Old-school news, just in time
by Dictionary Scoop Words like “cattywampus” and “frou-frou” are more than just fun to say. Sometimes, etymology can take unexpected twists and leave us with gems like “erf” and “dragoon.” To some, these are everyday words in areas like cuisine or urban planning, for others they are a random assortment of letters that might …
Continue reading “Funny-Sounding Words With Serious Meanings”
by Dictionary Scoop Food idioms have a way of adding flavor to our speech. We have internalized these phrases and no longer notice their edible main characters. What are the origins of these funny lines? Did their meanings evolve over the centuries? Grab a snack and read on to learn the history of food-related …
by Dictionary Scoop The beautiful Italian language includes terms that perfectly encapsulate the meaning of things other languages need more than one word to define. Since food and classical music are two very successful Italian exports, it should come as no surprise that many words we use in English-speaking countries relating to these …
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by Dictionary Scoop Speaking the same language doesn’t always guarantee effective communication. For example, the elderly and the young share a language but not a code. In the case of our fellow English speakers across the Atlantic, some words and phrases are quite specific to their culture. Here are ten British expressions and their origins: 1-Bagsy …
Continue reading “What’s For Dinner Fido? Ten British Phrases”
by Dictionary Scoop Have you listened to teenagers talk lately? Their vocabulary is full of words we don’t quite understand. But come on, we did it too: every decade has had its own set of slang words and expressions. Today, we look back at ten slang words and expressions that have defined each decade from …
Continue reading “American Slang Phrases Through The Decades”
by Kevin Burton My first reaction upon reading that Merriam-Webster plans to eliminate words from the dictionary was protective: “keep your hands off my words!” Then I read the list. Well all right then, go ahead and chop them. Except for mugwump. I need that one to stay. The Mugwumps was …
by Dictionary Scoop While many things bring Americans closer to the UK, some aspects of our language set us apart. English is spoken by more than 1.4 billion people worldwide; with so many people using this language, it is understandable that some differences have developed. Today we walk through 10 drastic vocabulary differences between American …
by Kevin Burton You may not have heard of some of the words on today’s list from Merriam-Webster, especially the first one. The dictionary is serving up words about insignificance. But the first offering is from my childhood days at the Ohio State School for the Blind. I may have heard this …
by Kevin Burton Here’s where country music meets the dictionary, a sleazy list of words from Merriam-Webster about adultery and/or its aftermath. The Bible doesn’t have a hierarchy of sins, at least that I can find, but I sort of do. Marital infidelity is very close to the worst in my estimation. …
Continue reading “From Merriam-Webster: Your Cheatin’ Words”
by Dictionary Scoop You are probably aware that the English language has Greek and Latin roots. But did you know some of the most used English words come from Ancient Egyptian? For example, the word pharaoh is a no-brainer. As you would imagine, it is an Ancient Egyptian word meaning “Great House,” the place destined for …
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