The Road, The Race And The Finish Line

by Kevin Burton    Most of the words I share today come from Truth For Life, the Cleveland ministry founded by Alistair Begg. But I also imagine them coming also from my late mother.    They are words she might well have spoken in her final days.    Mom died May 4. She had close …

Meet the 98-year-old ‘Angel of Route 66’

by Rebecca Treon BBC    On a dusty stretch of northern Arizona, about an hour west of Flagstaff, the neon glow of Angel and Vilma Delgadillo's Original Route 66 Gift Shop still flickers to life each morning.    Inside, 98-year-old Angel Delgadillo greets the stream of visitors pouring in from tour buses with a handshake and …

You Talk Funny, Sonny: 12 American Accents

by Dictionary Scoop    The U.S. is a collection of regional accents, derived from waves of immigration, geography, and history. Let’s take a look at how some of the most recognizable American accents came to be. 1-California    California accents may seem subtle, but they’re deeply rooted in the state’s layered history. Spanish was the dominant …

‘Miracle Tree’ Removes Plastics From Water

by Angela Symons  Euronews.com    A millennia-old purification technique could be the cure for Europe’s microplastic-riddled drinking water.    In a recent study, seeds from the ‘miracle’ moringa tree were found to match or outperform their chemical counterpart in filtering out aged PVC microplastics – one of the most harmful plastic types for human health. …

You Are What You Eat? Taste These Idioms

by Dictionary Scoop    Our language loves to borrow from the dinner table. Many everyday words that sound delicious once referred only to food but have since taken on entirely new meanings.    Take a look at 12 of these idioms and see for yourself! 1-Butterfingers    A term once used for describing the act …

Will You Use These Ten Weird Words?

by Kevin Burton    The cautionary note from Dictionary Scoop regarding today’s content is “Warning: once you learn these strange words, you’ll start using them!”    Well I don’t think so, other than one I already use and another I might use, sparingly. Thinking of words as tools, I would decline to jam most of …

Common Things Once Worth More Than Gold

by Dictionary Scoop    Many of the things we take for granted today were once the stuff of dreams for kings, aristocrats, and the wealthy few. From basic household staples to everyday technology, these now-common goods were once markers of status and privilege. Here’s a look at ten items that were once nearly unattainable luxuries. 1-Sugar    Once called …

“Cat Island” Japan And Other “Animal Towns”

by Dictionary Scoop    Traveling to foreign cities and towns is a great way to interact with different people and their cultures, but have you ever thought about visiting an animal town?    Scattered around the world, some of these places are the result of natural reserves set up to protect endangered species, while others …

Ten Surprising Foreign Language Enclaves

by Dictionary Scoop    Migrations, trade, and other historical events have contributed to the spread of languages to regions far from their origins. But sometimes, we arrive at a new location expecting to hear a particular language, only to be surprised by the use of a language we wouldn’t expect.    Here are ten places in …

What The British Mean When They Say ‘Sorry’

by Mike MacEacheran BBC    In the UK, sorry is not simply an apology, it's a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude.    It is perhaps no coincidence that such famously polite characters as Paddington and …