Skin And Bones

by Sharon

There are a lot of idiomatic expressions in English relating to skin and bones. Here are a few examples. Bone idle lazy. (Example: He never does anything; hes just bone idle.) Bone up study. (Example: I need to bone up on history before the final exam.) By the skin of your teeth barely. (Example: I caught the cab by the skin of my teeth. It was about to pull away.) Close to the bone offensive, painful or personal. (Example: I get a bit uncomfortable with Bob, because his comments are always close to the bone.) Get under your skin irritate or annoy. (Example: He is one of the most irritating people I know. He really gets under my skin.) Have a bone to pick have a complaint. (Example: I have a bone to pick with you. You gave me the wrong directions to the concert and I missed the start. ) Jump out of your skin to be shocked or surprised. (Example: When the serial killer appeared in the movie, I jumped out of my skin.) Make no bones speak frankly. (Example: I make no bones about saying that the movie was terrible. ) No skin off my nose it doesnt matter to me. (Example: Its no skin off my nose if youd rather be alone.) Save your skin get away from a dangerous or unpleasant situation. (Example: The soldiers started to fire but I managed to save my skin by hiding in the bushes.) Skin and bones very thin. (Example: She never gains weight. Shes just skin and bones.) The bare bones the outline. (Example: The professor gave the students the bare bones of the topic and told them to read up on the rest. ) Work your fingers to the bone work hard . (Example: While you went to the party, I worked my fingers to the bone tidying up the house.)

Loath and Loathe

by Maeve Maddox

Paul Russell writes: I am loath to admit, or maybe loathe to admit, that I always thought the correct expression was loathed to admit But having Googled, I find the loath version scores about 1.1m pages,loathe around 55,000 with loathed in a lowly last place at 32,000. Please can you tell me which is correct, although I suspect Google has already answered my question. The forms loath, loathe, and loathed are not interchangeable. The word loath is an adjective. Its from Old English la which meant hostile, repulsive. Its related to German Leid (sorrow) and French laid (ugly). Its most frequent modern usage is in the expression to be loath to do something, in which the meaning is not much stronger than reluctant. Ex. I am loath to admit my mistake. In Chaucers Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath tells the story of the loathly lady. A young man must choose between an ugly (loathly) bride who will be faithful, and a beautiful one who will not be. The word loathe is a verb. Its from Old English laian which had the meaning to hate, to be disgusted with. The modern meaning is about the same: to feel strong aversion for; have extreme disgust at. The form loathed is the participle form. Ex. The child loathed the cruel teacher. A variant spelling of the adjective loath is loth. The th in the adjective has the unvoiced sound heard in thin. The verb loathe (despite the tutors note at Answers.com) has a different pronunciation. The th in loathe has the voiced sound heard in this. The silent final e is what signals the difference in pronunciation. In looking for examples on the web I came across the form loather. The Kingdom of Loathers is an online game. The Loathers is a music group. A blogger criticizing the ACLU indicated that the letters must stand forAmerican Christian Loathers Union. I couldnt find any indication of how the word loather in these examples is pronounced. If the loather is so called because of feelings of reluctance, I should think that the pronunciation is [lth-r] with unvoiced th. If the loather is so called because of feelings of intense dislike of something (as is presumably the case in the ACLU reference), then it would be pronounced with a voiced th: [lTH-r].

