<![CDATA[Figurative expressions make the signifier-signified relation especially visible because their conventional meanings may diverge sharply from literal lexical composition while remaining stable within a linguistic community. The study purpose was to explain bistratal semiotic relations in ten English figurative expressions from Cambridge Dictionary with Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of the linguistic sign as the primary framework, focusing on signifier-signified, arbitrariness, value, difference, and langue-parole. Materials and methods. A qualitative descriptive design and structural-semiotic procedure were applied to ten purposively selected dictionary-attested expressions. The complete conventional figurative expression was fixed as the signifier, the dictionary-attested conventional concept as the signified, and literal component meanings were treated separately as possible sources of motivation. Hjelmslev's expression-content distinction was retained only as a secondary descriptive aid. Results. All ten expressions realize the same two-sided Saussurean architecture but differ in the degree and source of motivation between the two sides. Four recurrent patterns were identified: conventional idiomatic reinterpretation, embodied or action-based metaphor, symbolic-evaluative association, and conceptual-evaluative metaphor. Opaque expressions such as break a leg and spill the beans rely most strongly on convention, whereas green light, red flag, and time is money make differential, symbolic, or metaphorical motivation more visible. These differences are explained through arbitrariness, systemic value and difference, and the stabilization of conventional relations in langue. Conclusions. Arbitrariness does not require the absence of motivation; it indicates that no natural necessity fixes a particular signifier to a particular signified. The study contributes a focused and traceable operationalization of Saussurean sign theory for figurative language by locating variation in the motivation of the relation rather than in the definition of either side of the sign.]]>
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