How cold weather makes all tasks Herculean
Just getting out of bed in below freezing temperatures feels like a Herculean task – so much easier and more pleasant to snuggle under the duvet, turn up the electric…
‘Sailing close to the wind’ may leave me out of pocket: idiom usage
A little hard-up for productive work, this week, I found myself sailing close to the wind. While I promote the idea of taking a risk, it's different when said risk…
Ball Python - Clown Morph Tongue Flick
How speaking with a forked tongue led prospective content manager astray: Origin of idiom
I am disappointed to learn that I am so naïve and take people at face value. If someone in an interview situation says ‘let’s try you for a month’ I…
Stoking the fire with a book in hand; does life get any better?
A word that warms the cockles of your hearth
Let’s go back in time. Just two days really. Because I did not like today’s word of the day. Browsing back to Tuesday I found the word ‘inglenook’ – and…
Now you can have your cake and eat it too: Idioms are a piece of cake
In recent months I ‘ve heard many sitcoms and dramedies use the phrase cakewalk. As someone who is familiar with the term ‘piece of cake’ I wondered how the word…
Athleisure - pic by Wesley Tingey: Unsplash
Words follow fashion and lifestyle trends: 690 new ones
Have you ever felt like making up your own words? Don't be shy, the English language is always growing and changing. You may just find your creation in the dictionary…
It’s Knot what you know but Who in this Gordian mystery of ANC Billionaires
Unravelling the Gordian Knot:history and usage This is not the first time I have seen the term ‘Gordian Knot’ but reading Pieter du Toit’s The ANC Billionaires, I saw it…
Chickens graze in meadow, nature beauty looking back generated by artificial intelligence
A scam that came in two chickens short
Put up your hands, everyone who's fallen for a scam in the past 12 months? They’re everywhere and if you’re not on your toes all the time it's easy to…
The myth of Sisyphus: origin and meaning
Sisyphean: Perhaps the most direct linguistic legacy of the myth, "Sisyphean" describes any task that is endless and ineffective, mirroring Sisyphus's eternal struggle. Whether it's tackling a never-ending workload or battling an insurmountable challenge, calling something Sisyphean immediately conveys the exhausting and futile nature of the endeavor. (Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
World Literacy Day: A time to reflect
September 8th marked the annual celebration of World Literacy Day, a day dedicated to highlighting the importance of literacy as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone for individual and…