Euphemism and Euphuism

by Maeve Maddox

Political correctness is nothing new. People have desired to avoid calling a spade a spade since ancient times. People dont die, they pass away. Politicians dont commit crimes, they make mistakes. Married men dont commit adultery, they cheat. People dont fart, they pass wind. The word for this substitution of a less offensive word or phrase for a more specific or unpleasant one is euphemism. The word is from Greek euphemizeinspeak with fair words. The concept stemmed from the belief that the gods listened to human conversations and could be easily offended. People were careful not to boast of their wealth or accomplishments, so as not to prompt some god to reverse their fortunes as punishment. The maiden Arachne, for example, learned to her cost what came of boasting. For claiming that she was a more skillful weaver than the goddess Athena, Arachne was transformed into a spider. (To this day spiders bear her name.) The more horrific the deity, the more necessary it was for mortals to speak nicely about them. The Erinyes, female personifications of vengeance, were really gruesome. Like the Gorgon, they had snakes on their heads. Drops of blood oozed from their eyes. They flew after oath-breakers on the wings of bats. Watch the filmJason and the Argonauts to see the Furies in action. In order to stroke their egos, ancient Greeks referred to them as the Eumenides, the Kindly Ones. Modern mortals use euphemisms to avoid offending (or frightening, or informing) other people. The opposite of euphemism is dysphemism, an intentionally harsh word intended to shock or offend. The Coen brothers go a little overboard with the F word in The Big Lebowski. Euphuism is a term that describes a flowery, affected type of writing. Euphues is Greek for graceful, witty. Sixteenth century English author John Lyly wrote a book called Euphues: The Anatomy of Wyt (1578). The main character is a fashionable young man named Euphues. The style in which the book is written is full of convoluted sentences, euphemisms, rhetorical questions, alliteration, and references to classical literature. (In the 16th century educated people were assumed to be familiar with Greek and Latin literature.) Heres an example of Lylys euphuistic style. For the fun of seeing how English has changed since the 16th century, Ill give you both the original and a modernization. It happened thys young Impe to ariue at Naples (a place of more pleasure then profite, and yet of more profite then pietie) the very walles and windowes whereof shewed it rather to be the Tabernacle of Venus, then the Temple of Vesta. There was all things necessary and in redinesse that myght eyther allure the minde to luste, or entice the hearte to follye, a courte more mete for an Atheyst, then for one of Athens, for Ouid than for Aristotle, for a gracelesse louer then for a godly lyuer: more fitter for Paris than Hector, and meter for Flora then Diana. Modernization: It happened that this young playboy arrived at Naples (a place of more pleasure than educational value, and yet of more value than piety) the very walls and windows of the place showed it rather to be the place to occupy oneself in matters of sex than in those of chastity. In this place were to be found all things necessary and in readiness that might either tempt the mind to lust, or entice the heart to folly, a court more suitable for an atheist, than for a pious person, for Ovid [who wrote about love] than for Aristotle [who wrote about intellectual matters], for a promiscuous person than for someone who lives a godly life: more appropriate for Paris (he stole another mans wife] than Hector, [faithful husband of a faithful wife] and more suitable for Flora [goddess of the Spring and, presumably in Lyly's mind, associated with mating] than Diana [virgin goddess].

This is so gay!
by Maeve Maddox

I recently received a comment on one of my posts that said, This is gay. As the comment made no sense in the context, I was puzzled. For those fogies like me who hadnt realized that the word gay has morphed again, heres a timeline of its changing meanings as illustrated in the OED. gay: adj. c1325 Noble; beautiful; excellent, fine. Example: Heo is graciouse, stout, ant gay, gentil, iolyf so e iay Translation: She is precious by day, gracious, splendid and excellent, gentle, jolly as a bird. (stout, meant stately, magnificent, splendid; iay refers to the European jay) c1380 Bright or lively-looking, esp. in colour; brilliant, showy. Example: Oppon e tour..ar stonde a iuwel gay, An egle of gold at schyna brigt so do e sonne on may. Translation: Upon the towerthere stands a brilliant jewel, An eagle of gold that shines as does the sun in May. c1385 Of persons, their attributes, actions, etc.: light-hearted, carefree; manifesting, characterized by, or disposed to joy and mirth; exuberantly cheerful, merry; sportive. Example: A lay Of love..made hire herte fressh and gay. Translation: A story about lovemade her heart fresh and merry. 1597 Originally of persons and later also more widely: dedicated to social pleasures; dissolute, promiscuous; frivolous, hedonistic. Also (esp. in to go gay): uninhibited; wild, crazy; flamboyant. Example: Sum gay professors (kepinge secret minions) do love there wyues..to avoyde shame Translation: Some homosexual professors (keeping secret catamites) do love their wivesto avoid shame. 1922-2003 orig. U.S. slang. (a) Of a person: homosexual; (b) (of a place, milieu, way of life, etc.) of or relating to homosexuals. Examples: 1941 Gay, an adjective used almost exclusively by homosexuals to denote homosexuality2003 Episcopalians took a big step toward electing their first openly gay bishop. 1978 slang (chiefly U.S.) (sometimes considered offensive). Foolish, stupid, socially inappropriate or disapproved of; lame. Examples: 1978 It looks terrific on you. It looks gay. 1987 Your so-stupid-theyre-funny captions are gay. Get into some [real] humor. These six definitions with their examples only scratch the surface of all the meanings that have been attached to the word gay since it entered the language from Anglo-Norman gai/gaye, and provide an excellent case study of the arbitrariness of language.

Because Of and Due To

by Guest Author

The saying too many cooks spoil the broth is spot on in the case of English language. Today, even native speakers make blunders in written and spoken English, being influenced by current trends. One such trend we are talking about is the misuse of due to and because of. Many are of the opinion that both of the pairs refer to the same thing, and that they can be used as synonyms. This is an absolute misconception. They cannot be used interchangeably because they do not belong to the same classification. When the classification is not the same, how can the usage be? Some native English speakers also claim that a sentence cannot be started with the pair because of. However, they are unable to demonstrate the reasons. In some cases, the sentence cannot be started with because of whereas in some cases it can. This is the sole purpose of this post. We will be discussing the legitimate reasons, usage and rules associated with both the word pairs.

