular sayings in everyday language
The world related to the sea is full of sayings: "under full sail", "afloat" or "with the water around your neck", among many others.
The bullfighting has contributed diverse sayings that are used in daily situations ("to be to the remove", "to give long" or "to throw a cape").
If something is indifferent to us, we can say "neither fu nor fa". If someone is a very restless person, someone will be able to say about him that "he is an ass with a bad seat". If something is obvious and totally logical, it is said to be "drawer". There are people who have the habit of not paying their expenses when they go with friends and it is said that it is a "gorrón" or that it "goes in a cap" (it is believed that this saying comes from former students in Spain, who wore a cap and were in the habit of sneaking into parties to eat and drink for free).
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