Idioms are commonly used figurative expressions. Idiom is not a distinct figurative language technique. Rather, most idioms are similes, metaphors, hyperbole, or other figurative language techniques. For example, the idiom "I's so hungry that I could eat a horse," is actually an example of hyperbole. And the idiom, "dropping like flies, "is actually a simile. What separates an idiom from its original technique, however, is that idiom have been so commonly used that they became incorporated into the colloquial lexicon of native language speakers. In other words, native speakers use them so much that they don't even know that they are using figurative language.