The Classification of The Word Groups

In order to get a clear understanding of how to use both the word groups it is imperative to first know their classifications. Due to is an adjective, which means it can only modify pronouns and nouns according to the purest English grammar rules. Because of is an adverb, which means it can only modify verbs, adjectives and clauses, but not nouns and pronouns.

The Explanation
It is quite difficult to grasp the concept outrightly with just categorizing the two word groups. So, it is important to lay down a little explanation along with some examples for you to get a clearer idea. Here are some examples of the usage of both the word groups: His frustration was due to the mucked up windscreen. He was frustrated due to the mucked up windscreen. In general, both of the sentences may sound right to you, but they are not. Carefully look at the first sentence and apply the grammar rule of noun modification. The word his is a possessive noun and it is complementing the noun frustration, and was is there as a linking verb. Now, due to the mucked up windscreen itself is an adjectival prepositional phrase which is the complement or the reason being attached to the noun with the help of the linking verb was. Therefore, in this case the usage of due to is absolutely right because it is fulfilling the purpose of modifying the noun. Now, take a look at the second and apply the same rule there. The pair due to is not connecting nor complementing the noun because the possessive noun his has been changed to he, which is a pronoun. This way, he is not the possessive noun now has become the main subject of the sentence and a pronoun. The pair due to has nothing to modify here because the verb is now was frustrated and adjectives cannot modify verbs. Henceforth, to connect a reason or a compliment to this sentence the adverb because of should be attached with the reason to make it appropriate. The correct sentence would be: He was frustrated because of the mucked up windscreen. As you can see, the pair because of is now modifying the verb was frustrated, so this sentence is correct now.

Use This Trick When in Doubt

One trick you can use is to substitute due to with caused by. If the substitution does not work, then you probably shouldnt use due to there. For example: My low grade was due to lack of study. My low grade was caused by lack of study. The substitution works, so due to is being used correctly. Here is another example: I missed the class due to the rain. I missed the class caused by the rain. The substitution doesnt work here, so due to shouldnt be used there. The correct sen tence would be: I missed the class because of the rain.

To Tide You Over

by Maeve Maddox

Carol Dedrick wonders about the expression to tide one over: A quick Google search found most folks believe the saying to be tide me over vs. tie me over. I did find one seemingly credible site [that] supported the opposite. Do you know the origin of the statement, and the correct version? I found the site that defends the error tie me over. The blogger is very firm in his/her contention, but presents nothing more than personal opinion to support it. The word tide is from the Old English word for time or season. Yuletide, for example, means the season of Yule. German Zeit is cognate with tide. Tide meaning rise and fall of the sea came into use in the 14th century. This meaning derived from the notion of fixed time of high water. Old English used the words flod for high tide and ebba for low tide. Tide as a verb is recorded from the 1620s. Heres the OEDs definition of the expression to tide over: to get over or surmount (a difficulty, time of stress, etc.) as if by rising on the flowing tide, or by taking advantage of a favourable tide. Speakers to whom the expression tide over is unfamiliar mistakenly write tie over: Journal Page To Tie You Over Oftentimes, A Fast Cash Advance Loan Can Tie You Over Those Lean Moments To tie you over until our full review lands, heres a first look at the opening levels of the campaign It should be enough to tie you over until you find yourself a new boyfriend. Perhaps these writers see the image of people clinging to a rope, rather than someone in a ship being borne up and carried by the tide.

Empathy With or Empathy For?

by Maeve Maddox

A reader asks if one feels empathy for a person, or with a person. Plenty of examples can be found of both for and with used to follow empathyand its verb empathize: there were things in it I could empathize with Browns coach Eric Mangini has empathy for Mike Brown How can I empathize with the other person? Narcissists do not express empathy for those who are close to them Promoting Empathy With Your Teen even rather young children are capable of showing empathy with the pain of others However, because of the nature of empathy, I think that with is to be preferred over for. The preposition for indicates a certain distancing that withdoes not. For example, when we feel pity for someone, we see the other as not like ourselves. When we feel empathy, we see ourselves mirrored in the other person. Four words commonly used for talking about feelings of caring are pity,compassion, sympathy, and empathy Pity and compassion refer to more distanced feelings than sympathy and empathy. pity: Tenderness and concern aroused by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another compassion: The feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it sympathy: The quality or state of being thus affected by the suffering or sorrow of another empathy: The power of projecting ones personality into (and so fully comprehending) the object of contemplation. Although these words are often used interchangeably, its useful to think of them as referring to different kinds or degrees of caring. Pity represents the most remote connection with ones fellow man. Pity is the feeling that most of us experience when we see the photo of a starving child or a news clip showing an oil-covered pelican. We are moved momentarily, but other impressions quickly crowd in to dissipate the feeling. Compassion is a step up from pity. Compassion prompts us to send money or to volunteer at the food bank. Compassion makes us try to rescue the distressed sea bird. With both pity and compassion, we see the object of our feelings at a certain remove from ourselves. We recognize the pain or distress of the other persons situation, but we dont feel it in a personal way. With sympathy and empathy, we are on a different level of feeling. When we sympathize, we have some experience of our own as a referent. We see the other person as an equal, someone like ourselves. Empathy takes sympathy to a still stronger depth of feeling. With empathy we are able to imagine ourselves in the other persons situation. Generally speaking, one sympathizes and empathizes with, but has pity and compassion for.

