Writing about the word magazine yesterday made me think of another word with a similar range of meanings: canteen. Continue reading
Canteen
languages
Magazine
I often write about false friends and various other confusing words for learners of English. But one of my recent French lessons reminded me of a word that often confuses Anglophone learners of French: magasin. Continue reading
The Reflex!
No, not more classic pop.
I was doing my French homework this evening, and one of my tasks was to find the reflexive verbs in a Youtube video about French clichés. What’s that? What’s a reflexive verb? Good question. Continue reading
Oliver’s Army
I’ve been listening to the album Armed Forces by Elvis Costello & the Attractions a lot recently (and currently listening to Kate Bush while drinking a glass of red wine: I think at some point I became someone’s mother without noticing). The album’s best-known song is undoubtedly “Oliver’s Army,” and every time I hear the song on the radio, I think, You never have that song much anymore. Continue reading
Goosebumps!
Did you know there’s a scientific, very Latin-sounding term for the experience of getting goosebumps? Continue reading
Alright, Alright, Alright!
I wrote before about alright and all right. But it occurred to me today that we use alright (or all right: for simplicity’s sake I’m just going to use alright from now on) as an exclamation, meaning great! Which is a little odd when you think about it. Continue reading
He Walked Through the Door
‘OW!! That hurt!’ he said.
A little earlier, the song “Pure Shores” by All Saints came on the radio. Amid the waves of turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia, one section struck me: Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 