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No-cry zones with sunions: How words are formed
You’ve heard of a no-fly zone. Now, there’s a no-cry zone. That’s when it comes to onions. Or rather sunions. English is not the only discipline to combine two elements to from a new one. Agriculture too is well known for its hybridisation and has brought us many delicious fruits and vegetables that add variety…
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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. I was reminded that everything that happens in the body is a result of what is happening in the mind. I couldn’t put my finger…
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New word from a six year old: Palindromes and portmanteus: how words are formed
Almost every word in English has a definition and almost every word composition has a description for why it came to be called that. Until that is, the word that you want to know more about is not in the dictionary (try Google) or worse the composition is unexplained. Such was the dilemma for Levi…
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Take care with English: How expressions get distorted
Would you say English is a careless language? I think the opposite is true. English is a careful language in that its most practiced users choose words with specific intent, to ensure their purpose of meaning is clear. However, sometimes the users of the English language are careless and use words incorrectly or worse, inappropriately.…
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Red herring: A technique for arguing
I love a red herring. And no, I don’t mean because it’s an ideal protein in a low-carb high-protein diet. It’s also great for breakfast. At school I had a maths teacher who was fond of colouring her teaching with idioms. A red herring was one of her favourite idioms. She would use the phrase…
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Zeitgeist: how words originate
Zeitgeist is a lovely word to get your teeth into, literally and figuratively. And both syllables require a firm grit. Derived from the German language, the word is surrounded by controversy and misuse. For a time it seemed that the word zeitgeist would be dropped into every high profile conversation, said with a clenched fist,…
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No ticking time bomb: why words are redundant
In recent weeks I became curious about the metaphor ‘a ticking time bomb’. There’s something about it that does not ring true. Not true, in that sense but not grammatically correct. There are too many words in the phrase. The offending word here is ‘ticking’. To say, ‘a ticking time bomb’, is the same as…
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Rats in the language
Rats! If you’ve ever had the problem of rats in your home, you may identify with strongly negative feelings about the small annoying creatures. Thanks to my compulsive TV watching habits, I learnt that the collective noun for rats is mischief – a mischief of rats. Collective nouns for animals, such as a congress of…
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Fartlek, among the funniest words in the English language
Yesterday as I was cursing the spinning instructor for insisting I use muscles I didn’t know I had to save energy, I thought she had lost the plot. Saving energy seemed the most unlikely outcome for all the effort it took to apply these untrained muscles to a cycling routine. Raised heart rate and an…
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Relative or relevant? How to use words correctly
On Monday, I was at a conference which was full of interesting content presented by a number of excellent speakers. One woman, a lawyer, delivered a long and very detailed explanation of the POPI (Protection of Personal Information) Act, undeniable proof that her grasp of the act was sound. Not so the English language. She…
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