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 …
Category Archives: language
Some Nursery Rhymes Not Exactly Kid Stuff
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”
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 …
Continue reading “Bolster Your Vocabulary With Creative Insults!”
Common Phrases With Grim Word Origins
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 …
Million-Dollar Slang: In Other Words, Money
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”
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 …
Continue reading “In Praise Of Mexico, Lettuce And Billy Joel”
Avoid Confusion With These Tricky Word Pairs
by Dictionary Scoop Some words seem interchangeable at first glance, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll notice they have completely different meanings. So in the interest of clarity in communication, let’s clear up some of the most commonly confused word pairs. 1-Anticipate vs. Expect Both words involve thinking about the future, …
Continue reading “Avoid Confusion With These Tricky Word Pairs”
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, …
OK Then, Let’s Get This Word Party Started!
by Kevin Burton I believe it was the great Marty Brennaman, on the Cincinnati Reds radio network, who used to call the first game of a three-game series the “lid-lifter.” Let’s tack that one on, at the very beginning mind you, like the first pitch in the top of the first inning, to …
Continue reading “OK Then, Let’s Get This Word Party Started!”
Turnabout Not Always Fair Play With Words
by Dictionary Scoop. If “nonverbal” is the opposite of “verbal,” shouldn’t “nonchalant” be the opposite of “chalant”? As it turns out, it’s not so simple. “Unpaired words” are terms we assume should exist, based on standard linguistic rules, but don’t. To test your knowledge and learn more about unpaired words, guess which of …
Continue reading “Turnabout Not Always Fair Play With Words”
Page 7 