The scary truth about “Would They Love A Lion?”
I am seldom stirred by stories, be they children’s, Essop’s or fireside tales. But yesterday I was more than a little disturbed while reading a book with the title, “Would…
wine in a cellar (Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh: Pexels)
Foment and ferment are not the same: word usage
Foment means "to incite or rouse." The words have some overlap in use, as they can both be used to express agitation and situations that can cause change or unrest.’
Half-nelson: origin of words
Horatio Nelson was first to be ascribed naming rights, himself a contender in war. He found this strategic use of the movement effective in the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar both of which he won.
If music be the food of love
Gotta love Shakespeare: origin of idioms
An idiom as colour to language. If music be the food of love was coined by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. Here we discuss usage
Zeitgeist: origin of words
“The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.”
Avoid traffic lights but use breaks to prevent a crash
Grammar: Prevent or avoid
For instance, I can say, to avoid the morning rush hour traffic, I usually leave my house an hour early. In this context, prevent is a misfit. However, if I say “to prevent heat stroke on hot summer days, drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun”.
Stop pretending things are okay
Papering over the potholes: idioms
I smile as I take my morning walk through Parkmore. The smile is an ironic one. The road workers are very busy painting the street markings and the L-outline at…
Let them eat cake
Let them eat cake: How idioms originate
With Women's Month well under way, gender equality is still a hot topic. At a gender equality webinar last week, one of the speakers who was trying to break through…
Loss is life-changing
I offer my singular condolence: Grammar
English demands that its users know more than just the meaning of a word. They also must know how it’s used. It’s not okay to slap just any words together.…
7 Reasons to Connect with Influencers
Now, more than ever, influencer market is part of strategy. It's all virtual but everybody is doing it and you need to know how to tap in. “It’s not WHAT…