Figurative Language

                   "He really let the cat out of the bag!"

This is an example of figurative language. 

Figurative language is language that is nonliteral.  It is language that has a different meaning than the meaning of the actual words used.   In the example above, the meaning is: that he told a secret, not the literal meaning of a cat getting out of a bag.

It's estimated that over 1/3 of "teacher talk" contains figurative expressions. 

(Lazar, Warr-Leeper, Beel-Nicholson, and Johnson, 1989)

This can make it very difficult for students with learning difficulties to understand classroom discussions/lessons.  Some students need specialized instruction in figurative language to enable them to fully participate fully in class.