Have vs Having in Certain Expressions

by Maeve Maddox

Paul Russell poses an interesting question about the use of have and having. He points out the common ESL error of saying I am having a headache and asks: Why can I say Im having my lunch but not Im having a headache? Some explanations Ive read indicate its all to do with possession. But every time I think I have it figured, I have to wonder why I must say I have a cold when I cant say I have a heart attack. Im sure youll be having a good explanation for me:-) Heres the usual rule given to ESL students concerning the use of have to show possession or to describe medical conditions: Have should always be in the simple present tense for the meaning to own, or to describe medical problems. For example: They have a new car. I have a bad cold. It is incorrect to say I am having a cold or I am having a new car. Im having a heart attack does seem to contradict this rule. I think that the difference between I have a headache and Im having a heart attack may have more to do with duration than with either a medical condition or possession. One can have a heart condition, but a heart attack is a singular event, usu ally over in a few seconds or minutes. One may say I hope I wont have a heart attack, but in the event that one has oneand is capable of telling someoneam having is the only possibility. A headache is generally of longer duration than a heart attack. It may last an hour, several hours, or days. The same applies to a cold. Both are events of indeterminate duration. You have them for a while. If youre seated at a table having your lunch, youre engaged in an activity with a predictable end. Youll stop having lunch when youve finished eating. Thats my theory, anyway.

50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and Fingers

by Mark Nichol

Many idioms referring to human behavior are based on analogies to parts of the body, especially arms, hands, and fingers. Here are explanations of many of the most common expressions. 1. All hands on deck, from nautical terminology, means that a circumstance requires everyones attendance or attention. 2. One who is all thumbs is clumsy (as if one had thumbs in place of fingers and is therefore not dexterous). 3. To have something at hand is to have it accessible or nearby. 4. To be hand in hand is to be in close association. 5. A backhanded compliment is one that explicitly or implicitly denigrates the recipient. 6. To be in good (or safe) hands is to be in a secure position. 7. To be on hand is to be in attendance or available in case of need. 8. To bite the hand that feeds you is to attack or reject someone who has helped you. 9. The devil makes work for idle hands means that those who do not have enough to occupy them are susceptible to risking illicit behavior. 10. To say that someone did not or would not lift a finger is to criticize the person for failing to assist. 11. Elbow grease refers to influence that will enable something to occur that would otherwise be hindered or stalled. 12. Elbow room is space to be free to live the way one wants to or engage in activities as one wishes. 13. To finger someone is to identify someone, especially a perpetrator of a crime or someone who is to blame for doing something wrong. 14. To experience something at first hand (or firsthand) is to experience it directly rather than to merely become aware of it through an intermediary. 15. To force someones hand is to maneuver so that someone is compelled to act prematurely or reveal his or her intentions. 16. To give someone a free hand is to allow that person autonomy. 17. Five-finger discount is a euphemism for stealing, especially shoplifting. 18. To gain the upper hand is to become dominant or victorious. 19. To get ones fingers burned is to experience a painful lesson, often about issues such as trust in interpersonal relationships. 20. To get ones hands dirty it to directly engage in an activity that may not be appealing, rather than leave it to others, or to become involved in illicit activity. 2122. To give ones right arm (to right-handed people, the more useful one) or an arm and a leg is to offer a significant sacrifice to obtain a desired result. 23. To go hand in glove means to be in close agreement or in a close relationship. 24. To hand it to someone is to acknowledge someones accomplishment. 25. To hand something to someone on a plate or a platter means to make something easy for someone. 26. To hang on by ones fingernails is to barely manage to cope with something. 27. To have a finger in every pie (or many pies) is to be involved in many activities or projects 28. To have ones finger on the pulse of something is to be acutely aware of its condition or status. 29. To have ones hands full it to be busy or too busy to take on other activities. 30. Something done with a heavy hand is done excessively and/or oppressively. 31. A reference to an iron fist (or iron hand) in a velvet glove is to authoritarian behavior concealed behind a facade of benevolence. 32. To keep someone at arms length is to maintain emotional and/or physical distance from someone who is a bad influence or may otherwise cause harm. 33. To keep ones fingers crossed is to wish for good luck. 34. To know something like the back of ones hand is to be intimately or thoroughly familiar with it. 35. When the left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing, one entity associated with another

