Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton The first time I encountered “charity” in the King James Bible, it made me scratch my head. It didn’t seem to fit just right. Given time, words will do that to you. “Charity” in the King James most commonly means “love.” Here are more specifics on the Biblical definition …
Continue reading ““Charity” And Words That Changed Meanings”
by Dictionary Scoop Sure, sheep are obedient, and geese are loud. But when did we decide to start calling each other by animal names? Since Biblical times, we’ve been dragging innocent animals into our human drama to describe each other’s worst behavior. Is that fair? Read on to see some of the animal …
by Dictionary Scoop It is always a delicate matter when a country changes its name, as it signifies a shift not only for the geographical area but also for its inhabitants. The very identity of a nation is affected, which is why such changes are relatively rare. But they do happen. Not many …
by Kevin Burton In my early studies in journalism I heard or read somewhere that a news reporter should write at a 10th-grade level. I never did that. I wouldn’t. I was very aware that I was talking to everyone, “broadcasting,” in the print news sense of the word, with the emphasis on …
Continue reading “Use A Variety Of Verbal Tools To Communicate”
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 …
by Dictionary Scoop We all have nursery rhymes etched in our memory, verses that take us straight back to our childhood. But behind some of those catchy, cheerful tunes lie surprisingly dark and mysterious origins rooted in real-life history. Join us to discover the hidden stories behind the most popular nursery rhymes. 1-The …
Continue reading “Some Nursery Rhymes Not Exactly Kid Stuff”
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 …
Continue reading “Bolster Your Vocabulary With Creative Insults!”
by Dictionary Scoop We toss around old sayings without thinking twice. But have you ever wondered where these phrases actually came from? You might be surprised (and a little unsettled) to find out that many of them have pretty grim backstories. Even if we’re keeping things light and curious, you’ll never look at …
by Dictionary Scoop Money makes the world go round, and in the U.S., there are more ways to talk about it than you might expect. Americans have come up with a colorful range of slang and idioms to refer to cash. We look into 11 of them today. 1-Cash The first entry on …
Continue reading “Million-Dollar Slang: In Other Words, Money”
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 …
Continue reading “In Praise Of Mexico, Lettuce And Billy Joel”
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