by Kevin Burton If you’re not good at gardening, you can say that you have a “brown thumb.” You can say it, I won’t. Yes the antonym of “green thumb” which speaks to people who are good at gardening is “brown thumb.” But that sounds much worse than it needs to, so I’ll …
Category Archives: dictionary
The Weird, Wacky Words Of The Wild West
by Dictionary Scoop Cowboys in the Old West not only tamed the inhospitable land, but they also forged their own language. They created unrefined similes and metaphors, broke the rules of grammar, flooded figures of speech with humor, and made a verb out of anything. In this article, we review 12 expressions we …
False Cognates Are Language Landmines
by Dictionary Scoop Ever encountered a word in another language that seemed familiar but left you confused? False cognates—words that appear similar but have unrelated meanings—are the culprits. These false friends can sometimes lead to hilarious or embarrassing misunderstandings, especially for language learners. Here are ten examples that demonstrate just how deceptive languages …
Words Whose Standard Spelling Has Changed
by Dictionary Scoop Just as a river constantly flows yet maintains its continuity, languages change and evolve over time. Words can shift in spelling, alter their meanings, or branch into entirely new concepts while retaining the essence that once defined them. Even in modern times, with dictionaries and education standardizing pronunciations and definitions, notable differences …
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Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
by Kevin Burton Apologies right up front for all you lawn rangers, fighting the good fight for greener, pristiner front yards. Merriam-Webster calls the dandelion a flower. And I supposed by some measures it is. But don’t try giving your wife dandelions on your anniversary. You may end up with dandelion soup for …
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Flowers Can Wait, They’ll Be Here Tomorrow
by Kevin Burton Now flowers come from seeds. But flower etymologies come from every linguistic corner under heaven, ubiquitous as the flowers themselves it seems. On a beautiful Spring day, imagine an average couple driving the highways and byways of the heartland in a beautiful 2012 Toyota. And the wife might say, “Do …
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Speaking My Language, Journalism Jargon
by Kevin Burton Every industry has its insider jargon and our friends at Dictionary Scoop have released a list of journalism phrases. And I’ll get to it, gladly. But first, one bone to pick. So the way I was trained in journalism was, get to the point, now. Put the most important …
A Fearful List Of Ten Unusual Phobias
by Dictionary Scoop The word “phobia” does not merely mean “fear of” as some believe. There is more to it. A phobia is an irrational fear, “an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation,” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Here are ten uncommon fears and …
Foreign Words With No English Equivalent
by Interesting Facts With the right combination of words and expressions, we can communicate anything our hearts desire. That’s the power of language. But what about those times when you’re looking for a single word rather than an entire sentence to sum up a thought or feeling? For that, we can look to …
Words For Cats’ Eyes, Bad Hair, Plenty More
by Kevin Burton Merriam-Webster dictionary took to social media to ask readers to identify some of their favorite underrated words. Yesterday we posted some of these words and today we finish their list. This may be the weirdest list I’ve ever posted. Some of these words don’t strike me as particularly useful. Others …
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