by Dictionary Scoop In every language, there is a type of gem known as idioms that add spice to our conversations, relying on context and shared understanding to convey messages in a not-so-direct way. Today, we’ll explore ten idioms in English that play with numbers. 1 One-horse town Many idioms begin as a literal phrase that …
Category Archives: language
Eight Words Named After Real People
by interestingfacts.com Words named after specific people are known as eponyms. After enough time passes, the namesake is often forgotten while the word sticks around, so many eponyms no longer even register as someone’s name. These eight eponyms are among the most surprising, and cover subjects from musical instruments to facial hair to …
Here’s The Very Definition Of Happiness
by Dictionary Scoop For Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, happiness is a warm puppy. For some, it’s a habit. For others, it is a philosophy, a quest, or an ideal, among many other things. Join us on a linguistic journey through the lexicon of happiness, discovering the many shades and …
More Genius Phrasing From Shakespeare
by Kevin Burton Shakespeare’s genius influenced many phrases and idioms we unknowingly use every day. That’s why Dictionary Scoop put together a list of common expressions that were either created or made famous by Shakespeare and his characters. We listed five of them yesterday on Page 7. Today, five more. “American literary critic …
Some Phrases We Got From Shakespeare
by Kevin Burton I feel bad that I haven’t read anything by Shakespeare all the way through. Don’t know why I feel that way. The next person who asks me if I have read Shakespeare, will be the first. So it doesn’t really matter. Ask me in public, “Shakespeare or Steely Dan” …
Origins For Ten Slang Words And Phrases
by Dictionary Scoop Think how boring our vocabularies would be if we didn’t have a more laid-back, informal register on which we could fall back. Most of us don’t even realize how much slang we use in basically every conversation we have. Well, we decided to research the astonishing beginnings of these ten slang …
Ten Expressions With Musical Origins
Dictionary Scoop Music influences almost every single aspect of our modern world, and our language is no exception. We have gathered ten of our favorite musical terms that have found their way into becoming everyday words: 1 Gig The word “gig” refers to a job, usually a single-time event for which a musician …
Thanks For Reading, A Thousand Times Over
by Kevin Burton If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you 1,000 times, thank you for reading Page 7. Actually I haven’t told you that 1,000 times, or nearly enough. But the WordPress counter says this is my 1,000th blog. WordPress is very good at counting things, so I believe them. This …
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Animal Names That Are Also Verbs
by Kevin Burton My late great cat Mex had a verb coined in her honor. She used to head butt people, as opposed to the usual cat way of rubbing against people with the side of the head or body. To headbutt became “To Mex.” Usage: “Stop Mexing me!” It’s a …
More Bilingual Americans Than You Think
by Kevin Burton There was a time when I had multiple dozens of penpals from around the world. More than once I heard this joke: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a …
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