Stylistic classification of the english vocabulary

f) Decomposition of Set Expressions
The meaning of a phraseological fusion is unders­tood only from the combination as a whole. The meaning of the whole cannot be derived from the meaning of the component parts. E.g.: "To pull somebody's leg"; "To have something at one's finger-tips".
The stylistic device of decomposition of such set expressions consists in reviving the independent mea­nings. In other words it makes each word of the combina­tion acquire its literal meaning.
The stylistic effect is achieved in the way of viola­tion of a set expression in the result of its prolongation. Modified forms of the unit require great skill in handling them. The inner mechanism of this device lies in the literal interpretation of the elements of a set expression. E.g.:
"Little John had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth which was rather curly and large".
Adding the attributive clause to "mouth", Galswor­thy revives the primary meaning of the word, lost in the fusion "to be born with the silver spoon in one's mouth" - "to be lucky" - and freshens up the whole expression. Another example:
"... he played second fiddle to her in his father's heart. What he played in his mother's heart he knew not yet". (Galsworthy)
"To play second fiddle" means "to be of little im­portance", but the writer overlooks the fact and works with each component of the unit as it were an independent element.
Very often violation takes place in proverbs and sayings, most of which are set phrases and fusions:
"Hard work never killed anyone, but why take a chance and be its first victom". (Wodehouse)
Rather often the interaction between the indepen­dent and phraseological meanings of a word occurs due to the homogeneous usage of set expression and a free combination:
"... the outside passengers...remain where they are, and stamp their feet against the coach to warm them - looking with longing eyes and red noses at the bright fire in the inn bar". (Dickens)
"To look with longing eyes" is a traditional, while "to look with red noses" is a free combination. Simulta­neous realization of both meanings leads to a humorous effect.
Another case of violation is a combination of two phraseological units on a semantically false basis:
"They are always biting the hand that lays the golden eggs".
A hand cannot lay eggs. So the attachment of one phraseologcal unit to the other with the word "hand" for link is wrong and produces a false phraseological coinage.
The above-mentioned cases occur mainly in direct speech of personages to characterize them through their speech. The final result achieved is always humorous.

SYNTACTICAL EXPRESSIVE MEANS AND STYLISTIC DEVICES