Road kill is a relatively new term that was coined for a phenomenon that is fairly recent in the history of civilization. We’ll look at the definition of road kill, where the term comes from, the preferred spelling and some examples of its use in sentences. Road kill is a …
The words ear candy and eye candy are twentieth century inventions, though the possible source of these terms might be surprising. We’ll look at the meaning of ear candy and eye candy, where these words come from, and look at some examples used in sentences. Ear candy describes music that …
I remember the first time I climbed to the top of the waterfalls at Mint Brook, a local swimming hole. I was maybe twelve years old and immediately regretted it and wouldn’t jump off. My best friend grabbed my hand, and we jumped off together, but she shouted Geronimo, and …
A leotard is a tightly-fitted article of clothing made of stretchy material that covers from the shoulders to the top of the thighs, a leotard may be sleeveless or have short sleeves or long sleeves. Leotards are worn by dancers, acrobats and others who are engaging in vigorous activity. The …
A bain-marie is a cooking container filled with water in which another pan or dish is placed in order to cook food more slowly or with more moisture. The term bain-marie is taken directly from the French, it literally translates as Mary’s bath. Note that when cooking with a bain-marie …
A spoonerism is a verbal mistake in which the initial consonant sounds of two words are transposed, often to comedic effect. The word spoonerism was coined after a Warden of New College, Oxford, Reverend William Archibald Spooner. The term spoonerism was used at Oxford as early as 1885, entering into …
Lickety-split means at once, right away, immediately. Lickety-split is an American phrase, probably derived from going at quite a lick and other similar phrases. The lick in this case, most probably refers to the practice of hurrying animals along with a lick from a whip. The word lickety-split appears in …
Doublethink is the ability to accept two conflicting beliefs, opinions, or facts as valid and correct, simultaneously. This acceptance might be deliberate or unconscious, and is often a result of political indoctrination. Doublethink may happen because of someone being willfully perverse or as a result of faulty logic. Doublethink is …
Chicanery means using trickery or deception to achieve a goal, especially using verbal trickery or legalese in a deceptive manner to achieve a goal. The word chicanery was borrowed from the French in the 1600s, from the French word chicanerie which means trickery and the Middle French word chicaner which …