M Archives | Page 12 of 25

Decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, triathlon and biathlon

The decathlon is a summer sporting event that consists of ten track and field events over two days. The events in the decathlon are held in this order: 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters, 110 meters hurdle, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, 1500 meters. The Olympic decathlon is a male event, the winner is often considered the unofficial greatest all-around athlete in the world. The modern Olympic decathlon was first run at the 1912 games. …

Manspreading

by Grammarist

Manspreading is the process in which a man sits on a public conveyance such as a bus or train with his legs spread wide apart in order to take as much space as possible and discourage other passengers from sitting close to him. The idea of men sitting on public conveyances with their legs spread very wide has been bandied about on the internet since 2008, but the New York blog AM New York was the first place where the …

The whole megillah

by Grammarist

The whole megillah means the entirety of something, especially something that is an entanglement of intricate arrangements or a long, complicated story. The whole megillah is an American idiom taken from Yiddish. In Hebrew, the Megillah is one of five books read on special Jewish feast days. The Book of Esther, read on Purim, is especially long and complicated. A tedious and complicated story came to be called the gantse Megillah in Yiddish, which translates as the whole Megillah. The …

httpsgrammarist.comhomophonesmorning vs mourning 2

Morning vs. Mourning – Meaning, Spelling & Difference

by Candace Osmond

I’m pretty sure homophones are here to torture us. But really, I know they create words with the same sound and pronunciation because the English language adapts words from different languages and origins, like morning and mourning, for example. Let’s take a look at the big differences between these two homophones. Morning vs. Mourning Let’s cut to the chase before I dive deep. Morning, without the U, means the beginning of the day. Mourning, with the U added in, is …

Muscle vs mussel

by Grammarist

Muscle is the fibrous tissue in an animal or human body that contracts and expands in order to create movement, either internal or external. The word muscle is also used to describe someone or something that is powerful or influential or something that is accomplished through force. Informally, muscle also indicates a person who is physically strong or whose job it is to enforce rules. Muscle is derived from the Latin word musculus. A mussel is a bivalve mollusk of …

Marquee vs. Marquis

by Grammarist

In North American English, marquee describes the canopy that hangs over the entrance to a building such as a theater or a hotel. This marquee usually advertises the name of the building or the movie, play or entertainer appearing at the building. Marquee may also be used as an adjective to indicate the lead or premier entertainer in a production. In British English, a marquee is a large, commercial tent used in outdoor events of a social or commercial nature. …

None of Your Beeswax or Mind Your Beeswax – Origin & Meaning

by Candace Osmond

We all know beeswax is an ingredient used in many products we have today, like lip balms, lotions, and candles. But the term “beeswax” somehow found its way into the English language as a colloquial expression, like the phrases “mind your own beeswax” and “none of your beeswax.” We commonly use them to tell others to mind their own business or to show that something is just none of their concern. But where did these quirky expressions come from? And …

Oligarchy vs monarchy

by Grammarist

An oligarchy is a small group of elite people who control a country, business, government or other institution. An oligarchy may also be a country or government that is controlled by a small group of elite people. An oligarchy may be an assembled clique of people or a particular select class of people, an oligarchy is usually considered tyrannical. Related words are oligarch, oligarchic, oligarchical, oligarchically. The word oligarchy is derived from the Greek word oligarkhia, which means government by …

SOS and Mayday

by Grammarist

SOS is a distress call, it is recognized internationally as a message calling for help in a time of extreme distress. The letters SOS are not an acronym, SOS was developed to be used as a radio signal. In Morse code, “s” is transmitted as a series of three dots and “o” is transmitted as a series of three dashes, which makes SOS in Morse code easy to transmit repeatedly and easy for the listener to decode. Germany was the …

Monday Morning Quarterback – A Remarkable Display of Guesswork

by Danielle McLeod

A Monday morning quarterback is the name given to a person who criticizes and second-guesses decisions made by somebody after the fact. The term is considered an idiom—a phrase or expression with a meaning that differs from its literal definition. In this case, the term is used to call somebody’s untimely judgment out. Understanding idioms is crucial for mastering the English language as they add depth and nuance to communication. They are often used in casual speech and writing and …

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