The study approaches the question of the origin of idiomatic phrases from the point of view of classical rhetoric. After a detailed theoretical discussion of phenomena such as metaphor, metonymy, irony, antithesis, etc., some 400 German idiomatic phrases and sayings are subjected to close rhetorical/semantic examination. This empirical section of the study conveys a differentiated picture of the meaning structure of 'figurative' expressions, points up links between the literal and idiomatic ...