Redensart

From Reden +‎ -s +‎ Art, a calque of French façon de parler. Cognate to Low German Rädensoarten (plural).

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Redensart f (genitive Redensart, plural Redensarten)

1. a commonly used expression, sentence, or proverb

   Synonym: Spruch

• Typically, a Redensart is something in between a Redewendung (“expression, idiom”) and a Sprichwort (“proverb”), meaning that it is a full sentence with little or no variation but does not express a particular wisdom or truth.
• For example, auf keine Kuhhaut gehen (“to be unbelievable”, literally “to be more than fits on a cow's skin”) is a Redewendung because it can be used freely in various sentences; whereas da brat mir doch einer 'n Storch (“that's unbelievable!”, literally “someone fry me a stork now!”) is a Redensart because it is used only in this sentence form. Neither of the two is a Sprichwort because there is no wisdom or morale.

• redensartlich

• Redewendung

• “Redensart” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Redensart” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• “Redensart” in Duden online