Yesterday, I was briefly worried that my phone had gone haywire (don’t worry, it’s OK). Once I’d realised it was OK, I then thought, Haywire: that’s a funny word, isn’t it? Continue reading
Haywire
languages
It’s Hallowe’en Again!
I can’t believe it’s been a year already! I think I’ve covered most horror-related words at this stage, so let’s just take a quick look at a very Hallowe’eny word: witch. Continue reading
A New Word for an Old Idea
This is a term I came across recently, though I’ve been familiar with it for a while.
So familiar, in fact, that I was sure I’d already written about the concept. But after searching the site, I don’t seem to have. So why not do it now then!? Continue reading
Boo!
You might hear this sound quite a bit over the next few days. Perhaps someone might be trying to give you a scare. Or perhaps they might be expressing disapproval at your choice of Hallowe’en costume. But why do we always use boo to frighten or to show disapproval? Continue reading
Doctor Who?
Good question. I’m going to write a little bit about the television series Doctor Who, and will state now that I’m not an expert, so if you’re a fan, and I make some mistakes, please forgive me. Continue reading
Break or Brake?
Yesterday I talked about why we say take a break. But it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? When you take a break, at work for example, you’re breaking your day into different parts. EASY.
What might be more interesting is comparing the word break with the word brake (as featured on your car or bike). Obviously these words are homophones (they sound identical) and are often confused for each other when people write, but they actually have more in common than most realise… Continue reading
Talking Nonce Sense
I was reading this evening about different names for various types of words (a man’s got to relax somehow). Some I’ve mentioned here before, like ideophones. But I came across one term I’d never heard of before: a nonce word. Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 