Like most kids who were raised in the nineties, I grew up poor, but my parents never used that word. In fact, they always found a way to ensure we had everything we needed, just not anything more. My mother always said they rubbed two sticks together or went paycheck to paycheck or — leaning into the topic of this article — always managed to make ends meet. But I always wondered if it was “make ends meet” or “make …
Manic and maniac are two words that are very close in spelling and are sometimes confused. We will examine the definitions of manic and maniac, where these two words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Manic is an adjective which is a description of wild, excited and perhaps deranged behavior. Manic may be used as a psychological term or simply to mean something or someone behaving at a frantic pace. The word manic is derived from …
Meat, meet and mete are three words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different definitions of meat, meet and mete, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Meat is the flesh of an animal, usually referring to the flesh of an animal that is eaten by human beings. Meat is sometimes used to mean the edible part …
More than one way to skin a cat means there are various ways to accomplish the same task. The saying is a proverb, which is a short, common saying or phrase that particularly gives advice or shares a universal truth. Proverbs are generally similar in nature across languages and are accepted as forms of analogy to add detail to writing and speech. So where did this peculiar phrase come from? Its roots can be traced back to a British variant …
Boggle the mind and mind-boggling are terms that have their roots in the sixteenth century, though their current use only became popular in the 1950s. We will examine the meanings of the terms boggle the mind and mind-boggling, where they came from and some examples of their use in sentences. To boggle the mind means to baffle someone, to astonish or overwhelm someone. The term begins with the word boggle, which dates back to the sixteenth century. At that time, …
The term mortar board is not as old as the use of the mortar board itself. We will examine the definition of the term mortar board, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences. Most often, the term mortar board describes a certain type of academic cap worn by graduating high schoolers and bachelor and master degree candidates. The term is taken from the original mortar board, a type of board used by bricklayers to hold …
The term Mexican standoff is most probably a term coined in the United States and is considered a pejorative by many, but not all people. We will examine the meaning of the term Mexican standoff, where it probably came from and its evolution, as well as some examples of its use in sentences. A Mexican standoff is a confrontation in which the opponents are equally matched and neither one may win, in a Mexican standoff neither participant has an advantage. …
Make a clean breast of it and come clean are two idioms that mean the same thing but originated at two different times. An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal meaning. We will examine the meaning of the phrases make a clean breast of it and come clean, where these terms came from and some examples of their use in sentences. To make a …
Microfinance, microcredit and microloan are terms that came into use in the mid-1970s when these practices were pioneered. We will examine the definitions of the terms microfinance, microcredit and microloan, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Microfinance is a system of banking services made available to clients who are not served by traditional banks because of their location and poverty. Usually, the mission of microfinancing institutions is to aid small business owners by …
Have you ever been called a Mary Sue? As a writer, I’ve heard the term about a female fan fiction character thrown around more times than I can count. It’s linked to fan fiction but has grown to include other uses in today’s world. So, I’m going to explain all the details and show you how you can use the term “Mary Sue” in your writing. Meaning of Mary Sue A Mary Sue is typically a fictional character in TV, …