I’ve noticed this phrase a lot online recently. I haven’t heard it much in real life, with it being an American-English term, but it certainly seems to have cropped up a lot lately.
Eating Crow
etymology
The Gym
Some of you might go to the gym regularly, to keep fit. Good for you, if you do. You might know that gym is short for gymnasium, which would be quite a long word to say all the time, so the abbreviation makes sense.
Red-Letter Day
A red-letter day is a day of special significance for some reason or another. Why do we call it a red-letter day?
Give Someone an Inch…
… and they’ll take a mile. Or, how about…
Give someone a centimetre, and they’ll take a kilometre.
Only one of these is an actual phrase in English, but it doesn’t make reference to the system of measurement in use in every country except three.
How do you Write Numbers?
It seems like a stupid question, doesn’t it? You just… write them, don’t you? Well, yes, but there are some guidelines you can follow too.
Why do they Call it Google?
You may have never thought about this before. After all, the word is so common that we now use it as a verb without anyone batting an eyelid. I’ve thought about it now and then though. Mainly because that’s what I do, but also because I remember it from my childhood.
Why Can’t You Split an Infinitive?
Well, you can actually. You don’t always have to, but there’s no rule saying you can’t. But what exactly is an infinitive, and what does it mean to split one?
English-Language Thoughts 