A bastion is a protruding section of a fortified area that allows for defensive fire in several directions. It can also be simply a stronghold or fortified place. Over time the word has come to include metaphorical bastions or places that protect certain ideas or activities. This last definition is used often with the modifier last. …
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An idiom is a phrase that is more than the sum of its parts, or in other words, has more of a meaning than the individual words used in the phrase. Examples include pay the piper, for the birds, and pulling one’s leg. Idiom is also a synonym for dialect, a way of …
A proverb is a short, common saying or phrase. It particularly gives advice or shares a universal truth. Synonyms for proverb include byword, which can also be someone or something that is the best example of a group. Adage is also listed as a common synonym for proverb. Adages tend to be old, known for decades or centuries, …
To deteriorate is to worsen over time, to get progressively badder. It can be used with or without an object. The adjective form is deteriorative. To decline can mean to get worse over time, a synonym of deteriorate. However, decline has other definitions that include becoming progressively smaller or fewer, which may be a good thing if one …
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Enmity is a mass noun that speaks of a state of hatred or ill will between two people or groups. This opposition is acted upon and usually mutual. The plural is enmities. Animosity means a feeling of hatred or ill will. It is also a mass noun. The plural is animosities. A related word hostility also …
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When it comes to old terms from around the world, we have to be mindful of how we’re using them today. Sometimes a word’s meaning can get lost over time, and it’s important to remind ourselves to handle it with care. Terms like futz and putz, for example. These old …
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To tease can mean to make fun of someone or to taunt someone with something without the intention of giving the item. Mainly in the United States it can also meant to brush one’s hair in order to give it more volume. To tease out something is an idiom, usually used with an object, …
As a noun, turnkey is one word and means the person who is in charge of the keys of a prison. In this form the word has been in existence since the mid-1600s. The plural is turnkeys. Turnkey can also be an adjective describing an object as completely finished and able to be used. …
Proverbial is an adjective that can either mean that it has to do with a proverb, or that something is common knowledge or known about by many people. It is mostly used to modify a word or phrase within a well-known proverb or idiom. The adverb form is proverbially. A proverb is a common …
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The idiom is usually stated the proof is in the pudding and means that the end result is the mark of the success or failure of one’s efforts or planning. The phrase may also be used in the past and future tenses: the proof will be/was in the pudding. The original phrase was the …