2. Lexis and Anomaly
The vocabulary of FEIs has a distribution
that is different from that of the lexicon in
general.
Some words (and so concepts, images,
structures) feature strongly in FEIs , or
occur relatively more often in FEIs than in
freely formed text.
3. Cranberry Collocations
There are a few lexemes that never occur
outside FEIs – cranberry collocations.
Several groups of cranberry collocations
4. Rare fossil words, or words
borrowed from other languages
run amok
in cahoots with someone
by dint of something
in high dudgeon
in fine/good fettle
to and fro
grist to one’s mill
go/be haywire
put the kibosh on something
out of kilter/off kilter
5. Rare fossil words, or words
borrowed from other languages
kith and kin
at loggerheads
sleight of hand
cock a snook
spic(k) and span
on tenterhooks
in a trice
take umbrage
wend one’s way somewhere
of yore
6. Lexemes unique to the FEI but homographic
with other independent items
be at someone’s beck and call
to boot
come a cropper
curry a favour
hue and cry
leave someone in the lurch
queer someone’s pitch
(by) the scruff of someone’s neck
be no slouch (at something)
have no truck with someone/something
7. Cranberry items have compositional or
familiar morphemic structure, but occur only
in FEIs
in accordance with something
make amends
at gunpoint
irrespective of
at/from the outset
in retrospect
give someone the run-around
in triplicate
unbeknownst to someone
8. FEIs, grammatical in function, containing
unanalysable or unique items
on someone’s behalf, on behalf of
someone
for someone’s/something’s sake, for the
sake of someone/something
in someone’s stead
9. Cranberry Collocations
The description above is synchronic. However,
diachronically, these FEIs may be well formed.
For example, dint in by dint of something meant
‘a blow’, or ‘the dealing of blows’, then ‘dent’ or
‘impression’, but these meanings have become
obsolete in many varieties of English (although
the latter survives in Australian English)
Cranberry collocations can be compared to
foreign phrases, which are borrowed wholesale
into English but retain their original wording and
alien syntagmatic structure
10. Ill-formed FEIs
FEIs that cannot be parsed according to
normal syntactic rules are non-
compositional: they are the grammatical
equivalents to cranberry FEIs.
Diachronically, they may be fossils of
earlier uses, but they are aberrant
synchronically. There are several groups
of ill-formed FEIs
11. Ill-formedness arises from odd phrase
structures, ellipsis, inflections, or from an
archaic mood
at all
be that as it may
be seeing you
by and by
by and large
come to think of it
come what may
curiouser and curiouser
dog eat dog
every which way
far be it from me
give someone what for
go for broke
hard done by
how come
12. Ill-formedness arises from odd phrase
structures, ellipsis, inflections, or from an
archaic mood
how do you do?
I’ll be blowed
let alone ____
mind you
more fool you
needless to say
please God
point taken
quote unquote
shame on ___
so long!
to do with
to each X’s own
to the manner born
writ large
13. FEIs that contain strange uses of
wordclasses
A non-nominal word or sense may be used as a noun, or an adjective as an
adverb:
all of a sudden
at the ready
beyond compare
do the dirty on someone
for free
have a down on someone
ifs and buts
in brief
in general
in the know
of late
of old
once in a while
14. FEIs that contain strange uses of
wordclasses
on the alert
on the make
on the up and up
play fair
stand easy
state the obvious
swear blind
the back of beyond
the dos and don’ts
the ins and outs
the whys and wherefores
through thick and thin
trip the light fantastic
15. One or more component words in an FEI
deviate from their usual syntactic behaviour
Countable nouns may be used without determiners in the singular,
or verbs may be used in aberrant tranisitivity patterns:
bag and baggage
bring someone to book
(by) word of mouth
come a cropper
fight tooth and nail
(not) go a bundle on something
go (the) whole hog
in all weathers
in case
keep body and soul together
put pen to paper
16. One or more component words in an FEI
deviate from their usual syntactic behaviour
rain cats and dogs
sweat blood
stand someone in good stead
stay put
to hand
turn and turn about
under lock and key
to date
17. Structures are correct syntagmatically but
not paradigmatically
The valencies and collocational well-formedness are
disturbed; some FEIs are literally impossible, and the
grammar reinforces their violation of truth conditions:
clap eyes on someone
do a runner
live a lie
look daggers at someone
make heavy weather of something
put one’s best foot forward
turn turtle
when push comes to shove
19. Predicate FEIs
They consist of clause elements, and thus can be said to
have the syntactic structure of clauses. The main
elements are subject and verb and they are obligatory,
while other elements vary (direct and indirect object,
adjunct, complement, catenated predicator, object
complement). For example:
X admits defeat
X takes Y to task
The coast is clear
X teaches Y a lesson
Alarm bells ring
Sparks fly
20. Nominal groups
a blessing in disguise
a flash in the pan
a foregone conclusion
ivory tower
a world of difference
the salt of the earth
Trojan horse
21. Predicative adjectival groups
They occur either postnominally or after a
copula; they are actually adjective phrases that
are used predicatively:
alive and kicking
bone idle
cut and tried
dressed to kill
free and easy
long in the tooth
wet behind the ears
wide awake
22. Modifiers
They function in prenominal position, i.e. they
modify a head noun in a noun phrase:
a thousand and one
all-singing all-dancing
any old
common or garden
dim and distant
hard and fast
precious little, precious few
the one and only
23. Adjuncts
They are adverbials (priloške oznake):
above board
by heart
by the skin of one’s teeth
from memory
high and dry
in cold blood
on horseback
out of the question
under the counter
under the weather
up for grabs
with one’s bare hands
at once
for the time being
24. Adjuncts
on the spur of the moment
from time to time
little by little
time and again
once in a blue moon
from afar
within spitting distance
in vain
to be on the safe side
to smithereens
by far
far and away
through and through
25. Sentence Adverbials
by definition
for the most part
in effect
no doubt
to be sure
by the way
in other words
so much for -----
talking of ------
above all
after all
in fact
on the contrary
26. Conventions, exclamations, and
subordinate clauses
The commonest of these FEIs in everyday
communication are those that encode
greetings, apologies, refusals, expressions
of sympathy, etc.:
by all means
don’t mention it
excuse me
go for it!
good morning
never mind
no comment
27. Conventions, exclamations, and
subordinate clauses
Some of these FEIs express reactions
and opinions:
it’s nothing
pigs might fly
those were the days
who cares?
you can say that again
28. Conventions, exclamations, and
subordinate clauses
Proverbs and sayings are classified as
conventions:
every cloud has a silver lining
first come first served
the end justifies the means
you can’t have your cake and eat it
29. Conventions, exclamations, and
subordinate clauses
FEIs functioning as subordinate clauses:
as if X owns the place
if the worst comes to the worst
until the cows come home
when push comes to shove
when the chips are down
