by Kevin Burton Now Merriam-Webster has stopped preachin’ and gone to meddlin’. Their latest grouping of words they are calling “fossilized words.” But most of them are words I use in ordinary conversation, without trying to strike any linguistic pose or affectation. So what’s the dictionary trying to say about me and speakers of my …
Category Archives: Words
Nordic Languages Have No Word For “Please”
by Laura Hall BBC I’m in a Copenhagen bakery, standing in line for sugar-dusted slices of lemon cake, delicately plaited cardamom buns and golden-brown cinnamon swirls. When I reach the front of the queue, I’m ready to order in simple Danish. But then I hit a snag: in this country, there is no …
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Fruits And Veggies That Carry Human Names
by Dictionary Scoop As with Granny Smith apples, many familiar fruits and vegetables are actually carrying around the names of real people. Behind those supermarket labels are farmers, judges, missionaries, immigrants, and a few very lucky gardeners. Let’s take a look at ten people whose names unexpectedly became part of our grocery vocabulary. …
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Why Do Wedding Rings Go On Fourth Finger?
by Dictionary Scoop We recognize certain symbols almost without thinking. Yet, when we stop to consider them, the object and the idea it represents can seem unrelated. As history unfolds, some unforeseen events created symbols that stuck until they became conventions. Here is the story of how 10 everyday objects became universal symbols. 1-Why …
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Job Titles That Changed Meaning Over Time
by Dictionary Scoop Language preserves history in unexpected places. Many job titles that seem ordinary today began with entirely different meanings. Although the work behind these titles has changed dramatically over the centuries, the words themselves continue to carry traces of the past wherever they are used. 1-Secretary Today, a secretary is …
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Some Of History’s Best, Wittiest Responses
Some Of History’s Best, Wittiest Responses by Kevin Burton Sometimes a question is a softball, served up right into your wheelhouse, ready to be hit out of the park. But if you’re like me, you usually think of the witty, brilliant response after the fact, a day or two later. Don’t you …
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12 Words From Antiquity, (Better Left There?)
by Dictionary Scoop We all know it: some words just sound ridiculous, but they mean business. If you have ever come across a term like “gobbledygook” or “kerfuffle” and wondered if someone made it up, you’re not alone. Here are 12 of these magnificent words that seem unreal, but are not. 1-Firkin …
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Who Can Turn A Can Into A Cane?….Silent E!
by Kevin Burton Every syllable must have both a written vowel and a vowel sound. It’s a rule kids, don’t giggle! Now settle down. This is knowledge you need today, because today is National Silent E Day. Take the word “giggle” for example, since we just used it. That second syllable, to …
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The Language Of Customer Service Explained
by Dictionary Scoop There’s a reason why certain phrases keep coming at us from public-facing workers across many industries. Decades of trial and error have taught brands which words will put customers at ease, which expressions to reach for, and which to avoid at all costs — such as “unfortunately” or “I don’t …
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Interesting And Obscure Words About Autumn
by Kevin Burton “Every year August burns itself out like too much of a good thing and every year September is there looming,” I wrote in a profile in my college newspaper. “It’s cooling influence is enough to bring both leaves and schoolboys, floating down to earth.” Autumn begins today in the northern …
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