An alternative approach to idioms is known as the lexical approach which will be

focused on this topic in detail. As part of this idea, three elements have been
considered. Riemer's cognitive linguistics work focused on the ways in which
language is used to convey meaning, while Glucksberg's psycholinguistic tradition of
metaphor treatment sought to understand the ways in which metaphors are used to
communicate. Finally, the comprehensive discussion of idiomaticity in Nigerian
Arabic sought to explore the nuances of the language and its use in communication.

Idioms are not considered by Riemer (2005) as such. Yet, his interest is in explaining
how lexical polysemy develops. He suggests that properties can be deemed
metaphorical or metonymic and conventionalized in a new sense in a lexical item in
his model. With the help of examples from English and Warlpiri, Riemer illustrates
his model with examples from these languages. A Warlpiri verb pakarni, according to
Riemer, implies 'hitting' or 'hitting with an object such as a hand'. In addition to this, it
has several additional meanings, such as killing, piercing, painting, and performing
dance ceremonies. Effect metonymies are derived from a verb's causal meaning and
refer to the verb's result. For example, when someone hits someone else, the result of
that action is 'killing', so 'killing' is an effect metonymy derived from 'hitting'.
Similarly, when someone dances, their feet or instruments will be hitting the ground,
so 'performing a dance ceremony' is an effect metonymy derived from 'hitting'.

Nonetheless, it is essential to remember that the term 'dance' is not always interpreted
as a metaphor when it appears in a written or spoken language context. When the term
is used, it is interpreted in its literal meaning rather than being a metaphor. This is in
contrast to English speakers who have to use the online mapping model to interpret
and recreate the meaning of the term when used in a spoken or written context.