A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
Definitions: What are ... Proverbs, Sayings,
Aphorisms, Idioms, etc.
A saying is something that is said or written, notable in one respect or another, to be a pithy
expression of wisdom or truth."
There are a number of specific types of saying, of which proverb is probably the best known.
However, the distinction between them is often pretty vague.
Aphorism
A tersely, memorable phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage.
[from Greek aphorismos, from aphorizein, to delimit, define. Apo- (1. Away from; off;
Separate. 2. Without 3. Related to) + Horizein (limit, boundary)]
Adage
An aphorism that has that has gained credit through long use.
Cliché
An overly commonplace, banal or trite saying, expression or idea.
“Even while the phrase was degenerating to cliché in ordinary public use . . . scholars
were giving it increasing attention” (Anthony Brandt).
Epigram
A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement, thought or observation; sometimes
expressed as a short, witty poem.
Epithet
A descriptive term (= word or phrase) used to characterize a person or thing, that has
become popular is commonly understood. Example: "The Great Emancipator" as a term
for Abraham Lincoln.
Gnome
A pithy saying that expresses a general truth, fundamental principle or an instruction in a
compact form; an aphorism. [Greek: from gignoskein, to know]
Idiom
An expression that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the
individual meanings of the words. Quite a few idioms are language specific, and thus
diificult to translate. Example: "a cold day in Hell"
Hyperbole
A figure of speech (or any rhetorical device) in which exaggeration is used for emphasis
or effect, mostly beyond credibility. It is encountered in casual speech, as in “I could
sleep for a year” or “This book weighs a ton.”
[Greek huperbol¶, excess, from: huper (= beyond) and ballein (=to throw)]
Mantra