A noose around the neck is an expression that means you are out of options. As the noose, a tightening rope knot moves closer to the throat, the subject is close to death, the deathknot, if you like.
Most people who use RSVP today don’t speak French, many not realising it’s French at all allowing it to blend into the language. The letters have effectively become a universal shorthand for, ‘Let us know if you’re coming.’
What I love about the English language is its collaborative flair. It borrows from Germanic and many other linguistic arrangements, some of which add to the richness of my mother…
Today, we use the idiom for any moment of irreversible action. You resign from a stable job to start your own business. You press “send” on an email that might change everything. You sign the contract, make the announcement, book the one-way ticket, say "I do". The die is cast.
A discussion of the idiom cat among the pigeons
With the year winding down and the productivity cycle beginning to slow, I feel myself slipping into brainrot (fixation on mindless digital content). But hey, at least I’m up on…
A discussion on International Mole Day and how words are used to explain everything.
Looking at the pic, you see yourself (okay, I speak for myself – baby boomers) deliriously swamped by magazines and print media and happy as a pig in sh-t. This…
Some South Africans may think that our President Cyril Ramaphosa has the Sword of Damocles swaying threateningly over his head as he touches down on US soil. He has a…
