Of acronyms and shortened words: abbreviations explained
This week a client asked me, “Is it okay to write CEO?” I was a bit taken aback because CEO is one of those ‘words’ that is better known by…
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…
Top 10 gender / age appropriate words of 2017
Have you noticed how your language changes to fit trends that begin to invade your life? Twitterati is a word in use since the advent of Twitter, Google is a…
How calendar days differ from others
I have always wondered about the difference between a calendar day and just a regular day. The same applies to a calendar month. What I learnt is that a calendar…
Deliciously sedulous : increase your word power
I am catching up with the past, voraciously reading through the pages of William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice with a copyright date of 1979. A literary marvel, the author provides delightful…
How to keep your powder dry in the 21st century. Idioms from the military
Keeping one’s options open, is an overused phrase in today’s demanding lifestyle. But its non-committal tone, sounds like its primary use would be by people suffering from FOMO - Fear…
sleep time
Somnolent: Word use and origin
Last night when I got home after a long day’s work I felt particularly somnolent. This was hardly surprising as I woke up at 4.30am fought with myself to get…
Five top reasons to hire an editor
You’ve given a massive amount of blood, sweat and tears to your work. Whether it’s your novel, biography, article or academic writing, it still needs that extra polish. It looks…
horse grazing
Do horses eat loose fern? A statement on reporting standards
This week, I was subbing a story about horses that had been rescued from dire circumstances. If not for the language educated among us, the situation could have given rise…
Through the eye of the needle: biblical idioms
The English language is so rich and diverse that one lifetime is just not enough to master all of it. But I have discovered that as much as English owes…
