by Dictionary Scoop The 60s were truly a magical time, weren’t they? If there’s one word that truly defined this decade, it would be the word “freedom”: After all, the 60s were defined by their revolutionary new takes on music, art, and society in general. In fact, this era was so groundbreaking that …
Category Archives: dictionary
Sharp-Dressed Words From Fashion Industry
by Dictionary Scoop In this article, we uncover the origins of 10 items from the fashion industry. Even though all of these garments have evolved over time, their unusual names remain. 1-Denim A couple of centuries before Levi Strauss popularized denim jeans, two cities in Europe were already developing the textile that would become an icon of …
Continue reading “Sharp-Dressed Words From Fashion Industry”
Careful How You Navigate Foreign Exchange
by Kevin Burton There was a brief time in my life when I got paid in pesos, as I was teaching English to Mexican nationals in a language school in Puebla, Mexico. I don’t remember all the specifics now, but for some reason I wanted change for (I think) a 1,000-peso bill. I …
Continue reading “Careful How You Navigate Foreign Exchange”
English Idiom Equivalents In Other Languages
by Dictionary Scoop To say that the English language is filled to the brim with quirky and baffling idioms is no groundbreaking news. While we have previously delved into the inherent strangeness of the idioms we use every day, one of the most beautiful aspects of these phrases is how difficult they are to translate: …
Continue reading “English Idiom Equivalents In Other Languages”
Latin, Like Ancient Rome, Never Gets Old
by Merriam-Webster Dictionary Over the centuries, certain Latin phrases have been used widely enough in English to get included in the dictionary. This list contains some of our favorites: In Vino Veritas Definition – “there is truth in wine”: The classy thing to say when you’ve had too much to drink and have just …
Sun Dogs And Other Weather Mysteries
by Dictionary Scoop If you’ve ever stood out in the open witnessing a double rainbow, a scary gathering storm, or stroll-stopping halo, you know how surprising nature can be. It can leave us gaping at the sights as if we were in a movie, or beholding a supernatural scene. Some of the terms …
Friending Shakespeare And His Word Creations
by Kevin Burton Today we continue a sampling of words and phrases coined by William Shakespeare compiled by the Dictionary Scoop website. Five words and phrases Sunday, five more today. The first one on today’s list is a good description of me. The last one is a word I am sure you thought …
Continue reading “Friending Shakespeare And His Word Creations”
The Genius Of Shakespeare Still Evident Today
by Dictionary Scoop It’s not always possible to attribute the origin of a word to a particular person. However, it is believed that William Shakespeare contributed more than 1,700 terms and expressions to the English language, many of which we still use today. The way Shakespeare invented, reused, and modified words is a living testament …
Continue reading “The Genius Of Shakespeare Still Evident Today”
These Words Come From France With Love
by Dictionary Scoop English is part of the Germanic language family, while French is a Romance language. At first glance, one would think that they don’t have much in common, right? But this is not the case; French has influenced our language in many ways, including our vocabulary. Today, ten common English words that have …
Making Two Words Into New Words
by Kevin Burton Great stews and new sandwiches are born of imagination and the proper use of resources at hand. Sometimes we get words that way too. Two words combine, in whole or in part, to form a whole new word that though previously not a word, is immediately understandable. For example, …
Page 7 