is unaware of the second entitys actions or intentions. 36. To lend a hand means to help. 37. To live from hand to mouth is to live on a subsistence level, with no cushion of comfort. 38. When something gets out of hand, it is out of control. 39. The long arm of the law is the influence of law enforcement, which can be more far reaching in time or space than one expects. 40. On the other hand means alternatively. 41. To overplay ones hand is to be overconfident. 42. To play into someones hands is to engage in activity or behavior that makes one vulnerable to another persons manipulation. 43. A show of hands is a literal or figurative assessment or vote to determine support for or opposition to an intended course of action or agreement or disagreement with an opinion. 44. To stick out like a sore thumb is to be conspicuous. 45. To take the law into ones own hands is to seek justice or retribution instead of obtaining assistance through law enforcement or legal procedures. 46. Thumbs up refers to the gesture of approval. 47. To be under someones thumb is to be subject to someone elses influence. 48. To be up in arms is to be indignant or agitated about a wrong done to oneself and/or others. 49. To wash ones hands of something is to decide that one no longer wants to be considered responsible for an action or policy that one does not have control over. 50. To work ones fingers to the bone is suggest that ones fingers have been stripped of flesh from the exertion.

15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

by Mark Nichol

Weve all heard about one behavioral or scientific effect or another, but perhaps were not sure were getting the name right, or even that we mean the one we think we do when we name it. Here are the labels of the most ubiquitous of effects and the thesis or the scientific principle underlying each one. 1. Bambi effect: Animals widely perceived as visually appealing will be given more consideration or sympathy than those deemed less attractive. (A rare additional connotation refers to homosexual men who engage in heterosexual behavior.) 2. Butterfly effect: A seemingly inconsequential event or incident can have momentous consequences. 3. Domino effect: Each in a series of events or incidents causes the subsequent phenomena. 4. Doppler effect: A waves frequency changes in relation to the relative position of the source or the observer. 5. Greenhouse effect: Heat emanating from a planetary surface will be absorbed and redistributed by atmospheric gases back to the surface or into the atmosphere, resulting in an increase in temperature. 6. Halo effect: The more attractive or appealing a person or other entity is, the more favorably they will be evaluated or the more sympathetically they will be treated. 7. Hawthorne effect: People being observed as part of a study will perform better or otherwise as expected simply because they know they are being studied. 8. Hundredth-monkey effect: A thought or behavior is widely and suddenly distributed through a group once a critical number of members of that group are exposed to the thought or behavior. (This theory is basically valid, but the claim of instantaneous transmission has been discredited.) 9. Mozart effect: Listening to music composed by Mozart temporarily improves performance on mental tasks. (This theory has been distorted to suggest that doing so makes the listener smarter; furthermore, additional studies have concluded that the specific composer or music genre, or whether one listens specifically to music at all, is irrelevant; experiencing anything one enjoys may improve performance.) 10. Placebo effect: Patients given secretly ineffectual or simulated treatment will perceive that their condition has improved, or that it will improve, because they believe the treatment has benefited or will benefit them. 11. Pygmalion effect: The more that is expected of people, the better they will perform. 12. Ripple effect: A single incident or occurrence may have consequences and ramifications beyond the scope of the original phenomenon. 13. Snowball effect: See ripple effect. 14. Streisand effect: Attempts to censor or conceal information lead to increased publicity. 15. Trickle-down effect: A consumer item may initially be affordable only for the affluent, but its price will likely decrease until people of more modest means can afford it (at which time it often becomes less attractive to wealthier people).

