How to interpret some fixed phrase/idiom when there is another literal meaning?

Question

I come across this question when I encounter the phrase "for the record".

According to the Cambridge Dictionary,

for the record

Meaning: something that you say before you tell someone something important that you want them to remember

Example: And, just for the record, we were never any more than good friends.

So this is the idiomatic or fixed meaning of this phrase. But what if I just mean to record (i.e. store) a piece of information. For example,

I have included the date of travel in the claim form for the record.

Is it good or common to do so? Or I have to stay away from using idioms/fixed phrase as other meanings.

Answer 1

Your example is flawed because you're using the word record incorrectly. If you wanted to use record to mean storing a piece of information, your example sentence would be something like:

I have recorded the date of travel in the claim form.

You would never get a collision between the idiom and your sentence because in for the record, record is a noun, whereas in your example it should a verb and thus can't be used the same way.

If you wanted to refer to a physical record, the sentence would likely take a different form there too, something closer to:

I have included the date of travel in the claim form in the record.

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With regards to your question regarding whether you should stay away from idioms and fixed phrases in sentences, it depends. If you establish enough context, it shouldn't matter. Let's take a phrase like on the ball.

He's on the ball.

Without context, I would assume the meaning of on the ball to be its idiomatic one. However, if you establish some context, you can make it a lot more clear.

I saw it bouncing before he fell. He's on the ball.

He got all his work in early. He's on the ball.

In both cases, the added context makes it a lot more clear which meaning is implied.

The more generic your idiom or phrase is the less worried I would be about it. If you're ever in doubt about the clarity of your message, don't use an idiomatic phrase. Plenty of ways to skin a cat, so to speak.

Answer 2

In some cases, context (and common sense) will make it clear that a literal meaning is intended. For example, if someone, handing you a straw, says "this is the last straw" when you are in a restaurant and asking for a straw.

However, in your example it is not clear that you intended anything other than the idiom: it is ambiguous.

The solution is simple. Idioms are a subset of fixed expressions that rely heavily on certain phrasing. It is easy to "break" an idiom so that the only interpretation is literal:

• Change a word (or two). Depending on the details, your example may be able to be reworded as:
  I have included the date of travel in the claim form in the record.
  I have included the date of travel in the claim form for my record.
• Add a word. Specifically, add either actual or literal (or their adverb derivatives):
  I have included the date of travel in the claim form for the actual record.
  Another example: He fell off the literal wagon.