Picture by Sam Lee -Unsplash
Why are squibs damp? How idioms are formed
Last week, I set out to take part in a cyclethon which had all the promise of a thunderous event complete with disco lights, the hippest of DJs and an…
Idioms in the workplace
With the latest unemployment figures in South Africa at 29%, here’s a quick run down of some of the work-related idioms and how to use them. Learn the Ropes Meaning:…
Flying too close to the sun: how idioms originate
This week while sipping on a warm Coke Zero at lunch with a friend, we began to discuss the wonders of Greece. She reminded me of the fable of Icarus.…
Talking the hind legs off a donkey: How idioms originate
Last night while watching an excellent wildlife programme, I saw an antelope give birth, apparently a two-hour stint, to get the eager youngster out. While I was engrossed in the…
Last roll of the dice: how idioms are used
It’s all fair in love and war and friendship too. I felt I was losing ground with a friend and that we would soon be going our own separate ways,…
Chinese mourners wear sackcloth
Of Sackcloth and Ashes: How idioms originate
This week I discovered a ‘delightful’ idiom in the novel Sophie’s Bakery for the Broken Hearted by New York Times Best Selling Author, Lolly Winston – sackcloth and ashes. I’ve…
Picture credit: Suzanne Tucker
A pig in a poke
Should you be interested in investments to the point that you start reading books about them, don’t be surprised to find the term ‘a pig in a poke’. When you…
Photo by Laila Klinsmann on Pexels.com
Know how to use rain, rein and reign
It’s spring in South Africa and in the season’s first flush, we had a smattering of rain. That’s the stuff of celebration. What’s not to celebrate is the state of…
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.…
Take the log out of your eye and other idioms
I was recently at an Editing for Inclusivity workshop which aimed to address racial, gender and all other kinds of stereotyping that fills our communication to an embarrassing extent. This…