50 Idioms About Meat and Dairy Products

by Mark Nichol

Expressions that figuratively to livestock and other animals and animal products abound in English idiom. Here are many such morsels. 12. To bring home the bacon is to earn money at a job, but to save (someones) bacon is to help or rescue someone when they are in trouble or risking failure. 35. To beef about (someone) is to complain or criticize, but have a beef with someone is to hold a grudge, while to beef up something is to strengthen it. 6. Wheres the beef? is a challenge or claim indicating that an idea is without sufficient substance. 78. A chicken is a fearful person, and to chicken out is to opt, out of fear, not to do something. 9. A chicken-and-egg argument is a circuitous one. 1012. Chicken feed is an insubstantial amount of money, and chicken scratch is illegible writing, while to play chicken is to engage in a standoff to determine who will back down first. 13. To say that the chickens have come home to roost means that consequences are imminent. 14. The exhortation Dont count your chickens before theyre hatched cautions one not to act as if a hoped -for outcome has already occurred. 15. One who is no spring chicken is not young anymore. 16. To run around like a headless chicken (or like a chicken with its head cut off) is to panic or worry aimlessly. 1719. To have bigger fish to fry is to have more important things to do, but a fine kettle of fish is an unfortunate situation, while a different kettle of fish suggests something is unrelated to the topic 2021. To make hamburger or make mincemeat of someone or something is to defeat or destroy the per son or the thing. 22. To be a meat-and-potatoes person is to like simple things. 23. A meat market is a venue people frequent to seek sex partners. 24. Something that is meat and drink to someone is a skill or pastime that they enjoy and that is very easy for them. 25. One who is dead meat is a target for harm or punishment. 26. To say that one mans meat is another mans poison is to say that what one person may like, another may dislike. 27. The meat of the matter is the essence of an issue or problem. 28. Something that is pork barrel is a government spending project cynically designed to garner support. 29. To pork out is to eat too much. 30. To stop cold turkey is to do so abruptly. 31. To butter (someone) up is to flatter that person. 32. To say that butter wouldnt melt in (ones) mouth is to imply that they are feigning innocence by looking calm and cool. 33. To cheese (someone) off is to anger or disgust someone. 34. A big cheese is a leader or somewhat important (sometimes jocularly rendered in French: le grande fromage). 35. To cut the cheese is vulgar slang meaning produce flatulence. 36. Say, Cheese! is an exhortation to smile for a photograph. 3738. The cream of the crop is the best in its class; the crme de la crme is the best of the best. 3940. A good egg is a good person, and a bad egg is a bad person. 4145. To put all (ones) eggs in one basket is to risk everything at once, but to lay an egg is to perform poorly, and to have egg on (ones) face is to be left embarrassed or humiliated, while to egg (someone) on is to goad someone to something that is generally ill advised. A nest egg is a savings fund. 46. To say that one cant make an omelette without breaking some (or the) eggs means that nothing can be accomplished without some difficulty. 47. To cry over spilled milk is to dwell over something that cannot be undone. 48. To be full of the milk of human kindness is to generously display kindness and/or sympathy. 4950. To milk (someone) for (something) is to pressure the person, but to milk (something) for all its worth is to exploit something to the greatest extent possible.

25 Idioms About Bread and Dessert

by Mark Nichol

Wheat the staff of life and the baked products derived from it invite many idiomatic associations. Here are references to bread and other flour-based products in phrases and expressions. 1. Bread and butter refers to the basics in life. 2. Bread and water refers to the bare minimum of food and drin k, based on the traditional punitive prison diet. 3. The greatest thing since sliced bread is something considered revolutionary and indispensable. 4. Half a loaf is better than none means that one shouldnt complain about not having everything, because it is better to have something than nothing. 5. Half baked means incomplete or not thoroughly planned or conceived. 6. To know which side (ones) bread is buttered on is to recognize what is advantageous. 7. To sell (something) like hotcakes is to be very successful at selling something. 8. To separate the wheat from the chaff is to distinguish what is useful or valuable from what is not. 9. Something that is as flat as a pancake is extremely flat. 10. Something as warm as toast is very wa rm and comforting. 11. To have your cake and eat it, too is to have or accomplish something more than one way; the phrase often refers to an unrealistic expectation. 12. Something as easy as (apple) pie is very simple to do or understand. 1314. To have (ones) finger in the pie is to be involved, but to have (ones) fingers in too many pies is to be committed in too many endeavors, thus reducing ones effectiveness. 15. Icing on the cake is an additional benefit. 16. An activity that is like taking candy from a baby is very easy. 17. Something that is pie in the sky is unrealistic. 18. Something that is a piece of cake is extraordinarily easy. 19. To get a piece of the pie is to be among those who earn an advantage or reward. 20. To sugarcoat something is to put it into a deceptively or inaccurately positive light. 21. Something that takes the cake is significantly better or worse than other comparable things; the phrase often refers to an action or comment that is audaciously irritating. 22. Thats the way the cookie crumbles means that what is referred to is an expected or typical outcome. 23. Someone or something as nutty as a fruitcake is crazy or ridiculous. 24. Something as slow as molasses (in January) is very slow. 25. Something as sweet as honey is very appealing.

