by Kevin Burton Today’s list from Merriam-Webster, words about hair, got me thinking about the term, “bad hair day.” Is bad hair day an idiom? The dictionary says an idiom is, “an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that cannot be understood from the combined meanings of its …
Category Archives: idioms
Breaking Ice, Chewing Fat, 12 Social Idioms
by Dictionary Scoop We often say things like “break the ice” or “hit it off” when discussing hanging out with people, without giving much thought to these idioms. But each one has a specific origin and meaning. Have you ever stopped to think about these 12? 1-Break the ice The phrase “break the …
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These Eleven Idioms All Make The Grade
by Dictionary Scoop A lot of slang terms and everyday words have surprisingly rich backstories tied to real historical events and practices. These expressions once described literal experiences before turning into figures of speech. What was their first, literal meaning? 1-Run-of-the-mill “Run-of-the-mill” these days means something ordinary or unremarkable, like in the sentence: The …
Healthy Phrases For A Healthy Vocabulary
by Dictionary Scoop Health is an important issue for everyone, and our language is proof of that! English offers us many health-related idioms with very interesting origins. To discover the meaning and roots of ten of them, read on! 1-An apple a day keeps the doctor away . You were probably just a child the first time …
Bolster Your Vocabulary With Creative Insults!
by Kevin Burton I know I shouldn’t be doing this. But here’s my excuse up front: The dictionary made me do it! There is more than enough bad blood, ill manners, insincerity and name calling to go around these days. Nevertheless, Merriam-Webster dictionary provides you today with entirely new and creative ways to …
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In Praise Of Mexico, Lettuce And Billy Joel
by Kevin Burton On a tip from a new friend, I knocked on the door of Interlingua language school one day, and asked the good people there to employ me. Shockingly, they took me up on it. This was in the Reagan 80s. I was in somebody else’s country, Mexico, and somebody …
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Words People Say From Games People Play
by Dictionary Scoop Since most board games and card games are composed of rules and repeated actions, it is only natural that certain phrases are repeated throughout the gameplay. The metaphorical potential of some of these phrases has led to them becoming part of our everyday language. Surely you use some of these: 1-Close, …
The Phrases We Use When Things Are Easy
by Dictionary Scoop Some things in life are so simple and effortless that they deserve their own colorful descriptions. It wasn’t difficult to compile these ten phrases: 1-I can do it in my sleep We all have that one recipe we know by heart—the one we turn to whenever we want to impress …
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 …
Money Talks, But Sometimes It Talks Funny
by Dictionary Scoop Some don’t like to talk money, but still, there is no shortage of money-related sayings, phrases, and idioms. Here are the origins and meanings of ten fun expressions about money, 1-Burning a hole in your pocket We could divide most people into two groups: On one side, those who know how to save, look …
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