Winged word

A winged word is an apt, figurative phrase that has entered general use from a concrete literary, historical, mythological or folk source and has retained the link with its origin: "Sisyphean labour," "the sword of Damocles," "to be or not to be." Unlike anonymous phraseological units, a winged word has a known or at least reconstructed authorship or source. Such expressions concentrate a generalised thought, historical experience or artistic image and serve as a means of the terse, authoritative expression of an idea. In literature and journalism winged words enrich speech, establish a dialogue with cultural tradition, reinforce persuasiveness. The study of winged words belongs to phraseology, paremiology and cultural linguistics, which investigate the interaction of language and culture.