With colloquial terms for rural folks, the words “redneck,” “hillbilly,” and “hick” are usually the terms we see get thrown around. But did you know that each of these delicate terms has its own distinct connotations and origins? I’ll dive into the differences between these words and explore their history, …
Parsimony is a noun that describes the personality trait of being stingy or unwilling to part with one’s money. Another synonym is thrifty, so the term can either have a good connotation or be pejorative. The law of parsimony is a scientific principle that basically says the simplest explanation is the most likely to …
A kerfuffle is something that causes disruption or change in atmosphere, especially in public. Notice only one l, the word is not kerfluffle. It originated outside the United States, but is understood within. The plural is kerfuffles. The word comes from the Scot term carfuffle. A brouhaha, pronounced (brew ha ha), is the emotion or reaction of …
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A serviette is a piece of cloth or paper used to clean one’s hands and face while eating. It is pronounced (sir vee ette) and is used outside of the United States. Usually it is listed as a Canadian term, but is used and understood in other countries as well. Inside the …
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To sweep is to move quickly or to use a broom to move something such as dust. In sporting, especially American baseball, a team can sweep a series of games with an opponent by winning each one. The past tense and the past participle have the same spelling: swept. Unlike leap and bless, this word does …
As a noun, adjective, and adverb, this term is spelled the same way: helter-skelter. It means to be disorderly, confused, hurried, or haphazard. Outside of the United States, the noun form can be used as a name for a certain kind of amusement park ride that twists and turns around a …
Boondocks is a plural noun, with no singular form, that means an extremely rural area, usually without many of the conveniences of a metropolitan city. It can also be a landscape with harsh terrain and lots of dense foliage. The term is most often found in the phrase in the boondocks or out in …
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Brief can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb, and all have different meanings. The noun form is a set of legal documents or a set of specific instructions. The adjective form means to be short in duration or size. The verb form means the act of giving instructions or, …
All-American, spelled with a hyphen, is an adjective to describe something or someone as having the general qualities associated with being from the United States of America. This can also be a title given to someone or something that is chosen or voted to be the best in America. A …
Comeuppance is a noun meaning a consequence or result of a merited action. Sometimes we call this one’s just deserts. The plural for this noun is comeuppances. Caution should be observed when using the plural. It does not suggest two punishments for the same person, but two different (though fitting) consequences for two …