The word we is a pretty simple one, isn’t it? You’re not going to get confused about what it means, or how to spell it, are you? Probably not, but what about how it’s used in the title there? Continue reading
We are not Amused
teaching
Free Hat
I’m currently watching South Korea play Mexico (2-0 to Mexico at the moment). A few minutes ago, Mexico got a free kick, which made me realise how odd the word free can be in English. Continue reading
That Just Doesn’t Cut the Mustard
George Hamilton, main football commentator on Irish broadcaster RTÉ, is very fond of a groan-inducing pun. This evening, while referring to a Tunisian player who plays in Dijon in France, he said, That pass doesn’t cut the mustard!
Dijon, mustard… you get it.
Anyway, this made me wonder why, when something isn’t up to the standard we desire, we say it doesn’t cut the mustard? Continue reading
Ha Ha, Charade You Are!
Well, I’m a badass Cowboy livin’ in the Cowboy days.
Wiggy, wiggy, scratch, yo, yo, bang, bang.
Me and Artemus Clyde frog go save Salma Hayek from the big metal spider.
A wiggy wig wig wiggy wiggy wig
Fresh cowboy from the west side
Wiggy wiggy scratch yo yo bang bang
Me and Artemus Clyde frog go save Salma frog polly prissy pants
Go down to, well… rumpletumpskin
Yes, this is the second post I’ve got from a single song. One thing that really struck me when listening to “Pigs (Three of Them)” was the phrase in the title. I’d heard it before, you see, and I knew straight away from where. Continue reading
There is or There are?
This isn’t something I’ve ever really wondered. For a native English speaker, which one to use is rarely in doubt. Sure some regional dialects might use is and are in non-standard ways, but if asked, most speakers of these dialects would know the “proper” form of the verb to be to use.
Which is why I was surprised to see the following headline on the BBC website: Continue reading
Fun or Funny?
For most native speakers, this is usually a pretty easy question to answer, as even though the two concepts are quite similar, they’re still pretty distinct.
Why is it Called Bluetooth?
I recently bought a new pair of earphones. Usually after I buy a pair, I lose the little ear cushions that come with them one by one. One will fall off while taking them out of my pocket, so I’ll replace the remaining one with two of the ones that come with them. Then I’ll lose one of those, so I’ll resort to the final pair, which are usually too big or too small. And then I’ll lose another one, and have to start using different sized ones: small in the left ear, and big in the right one, for example. Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 