In everyday speech, a phrase may be any group of words, often carrying a special idiomatic meaning; in this sense it is roughly synonymous with expression. In linguistic analysis, a phrase is a group of words (or possibly a single word) that functions as a constituent in the syntax of a sentence—a single unit within a grammatical hierarchy. A phrase appears within a clause, although it is also possible for a phrase to be a clause or to contain a clause within it.
There is a difference between the common use of the term phrase and its technical use in linguistics. In common usage, a phrase is usually a group of words with some special idiomatic meaning or other significance, such as "all rights reserved", "economical with the truth", "kick the bucket", and the like. It may be a euphemism, a saying or proverb, a fixed expression, a figure of speech, etc.
In grammatical analysis, particularly in theories of syntax, a phrase is any group of words, or sometimes a single word, which plays a particular role within the grammatical structure of a sentence. It does not have to have any special meaning or significance, or even exist anywhere outside of the sentence being analyzed, but it must function there as a complete grammatical unit. For example, in the sentence Yesterday I saw an orange bird with a white neck, the words an orange bird with a white neck form what is called a noun phrase, or a determiner phrase in some theories, which functions as the object of the sentence.
The young woman known only as A was half of the mercenary duo known as the Lady Killers. A and her partner T assisted Mister X's bodyguard Blok in testing Wolverine prior to the feral X-Man's meeting with Mister X.
Aardwolf (Chon Li) is a mutant in the Marvel Universe.
The character, created by Fabian Nicieza, Ken Lashley and Fred Hayes, first appeared in Night Thrasher #3 (October 1993).
Within the context of the stories, Aardwolf establishes himself as a crime lord on the island of Madripoor. He tricked Night Thrasher into helping him defend his empire by defeating Midnight's Fire.
The Abominable Snowman (Carl Hanson) is a character in the Marvel Universe.
The character, created by Jack Kirby and an uncredited writer, first appeared in Tales to Astonish #13 (November 1960).
Within the context of the stories, Carl Hanson is an adventurer who steals a photograph of the Abominable Snowman and attempts to track the creature down. Not accepting advice from others that the photo is cursed, he slowly transforms into the creature during his search.