PHYTONYMS IN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS - A CONTRASTIVE APPROACH

The aim of this research is to identify the equivalences between English and Romanian idiomatic expressions containing phytonyms by describing their origins and meanings. As specialists have resorted to various terms to refer to these structures, e.g. phraseological units, fixed phrases, multi-word units etc., the first part of the analysis focuses on theoretical aspects related to their definition and classification in the literature. The discussion continues with a general description of fifteen English idiomatic expressions containing phytonyms, more specifically, with a presentation of their origins and meanings, the Romanian equivalents and, where necessary and possible, the origins of the translated idioms, are provided. The last part of the paper draws conclusions on the similarities and differences between the idioms containing phytonyms in English and Romanian.