Let’s break down a phrase you’ve likely heard on countless occasions but maybe haven’t given much thought to. This phrase is at the end of the day. I know what you’re thinking; it sounds pretty straightforward, Candace. But it’s not just about the actual end of a day; there’s more …
Hairy can mean either being covered in hair, or causing fear or difficulty. The word has carried this dual meaning since the middle of the 19th century. The word makes the forms hairier and hairiest. To harry is to persistently attack or harass. It has been around since before the 12th century. Its derivatives include harried, harries, …
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Shenanigans are silly or mischievous behaviors or activities. A shenanigan is a trick, usually of a questionable nature. Depending on the dictionary, the noun is listed as plural or in its singular form. It is used either way. It is pronounced \shə-ˈna-ni-gən\ (shi nan i gan) with both the e and the i producing the short i sound. It …
Now archaic, yester was an adjective to describe a time period in the past. Today it has been absorbed into the word yesterday, and is seen sometimes in the word yesteryear. Its other forms (yester-week, yester-hour, yester-month) have become so antiquated they are not listed in the dictionary. However, now and then they do …
One of the newest words to be included in the Oxford online dictionary, amazeballs is slang for something awesome or particularly fantastic. The term originated in 2003. Users should be cautious as spellcheckers and most professional or academic institutions will still consider this word incorrect. Amazeballs is a derivative of amaze, …
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To begrudge means to envy or to give up reluctantly. In the common phrase, ‘you can’t begrudge someone something’, it can be read as ‘you cannot be reluctant to give someone something.’ Note that it must be used in the negative form for this meaning to be understood. One can be a begrudger. It is also seen …
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Chalk up is an idiom which means to give credit to something or to attain something. It comes from the literal act in the 16th century of writing a debt that was owed to a store in chalk. Usually it is found in the phrase chalk it up to. A chock is a wooden block …
To niggle is to create small but persistent annoyance or discomfort, or to find unimportant faults. It conjugates to niggled, niggles, and niggling. A person can be a niggler. Its adjective form is niggling. As a noun, a niggle, is a tiny complaint or wince of pain, or something similarly small. It is primarily used in this …
August is the eighth month in the Western or Gregorian calendar; it is a proper noun and should be capitalized. It can be plural in the form of Augusts. While much of the world uses or at least recognizes the Gregorian calendar, there are quite a few other calendars in use throughout …
Lambaste is a verb meaning to attack severely, either physically or verbally. It can be spelled with or without the ‘e’. Lambaste is more common, though the dictionary will list lambast. It may be pronounced /lamˈbāst/(lam bayst) or /lamˈbast/ (lam baast). The noun form is lambasting. The term ‘land blasted’ is incorrect and …