In modern English, if you “wreak” something, it’s generally “havoc” (or possibly revenge). The only thing that can be “akimbo” is “arms”. There’s only “flotsam” where there’s also “jetsam”
Is there a term for words like this that are solely or mainly used in just one context? And what are some more that people can think of?
You never hear nook without cranny.
I would say that is actually the other way around. I’ve never heard cranny in another context but I’ve heard of a breakfast nook.
The technical term is collocation.
You can’t write a picture, draw an essay, go the dishes, or play skiing.
“Ajar” (“Door”)
Yeah, that’s close. But this would be a particular type of collocation - one in which a component had fallen so much into disuse that it never appeared outside that specific context.
I’m seeing Collocational restriction on wiki as well, but again that isn’t quite it - the ‘white’ in ‘white wine’ or ‘white man’ might be different to ‘white paint’ but the word ‘white’ is still ubiquitous in other contexts.
I was just noticing today that “nigh” is usually preceded by “The end of the world is.”
Michelle, ma belle,
These are words that go together well.
Yeah after more thought, there’s several different terms for “words that go together.”
Compound nouns: the trash bag is never the waste bag because “trash bag” is a word in itself.
Cliche, expression, saying: A bird in the hand is worth __________.
Phrasal verbs: when a verb and a preposition are put together to form a new, specific meaning, they always must go together.
I believe the OP has examples of all of the ones I mentioned in their original post except phrasal verbs.
We had this discussion just last month, started by OP Silver Tyger
All those words go perfectly well with lots of other words. They are not in any way examples of what the OP is talking about.
Furthermore, the fact that you cannot write a picture, etc., is not a fact about language at all, it is a fact about the natures of the acts and objects named.
FTW!
Had a long answer planned, but instead I’ll just call you ignorant and advise you to check any grammar book about “word choice error” or “collocation error.”
If you generously grant that njtt meant “grammar” specifically and not “language” generally, his statement is correct.
Sigh. Read my post above and follow the same instructions.
If you’ve never heard of either, I’d suggest dropping it now and calling it a loss.
Far be it for me to get into a grammar argument at 4 in the morning when I should be working, but according to my understanding, the invalidity of phrases like “write a picture” is semantic and not syntactic. “Write a picture” is as grammatical as “read a book.”
Again, I would advise you to figure out what a “word choice error” and a “collocation error” are before you continue to embarrass yourself.
Alternatively, you could explain what a word choice error is and why it has anything to do with syntax.