Sandwich. This is a word worth pondering on several levels. First, what’s its origination? Why is a piece of meat between two slices of bread called a sandwich? Second, many of us mispronounce it, referring to a sammich. And we’re saving the biggest controversy for last. Is a hot dog…a sandwich? We feel obligated to get to the heart of this matter. It’s why we’re …
On February 22, 2017, news of the discovery of seven new exoplanets was announced by NASA. This may be a new word for you non-NASA geeks out there. Let’s examine the difference between planets and exoplanets. A planet is sometimes also called a major planet. It’s any of the eight large heavenly bodies revolving about the sun and shining by reflected light. In the order …
Let’s say you have a bit of extra information that’s too long for parentheses. What do you do? That’s where footnotes and endnotes come in. What are they exactly? Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page they refer to, while endnotes appear at the very end of a text. They usually show up in academic writing. Read on if you want to know more …
Number two in our miniseries of “What’s In A Name” deals with popular brand names and their etymology. While some names are easy to figure out—Ford cars are named after Henry Ford—other brand name origins are a bit more complex, or in some cases, convoluted. Nike Nike refers to the Greek winged goddess of victory as well as a tactical missile of the 1940s. As …
With the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday, it’s a good time to take a look at the language of the sport of professional football. Whether you’re referring to words used for penalties such as offside and clipping or actual play calling (which is truly arcane), football has a language all its own. With that in mind, here’s a list of curious football terminology. On …
Donald Trump took the oath of office on Friday, January 20, 2017 and officially became the 45th President of the United States of America. Everyone has an opinion on the word choices and speaking styles of politicians, and speeches from world leaders often cause words to spike in lookups on Dictionary.com. Inauguration and inaugurate (to induct into office with formal ceremonies; to install) were the top lookups …
Try saying this out loud: “Does this shop stock short socks with spots?” Not so easy? That’s because it’s a tongue twister. Tongue twisters are fun verbal exercises full of words that rhyme or sound similar. People will usually try to say them quickly, several times in a row without making any mistakes. Why They Work There are plenty of well-known tongue twisters. One of …
After his second and final term, President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech Tuesday, January 10 in Chicago, the city that launched his rise to national prominence. Word choices and speech patterns of our world leaders are a constant source of discussion (and comedy skits), as every administration has a style and at least one tic. Long known as an effective public speaker, Obama peppered …
Do you know if you’re an alumnus or an alumni? Alumni actually is the plural form of alumnus, a Latin word that means a graduate or former student of an educational institution. Although alumnus usually refers to academics, it can also mean a former employee, associate, or member of any organized group. Alumni refers to more than one alumnus (think of a graduating class). The …
What does it mean? Supposably means capable of being supposed. In other words, it describes something that’s capable of happening. Though supposably is a valid word, it can be tricky to use in a sentence, and isn’t often used in modern speech. Contemporary writers are more likely to use its synonym, conceivably.Supposably is frequently confused with the similar-sounding word supposedly. The main difference is that …
If you need to say you’re sorry, it helps to know whether you’re sending your apology or apologies.The phrase my apologies is an idiom, while the phrase my apology literally means my act of apologizing. As an idiom, my apologies means excuses or regrets. This phrase is a way of saying you’re sorry. The phrase my apology is not an idiom. It only has a …
While they appear very similar, sometime, sometimes, and some time have slightly different meanings. Sometime means a vague point in time, and usually refers to a long amount of time. Sometimes means occasionally. Some time refers to a period of time. Sometime Sometime refers to an unspecified point in time. It functions as an adverb, and is also synonymous with someday, one day, or sooner …
