by Merriam-Webster Dictionary Although Merriam-Webster is a dictionary of American English, it contains a range of words rarely heard outside Britain. Here are some of our favorites: Prat - a stupid or foolish person Prat has been British slang for the sort of person with whom you’d rather not share a long train journey since …
Just Your Everyday Sweet-Smelling Blog Post
by Kevin Burton Just what does teen spirit smell like anyway? You know, people have put some thought into this. Really. This is from Nica Rodriguez, writing on http://www.thought.is: “For starters, the smell of a new book should ring a few bells. There is no denying that a new book smells …
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1970s Songs That Were Banned From Radio
by Kevin Burton If one of your favorite new songs got banned from commercial radio today, you might not even know it. That, of course, would tamp down the outrage a bit. But back in the day radio was king, and airplay, or lack thereof, had big sales implications. What follows is …
Every Dog (Eventually) Has His Day On Page 7
by Kevin Burton If I said today’s post represented equal time for dog lovers, you’d say “surely your definition of equal is skewed.” You’d say “seems to me in your world, cats are more equal than others.” You could say this is more like throwing dog lovers a bone. You would be …
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Lessons In Perseverance From Famous Athletes
by Dictionary Scoop Throughout history, sports legends have given us more than just great games to watch. These were people at the top of their game who pushed themselves to the limit. And still, along the way, they picked up knowledge that is relevant to all of us. Here are ten quotes that stand …
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12 American Terms Used Around The World
by Dictionary Scoop American English has influenced global vocabulary for more than a century through movies, advertisements, literature, music, businesses, and technology. Some words that began as distinctly American expressions eventually became common almost everywhere, even in places where English is not an official language. Here are 12 Americanisms have crossed oceans and …
Quibbles And Bits: World Cup Edition
by Kevin Burton How to wrap one’s heart and empathetic mind around the heartbreak for England as it coughed up a late lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals Wednesday? Think of a Cleveland basketball fan watching Michael Jordan sink a jumper over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs …
The Soccer Match That Kicked Off A War
by Toby Luckhurst BBC In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras fought a four-day conflict that cost thousands of lives and displaced thousands more - a bloody struggle still remembered as the Football War. It was 2-2 after 90 minutes at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. This was the third game between Honduras and …
New Sweden: The “Secret” American Colony
by Eliot Stein BBC Ask most Americans and they'll tell you that the United States started in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. But chances are, almost none of those coming realizes that the US's political and ideological birthplace was once part of a little-known …
Loving The Truth In An Age Of Lies
by Dane Massey (Dane Massey is the former Pastor of Mulvane Christian Church. He is now in ministry in Houston, Texas.) I’ve spent my week thinking on the love of the truth, as reflected in II Thessalonians 2:9-12. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and …