Alternative Meanings for Names of Sense Organs

by Mark Nichol

The words for body parts that enable us to perceive stimuli have, sensibly, been applied to other meanings that are extensions of the original connotations. Here are additional meanings of ear, eye, nose, skin, andtongue. Ear An ear is an earlike part of an object or a body or a plant. It also means sensitivity to pitch and tone of music or melody or rhythm of speaking, and its a figu rative term for a listener or the attention or awareness a listener offers. Eye This word refers to something resembling an eye in appearance or function. It might also denote a glance or a look, or close attention or scrutiny, as well as judgment or point of view or good eyesight or discernment. Eye also refers to the direction from which wind blows or the center of a storm. Nose Nose is employed to mean the sense of smell, or to refer to the aroma or bouquet of something. It also applies, usually in the adjectival form nosy, to curiosity or meddling, though, more positively, one might be said to have a nose, or a knack for comprehending or finding, for something. Also, the forward or projecting end of a tool or any object is frequently referred to as its nose. Skin The covering of a piece of fruit or a seed is called the skin, and any casing or sheathing, or a film or a similar layer, is often referred to as such. It also refers to well-being (Save your skin!) or to ones self (Shes comfortable in her own skin). Tongue Tongue applies to the power of communication, or to language itself. The word also describes the quality of the tone of something said, or the intention or sense of the message (as when describing someone as having a sharp tongue). In plural form, it refers to meaningless utterances, usually in the context of religious ecstasy (speaking in tongues); tongue also denotes the cry of a hound during a hunt, or a similar sound. It also applies to a narrow projection of an object or of land, or to an object resembling a tongue in form, a projecting edge on a board designed to be inserted into a groove on an edge of an other board (this system of construction is called tongue-and-groove), or a flame.

10 Colloquial Terms and Their Meanings

by Mark Nichol

Why is there a taint surrounding aint? Why do editors get ornery or riled, or have conniptions or raise a ruckus, if writers try to use these and other words? The ebb and flow of the English languages vocabulary is caused by competing crosscurrents. Neologisms come in with each tide, some of them washing ashore and others drifting back out to sea. But pronouncements from self-appointed experts and tacit disapproval by the self-selected better classes can also result in the relegation of certain terms and idioms to the realm of substandard or nonstandard usage. Here are ten words that, at least in terms of one sense, have been demoted by an association with rural dialect. 1. Aint: Once a fully legitimate contraction of am not employed at least in familiar conversation by speakers of all social classes, aint came to be identified with less well-educated people, and in the United States specifically with poor rural dwellers. Its unfortunate that in writing, its use is restrict ed to humorous emphasis or idiomatic expressions (Say it aint so!). 2. Allow: The sense of allow meaning concede or recognize has been relegated to obscurity; seldom is this usage employed except in faux-rural contexts. 3. Conniption: This word for an emotional fit, usually appearing in plural form (having conniptions), is still employed occasionally in a jocular sense. It was first attested almost two hundred years ago, but its origin is obscure, though its possibly a corruption of corruption, which once had a connotation of anger, or might be derived from a dialectal form of captious (fallacious). 4. Fetch: Fetch has a colloquial air about it, and its unfortunate that the word lacks respectability, because it is more vivid and thorough a term than get(Could you fetch that for me?), and more compact than, for example, Could you go over there and bring that back for me? It survives in one formal sense, however: far-fetched (originally, brought from afar, but used figuratively for most of it s centuries-long life span). 5. Ornery: This contraction of ordinary, influenced by the latter words less common senses of coarse and ugly, developed a connotation of cantankerous or mean behavior. Today, its used only in a humorous or scornful sense. 6. Reckon: The sense of reckon that means suppose (I reckon I ought to get home) is one of the most high-profile examples of stereotypical rural dialect, but its absent from formal usage. 7. Rile: This dialectal variant of roil, in the sense of stir up, is used informally to describe irritation or anger. 8. Ruckus: Ruckus, probably a mash-up of ruction (disturbance) and rumpus(boisterous activity) themselves both dialectal terms is now used only light-heartedly. 9. Spell: The sense of spell that means an indefinite period of time, related to the use of the word to mean substitute, is confined to rural dialect or affectation of such usage. 10. Yonder: This formerly standard term meaning over there is now known only in rural dialect (or spoofing of it) or in a poetic sense.

