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 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 Whether you’re a cheese expert or just enjoy a good slice on your sandwich, you’ll enjoy this flavorful ride. There are fascinating stories behind the cheeses we eat every day. So, let’s take a trip around the world—one cheesy stop at a time—and explore ten places that gave these famous …
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”
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”
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, …
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!”
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