Grumpy?
Valentine’s chip on shoulder: how idioms originate
As it’s Valentine’s Day, I was remembering one of the less romantic dates of my early dating life. I think it was the second date and Charles had asked to…
Novak Djokovic enjoys the limelight
Limelight or spotlight? Use the right phrase.
The English language is full of tricks and words of similar meaning that are confusing to second language speakers. One of these is limelight and spotlight. While some believe that…
From six yards to nine: how idioms originate
In mid-January I asked my bookkeeper for an updated statement of my account. I wanted to look at my Dec/Jan financial affairs to prepare myself for 2020. What he sent…
Fridge magnets – the scientific kind
Magnate or magnet: Use the right word
This week South Africans bade farewell to our stalwart entrepreneur Richard Maponya. Mayponya, who died at the age of 99, brought to the country, the first shopping mall in a…
Best thing since sliced bread: how idioms are formed
Last week, I decided I was tired of egg and toast for breakfast, so I ate muesli for five days. This week I ran out of bread and it would…
Madness
Black Friday and bargain idioms
When Game of Thrones captured the imagination of millions of fans to an obsessive degree, I used to say, “You get two kinds of people – those who watch Game…
You’re never too young to write a book
There’s a book in everyone, so the saying goes. And in some there are more than one – think of all the Jodi Picoult and Nora Roberts, John Grisham and…
picture by Charles PH on Unsplash
Wise up to words on your web in 2020
It’s often said that owning a website is like having your own piece of online real estate. Who wouldn’t want that? A no-brainer. But statistics show that many small business…
Take the log out of your eye and other idioms
Last night while watching Come Dine With Me, I latched on to satirist David Lamb’s shortening of an idiom. He simply used the two words of comparison and said, pot/…
pic by Joel Muniz
Keep the ball rolling with these idioms
This week I received a rather disturbing SMS from my bank. In fact, this was the second time the bank was sending this alarming message. The first time, I checked…
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