10 Terms of Gender Identity

by Mark Nichol

Are you confused about the language of gender identity? As we learned from a recent post about ethnic identity, the best way to learn what words to use to distinguish one or more people by their physical characteristics is to ask them. Unfortunately, this approach is not as easy as it seems. Those who wish to describe ethnic identity or gender identity often have a category, rather than one person, in mind, and any two people with similar characteristics (for example, a pair of American Indians, or two lesbians) are likely to have divergent preferences. Likewise, any effort to obtain sanction for one term or another from an organization claiming to represent people with nonheterosexual gender identities (or people with a certain ethnic identity) will not result in universal acceptance of the term by those it is meant to refer to. Why do we even need distinctive terms to discuss intersecting identities with nebulous boundaries? The answer to this question is another question: How can we hope to communicate about sexuality and gender without a common vocabulary? There is such a vocabulary, but, like humanity, it is necessarily fluid. But here are terms and definitions that many people agree on: 1. Bisexual: A term for a person sexually attracted to people of both the same sex and the opposite sex. 2. Dyke: A term for a woman sexually attracted to other women; some people consider it offensive, although many lesbians have reclaimed the word and self-identify as dykes. 3. Fag: A term for a man sexually attracted to other men; some people may consider it offensive, although many gays have reclaimed the word and self-identify as fags. 4. GLBT: An inclusive initialism for those self-identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transsexual. A more inclusive and as yet uncommon variant is GLBTQ2IA; the additional elements refer to queer, questioning, intersex allies. 5. Gay: An inclusive term for those attracted to people of the same sex or not exclusively attracted to people of the opposite sex, although it is often used in the phrase gays and lesbians, which places men and women in separate categories, and can thus refer either to both genders or men only. 6. Genderqueer: A term for those who refuse to be confined to a single gender role. 7. Lesbian: A term for a woman sexually attracted to other women. 8. Queer: An inclusive term for those attracted to people of the same sex or not exclusively attracted to people of the opposite sex; some people may consider it offensive, although many who that fall under that definition have reclaimed the word and self-identify as queers. 9. Same-gender loving: A self-evident term used by those dissatisfied by traditional terminology. 10. Transgender: A term for a person who presents as having a gender other than their original one. This usage is not to be confused with transsexual, which refers to someone in or beyond the process of gender reassignment involving physiological changes, or transvestite, a word for someone who whether occasionally or frequently, whether publicly or privately, and for any one of various reasons wears clothing associated with the opposite gender. (Transgender inclusively encompasses these and other terms.) In general usage, it is usually safe to refer to gays and lesbians to refer to the entirety of people whose sexuality is not strictly heterosexual. GLBT is a more inclusive term, though it is often used fallaciously in the phrase the GLBT community, as if such a cohesive entity exists. The connotation of this phrase seems to be that there is such a community, but only in the sense of people united in solidarity for civil rights for anyone falling under the GLBT umbrella. However, the phrase would seem to exclude heterosexual people sympathetic to the civil rights concerns of GLBT people. Its perhaps best to restrict use of the initialism to usage such as GLBT issues.

25 Words and Their Prepositional Pals

by Mark Nichol

You probably know a preposition a word that shows a relationship between two words or phrases by demonstrating place, time, or another quality when you see it, but thats grammar. What about usage? Which prepositions go with a given verb or adjective, and when? Some choices are no-brainers, but others can present a challenge. Heres a guide to various words that require writers to choose from more than one preposition depending on meaning and sentence construction: 1. Abide with us for a while, by the rules (or I cant abide him). 2. Answer to him for what youve done, for what youve done. 3. Caution about unsafe conditions, against the rash proposal. 4. Compare with other products that make the same claims, apples to oranges. 5. Confide in her about my problems, to him what I really think. 6. Conversant about climate change, in several languages, with aspects of technology. 7. Differ from other species in their diet, with them about the cause of the companys failure, or about public policy, on public policy, or over public policy. 8. Different from what he was used to, than he was used to. From is the preferred usage, but than substitutes for from what. (Different to is a Britishism.) 9. Dissent against the status quo, from the majority opinion. (To or with are not considered standard usage.) 10. Dissimilar to her previous sculpture. (From is considered incorrect.) 11. Enamored of every woman he meets. (With is considered incorrect.) 12. Equivalent in amounts, to the earlier result. (With is not considered standard usage.) 13. Excerpt from their book was reprinted without their permission. (Of is considered incorrect.) 14. Forbid him from attending, him to attend. (To is considered the more correct of the two choices.) 15. Identical to the one she saw yesterday, with the one she saw yesterday. (Language purists consider with more correct, but use of to is significantly more common.) 16. Independent of the group, he protested the plan. (From, as in Independent from her family, is considered incorrect.) 17. Instilled instilled a few drops of the solution into the wound, in him a drive to succeed. (With, as in Instilled with a drive to succeed, is considered incorrect.) 18. Oblivious of the warning signs, to the noise; the choices are often interchangeable. ( About is often used in association with oblivious, but its not considered standard us age.) 19. Vexed about her behavior, at her behavior. The correct preposition to use with the following words depends on whether the object is a person or a thing: 20. Comment about her or to you about what happened, but on the issue. 21. Impatient with him, but about the delay, at the delay, or with the delay. 22. Inquired of him where he was going and after her whereabouts, but into their progress or about the vacant apartment. 23. Mastery over all other competitors, but of the skill. 24. Reconcile with her boyfriend, but to the loss of her boyfriend. 25. Succeed as a businessperson, but to the position.