What is it called when you change the nouns in an idiom. As an example if I were an artic explorer I might say "Tent Sweet Tent," after comming in from a long day in the cold. The idiom is "Home Sweet Home" but has been changed. Is there a word that would be used to explain that a standard idiom has been changed to mean the same thing but in a different instance. Are there just too few idioms that can be modified in this way to merit a discriptive general reference.
1 Answer
I would call it adaptation:
[MASS NOUN]
1 The action or process of adapting or being adapted:
oxforddictionaries.com
Eskimos might prefer an adaptation to igloo sweet igloo.
X
SweetX
that identify that idiom, and theX
s can be swapped at will, as long as they remain identical and fit a context.