Word to the Wise: Locution
by ETR (04/9/2008)
A "locution" (loh-KYOO-shun) is a form of expression - a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations. The word is derived from the Latin for "to speak."
Example (as used by Emma Brockes in a New York Times review of Julie Andrews’ memoir Home): "[Her] memoir is full of crisp locutions like ‘poor unfortunate’ and ‘banished to the scullery.’"