1. Characteristics of idioms 1)Semantic unity Each idiom is a semantic unity The semantic unity can be reflected by the fact that the meaning of an idiom is very often not the total sum of the meanings of the constituent words. The semantic unity can aslo be shown in the illogical relations between the literal meanings of the consitituent words and the meaning of the idiom1. Characteristics of idioms 1) Semantic unity Each idiom is a semantic unity. The semantic unity can be reflected by the fact that the meaning of an idiom is very often not the total sum of the meanings of the constituent words. The semantic unity can aslo be shown in the illogical relations between the literal meanings of the consitituent words and the meaning of the idiom