Words

Nonstarter

A nonstarter can be a synonym for an also-ran, which is something or someone who loses a race. A nonstarter can also be something that will not accomplish its goal or be effective. Sometimes it is literally something which does not start. In sports it is someone who is not a starter, or does …

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Smarmy

Smarmy is an adjective which means to act as if you are genteel or well-mannered, but such actions are not credible or believed. Something can be smarmier than something else, and one can even be the smarmiest. The noun form is smarminess  and the adverb form is smarmily. A smarm is a word or behavior that is smarmy in …

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Wherewithal

Wherewithal is a noun and is defined in most dictionaries as the funds or means required to accomplish a task or purpose. Some dictionaries list a plural as wherewithal. However, it is a mass noun that is already plural, but singular in construction and should not be pluralized. However, the dictionaries leave out …

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Mayhap or mishap or snafu

Mayhap is an archaic way to say maybe or perhaps. It is an adverb in construction. It does not have a plural and should not be written as mayhaps. It has largely been replaced by other words, including those used to define it, like maybe and perhaps. A mishap is an accident or unfortunate …

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Appellation vs appellative

An appellation is a title or the name of something. An archaic definition included the act of calling something by its name. It is also a designation for winegrowers to use if their vineyards are in a certain part of the world. An appellative is an adjective describing something as having to do with …

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Shop till you drop

To shop till you drop is an American idiom which means to buying things until you are physically tired and cannot walk around the shops anymore. Sometimes it is spelled shop ’til you drop. In this usage of till as a conjunction meaning ‘until’, and of the spellings are acceptable (e.g. till, til, or ’til). The phrase is found …

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Talk turkey

If people are to talk turkey, they are going to have an honest and open dialogue, usually with the motive to move forward through a problem. It is an American phrase that goes back to the early 1800s. Originally it meant to talk agreeably or pleasantly, which is almost an complete reversal to …

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Take the mickey out of someone

To take the mickey out of someone is an idiom used largely outside of the United States. It means to tease or make fun of someone. It is usually meant in a lighthearted or fun manner, not to ridicule or bash. The phrase has many variations, including take the mike out of someone, …

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Social vs sociable

For someone or something to be described as social it can be an activity in which individuals talk with other people or do activities as a team or in a group. A social person likes to be around others or enjoys having conversations with others. Social can also describe things that have to do with society …

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Tabula rasa

Tabula rasa comes from Latin where it meant blank slate. This is how it is used today as well, though there are nuanced differences in the actual English definition. It can refer to something in an unaltered state, or the mind of a person before it is influence by others. Rasa can …

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