Continuing yesterday’s musings about the telephone, I have a question: what do you say when you answer the phone, and don’t know who’s calling? Continue reading
Ahoy-hoy?
English language
What Phone do You Have?
A pretty easy answer for most of us nowadays, but one that’s obviously changed over time. In fact, a lot of devices which were originally called telephones might not be recognisable as such by today’s standards. Continue reading
What Won’t Meatloaf Do for Love?
It seems to be one of rock’s greatest mysteries. In the chorus of “I’d Do Anything for Love,” Meatloaf states repeatedly that he would do anything for love, but that he won’t do that. But what exactly does that refer to? Continue reading
St. Patrick’s Day
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Millions of people around the world today are drinking Guinness and wearing green, even if they’re not of recent Irish heritage. As usual I forgot to wear anything green, though I did have a pint of Guinness and a whiskey. Though the Guinness wasn’t great, probably due to the journey from Dublin to Liège. Continue reading
Ye Olde Thorn in My Side
Ye Olde English
How do you pronounce that phrase? Some people might argue about whether the e in Olde should be pronounced, but no-one would dispute how to pronounce the other two words. Would they…?
It seems reasonable to assume (as I did for a long time) that Ye is pronounced with a y sound (as in you) at the beginning of the word, but here’s the thing:
That’s not a y. Continue reading
Beware the Ides of March!
What is an Ide anyway, and why should I be scared of it? Continue reading
Toe the Line
Did you know that the phrase is toe the line, and not tow the line? It’s a very common mistake, largely because to toe isn’t commonly used a verb in English, whereas to tow can be found more frequently. Plus, you can tow a line, but what does toeing a line even mean? Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 