When doing something “willy-nilly”, you’re doing it haphazardly, with no planning or forethought, especially about the consequences of your actions. It’s a peculiar turn of phrase that’s been in our language since the early 1600s (1608, to be specific, according to the earliest example in the Oxford English Dictionary). But how willy-nilly originated, though, goes…
With all due respect to Simon & Garfunkel, when you consider the sound of silence, you’ve probably thought “crickets”, the noisy insects that have somehow become synonymous with no sound at all. But how did crickets come to symbolize silence? Well, this sense of the word “crickets” is so recent that it has yet to…
Like many old proverbs, “Never look a gift horse in the mouth” used to have a very literal meaning before the passage of time turned it into a figure of speech. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth means being thankful for a gift, even if you secretly wished for something else. The phrase…
There’s so much going on in the world these days. So many “hot button issues”, as news anchors & political pundits call them. But what actually is a “hot button issue” anyway? Why is it called that? Nowadays, the term “hot-button issue” refers to any situation with a heavy emotional undercurrent. If a subject gets…
Hopefully, everything goes smoothly & as-planned the next time you’re preparing dinner. However, if you’ve ever overcooked your supper, you might’ve found yourself wondering: “this black piece of food in my pan…is it “burned”, or is that “burnt”? (Okay, so grammar usage would probably be the furthest thing from your mind in that moment…but the…
This weekend, kids everywhere will be hoping for a visit from The Easter Bunny, a friendly rabbit who leaves delightful gifts for kids to enjoy on Easter morning. But why is it not called “The Easter RABBIT”? I mean, as far as animal name abbreviations go, “doggy” for dog makes sense. As does “kitty” for…
On the heels of this year’s Oscars ceremony, where so many “box office blockbusters” were honored, have you ever wondered where the term “box office” originated? You couldn’t be blamed for thinking it sprouted from the box-like nature of many old-fashioned box offices, which were enclosed, detached booths situated just outside theaters…but you’d still be…
Now that the 2nd month of the year is almost over, let’s address a common issue: just how is the month we’re in supposed to be pronounced? Here in the US, the most common pronunciation of the word is “FEB-yoo-air-ee.” Both The Merriam-Webster Dictionary & The American Heritage Dictionary consider the common pronunciation correct, along…
People may not burn their favorite music onto Compact Discs anymore, but one thing’s for sure: discs will always be a thing. But how is it supposed to be spelled? Is it “disc” or “disk”? A “disc” can be any round, flat object. But…so can a “disk”. So, how exactly are you supposed to know…
Whenever people start talking about “ringing in the New Year”, you’ll usually hear them talk about doing so with things like a kiss, a toast, a New Year’s resolution, a movie marathon, or an entire dozen donuts all to themselves. But when you think about it…none of those things ring, do they? So, why do…