the.com/colloquialism
The grammar rule you break on purpose because everyone already knows what you meant.
means A word or phrase used in casual, everyday talk rather than formal writing or speech.
from Traces back to the Latin 'colloquium' — a 'speaking together,' from 'com-' (together) and 'loqui' (to speak), the same root that gives us 'loquacious' and 'eloquent.' English borrowed 'colloquial' in the 18th century to describe the easy, conversational register of talk as opposed to the stiff formality of the written page — and 'colloquialism' soon followed to name the specific loose, familiar expressions that live comfortably in that register.
- not slang
- slang is new words, this is just informal usage
- regional tell
- y'all versus you guys reveals your hometown instantly
- dictionary status
- real words, just flagged informal in fine print
- fiction's favorite
- writers use it to make characters sound human