-
I fell on my sword: idiom usage
Earlier today, I interviewed for a job teaching English in Spain. Wow. Sounds ama…zing right? But I messed up royally. I fell on my sword. Everything that could go wrong did. I was lucky to get the interview at all because I miscalculated the time difference between Spain and South Africa. I just happened to…
-
On the horns of a dilemma: origin of idioms
Idioms add to the language. And idiom is a cultural expression that gives descriptions to situations.
-
How thinking ‘outside of the bottle’ can save us from coronavirus
The world has gone mad with the outbreak of Coronavirus. And we have had some interesting reactions. One of the church ministers said in response to gatherings of no more than 100 and social distancing, “We cannot rely on faith alone, we must think out of the bottle.” The spirit of the church I found…
-
How a rabbit shows us that AI is way off
The other day when I tried to help my friend set up her blog, a bunny thing happened. She wants her blog to be about faith-based principles from a Jewish perspective. When we searched for images on some of the free image sites we found our choices under ‘inspiration’ rather disappointing. We did not do…
-
Oh, for the life of Rilely: origin of idioms
I guess it’s no co-incidence that my blog today is about living the life of Riley. As I have been feeling restless and vigorously browsing travel sites (Coronavirus notwithstanding – SA has just confirmed its first case) it should come as no surprise as the universe has a way of putting universal synergy in your…
-
Best is best! Language quirks
I am constantly amazed at the number of authors who label their books ‘No 1. Bestseller’. Last weekend, I shared a platform with a new writer who did just that. A Google search reveals 2.2 billion responses for the term ‘No.1 bestseller’, but by the strict definition of the term there should be only one.…
-
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 “see my etchings”. The unromantic prelude to this great event was the sharing of a plate of chips. Two remained on the plate, and I…
-
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 to be in the limelight and under the spotlight are much the same, I think they are quite different. Although they both originate from stage…
-
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 was a massive 13-page dossier going back to January 2019. You might think of this as overly efficient. I see this as lazy and inefficient…
-
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 township. Until that day, the two were a contradiction in terms. The newsreader said that we had lost a business magnate and I smiled in…
Professional Writing Services
