by Dictionary Scoop The word “phobia” does not merely mean “fear of” as some believe. There is more to it. A phobia is an irrational fear, “an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation,” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Here are ten uncommon fears and …
Category Archives: language
Foreign Words With No English Equivalent
by Interesting Facts With the right combination of words and expressions, we can communicate anything our hearts desire. That’s the power of language. But what about those times when you’re looking for a single word rather than an entire sentence to sum up a thought or feeling? For that, we can look to …
Braille Gives Literacy, Independence, Access
by Megan Dausch Helen Keller Services The Louis Braille Museum in Coupvray, France, smelled like history—aged wood, old paper, and the faint mustiness of time. It was a small house, but it held the weight of a remarkable legacy. I remember running my fingers over the dominoes Louis Braille played with as a …
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Words For Cats’ Eyes, Bad Hair, Plenty More
by Kevin Burton Merriam-Webster dictionary took to social media to ask readers to identify some of their favorite underrated words. Yesterday we posted some of these words and today we finish their list. This may be the weirdest list I’ve ever posted. Some of these words don’t strike me as particularly useful. Others …
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Panning For Gold In The Discount Word Bin
by Kevin Burton I missed it and didn’t get to participate, but Merriam-Webster had a notice on social media inviting readers to vote for their favorite underused words. The dictionary published the results under the headline “12 Underrated Words That Deserve More Love.” I don’t agree with all the choices, but there was …
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Where Ya From? What’s Your Demonym?
by Kevin Burton People from Wichita, the nearest large city to me, are called Wichitans. That’s straightforward enough. People from Puebla, Mexico, a city very near to my heart, are called Poblanos. Why not Pueblanos? Not sure, good question. Wichitan and Poblano are demonyms. The word demonym is “Rooted in the Greek …
When In Denmark, Speak As The Danish Speak
by Dictionary Scoop Coming from the Indo-European language family, Danish has some funny idiomatic expressions. Some will leave you scratching your head. For example, “reading a horse.” What’s that all about? Continue reading to learn nine Danish expressions and their meaning translated. 1-Mind the cows When life gets a bit hard, we all need …
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Here’s The Nice Side Of A Rich Vocabulary
by Kevin Burton Newsniks in general and I in particular have been accused of highlighting the negative side of life, seeking it out and advertising it. That’s not entirely fair, but neither is it a ridiculous assertion. It’s a discussion. But now via Merriam-Webster and as has been sung by Bing Crosby …
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You And Me, Digging Credence, By The Bog
by Kevin Burton The Page 7 blog publishes five days a week, usually, and almost every time I post it, I tease it (verb) on Facebook. A tease (noun) is like a little commercial. Mine are two or three-sentence previews that I write to try to get people interested in reading it. …
Last Word On Last Letter: Canada Says “Zed”
by Kevin Burton It’s the beginning of a new year, so leave it to Page 7 to take you to the end – of the alphabet that is. May I be the first to wish you a very happy International Z Day. “Z Day, celebrated on Jan. 1, is a quirky and …
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