A quick update: you’ve probably been on the edge of your seat the last week or so, wondering if I’d find out if there’s an Italian equivalent of calling Batman The Bat or The Batman.
Well, I’ve been slowly making my through Batman: Anno Uno, and finally, close to the end, I’ve discovered the answer. Continue reading
These two always go together, don’t they? Whether used literally or figuratively, they basically form a binomial pair, an expression made up of two words commonly joined by and or or. But what exactly is the difference between flotsam and jetsam? Continue reading
…make lime juice.
Wait… no… what!? Continue reading
You might have come across this word recently, possibly tweeted by a dictionary or trivia account as a word of the day. It refers to the profound and sudden realisation that complete strangers have rich and complex inner lives.
It’s a popular word to share because it often elicits two reactions: Wow, that’s something I’ve experienced now and then but never really thought about, and other people experience it too, cool!, and Wow, I didn’t know there was a word for that! It’s not surprising that a lot of people didn’t know about this word though, considering it’s only six years old. Continue reading
You probably won’t be amazed if I tell you that the past simple and past participle forms of regular verbs in English are formed by adding -d or -ed. You also wouldn’t be very surprised if I told you that that E is usually silent, except when it follows a T or D (e.g. contrast commenced and finished with started and ended).
What about a word like beloved then? Continue reading
Feeling disoriented? Well if it’s early in the morning, just look for where the sun’s rising, and face that way, and then you’ll be oriented again. Quite literally. Continue reading
Lovely, isn’t it? In Italian of course, it’s Napoli. And while the English and Italian names for the city are quite similar, I’ve often wondered: why does Naples have an S at the end of it? Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 