L’Uomo Pipistrello (Italian-Language Thoughts)

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

Flotsam and Jetsam

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

When Life Gives You Lemons…

…make lime juice.

Wait… no… what!? Continue reading

Sonder

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

Inconceivable!

OK, I’m a day late with this, but better late than never, eh?

So: in-. Continue reading

Indifferent

I came across this word while reading today, and I noticed that it’s a little unusual. We usually think of in- as a negative prefix, making a word the opposite of the word that follows the prefix. But indifferent isn’t the opposite of different.

Or is it? Continue reading

Of Sound Body and Mind

Did you ever wonder why we use the word sound with this meaning?

No? Well luckily for you, I have! Continue reading