Could anyone point me to research papers discussing idioms with similar meaning? Are there any algorithms on how to search for a similar idiom?
For example, these idioms are somewhat similar - they all claim that people can't change themselves:
Leopard can't change its spots
This idiom means that people cannot change basic aspects of their character, especially negative ones.
In your blood
A trait or liking that is deeply ingrained in someone's personality and unlikely to change is in their blood.
What can you expect from a hog but a grunt?
This means that you can't expect people to behave in a way that is not in their character- a 'hog' is a 'pig', so an unrefined person can't be expected to behave in a refined way.