No-cry zones with sunions: How words are formed
You’ve heard of a no-fly zone. Now, there’s a no-cry zone. That’s when it comes to onions. Or rather sunions. English is not the only discipline to combine two elements…
No leg to stand on: How idioms originate
Having suffered a leg injury in December I could not walk and could not drive. I was practically immobile. In my static state I had plenty of time to think.…
An attack of destinesia
New word from a six year old: Palindromes and portmanteus: how words are formed
Almost every word in English has a definition and almost every word composition has a description for why it came to be called that. Until that is, the word that…
Take care with English: How expressions get distorted
Would you say English is a careless language? I think the opposite is true. English is a careful language in that its most practiced users choose words with specific intent,…
Red herring: A technique for arguing
I love a red herring. And no, I don’t mean because it’s an ideal protein in a low-carb high-protein diet. It’s also great for breakfast. At school I had a…
Zeitgeist: how words originate
Zeitgeist is a lovely word to get your teeth into, literally and figuratively. And both syllables require a firm grit. Derived from the German language, the word is surrounded by…
No ticking time bomb: why words are redundant
In recent weeks I became curious about the metaphor ‘a ticking time bomb’. There’s something about it that does not ring true. Not true, in that sense but not grammatically…
Rats in the language
Rats! If you’ve ever had the problem of rats in your home, you may identify with strongly negative feelings about the small annoying creatures. Thanks to my compulsive TV watching…
Have these men done their fartlek?
Fartlek, among the funniest words in the English language
Yesterday as I was cursing the spinning instructor for insisting I use muscles I didn’t know I had to save energy, I thought she had lost the plot. Saving energy…
Oranges export grade relative to batch quantity; relevant to export farmers
Relative or relevant? How to use words correctly
On Monday, I was at a conference which was full of interesting content presented by a number of excellent speakers. One woman, a lawyer, delivered a long and very detailed…
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