Sub-rosa is an adjective that describes an event as having been accomplished in secret or hiding. It is one of the few sub- words that has a hyphen as the preferred spelling inside North America. In British English the preferred spelling is two words, without the hyphen. Sub rosa, without the hyphen, can …
The adjective matter-of-fact is hyphenated and describes something or someone as having little to no dramatic emotion when speaking about potentially upsetting things. Note that this does not mean a lack of all emotion, but it means that the individual is not letting his or her emotions get the better of him …
Have you ever found yourself using the phrases “matter of fact” and “fact of the matter” without knowing what they mean? Well, you’re not alone! Everyone does it! At first glance, these two phrases sound super similar, but they’re meant to be used in different ways. So, to make things …
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Reforest is a verb that means to plant again or to recover with trees to make a new forest. This is normally done by companies who cut down trees for their business. Reforest dates back to the 1880s. The word has become more mainstream as the emphasis on the environment has increased in …
Shopping cart is a North American name for the basket on wheels on can use to hold food while grocery shopping. Interestingly, it is not listed in some American dictionaries, but is listed in European. In British English this item is more often called a shopping trolley. Both versions of this term …
A caretaker is someone who supports a person physically or emotionally. The person he or she takes care of may or may not be a member of the family. This usage of the word is mainly in the United States and Canada, and less common in other countries. In British English the …
Geographic is an adjective that describes something or someone as pertaining to geography, the study of the location of places. It can also describe something as being part of a particular region, usually unique in some way. The adverb form of this word is geographically. Geographical is listed in the dictionary as a …
“Little to no” and “little to none” are phrases used to describe something with a minimal amount of something, if at all. And while they have the same meaning, these two phrases have different usages. This post will teach you how to use the two modifiers in sentences and if …
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A limelight can be either a bright light used in theater that uses lime and a lens, the light created by that instrument, or it can also be figurative when media or the general public is focused on a person to that he or she is the center of attention. The noun can …
Leery is an adjective that describes something or someone as not trusting something or being suspicious of a place or person. It is usually used with the preposition of (e.g., I am leery of warehouses). The noun form is leeriness. Some American dictionaries list leary as a variant spelling of leery. However, it is more commonly seen …