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Blowing up one’s phone

Blowing up one’s phone is a fairly new idiom. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom blowing up one’s phone, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences. Blowing up one’s phone means calling someone incessantly, texting someone incessantly, sending a lot of messages or …

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An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a proverb that dates to ancient times. We will examine the meaning of the proverb an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, where the expression came from, and some examples of its use in sentences. An eye …

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Wright vs write

Wright and write are commonly confused 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 meanings of the homophonic words wright and write, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences. Wright …

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Graduate vs graduate

Graduate and graduate  are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. We will examine the definitions of the words graduate and graduate, where these words came from, and a few examples of their use in sentences.  Graduate (GRAD yew ut) is a person who …

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My dogs are barking

My dogs are barking is an American idiom. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom my dogs are barking, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences. My dogs are barking is a phrase that simply means my feet hurt. In this case, the word …

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Contentious vs conscientious

Contentious and conscientious are two words that are close in spelling and pronunciation and may be considered confusables. Confusables is a catch-all term for words that are often confused in usage. Two words or more than two words may be confused because they are similar in spelling, similar in pronunciation, or similar …

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Road hog

Road hog is an idiom that dates back decades. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom road hog, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences. A road hog is a driver of a vehicle who takes up more than his fair share of …

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Reef vs wreath

Reef and wreath are two words that are close in spelling and pronunciation and may be considered confusables. We will examine the different meanings of the confusables reef and wreath, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences. A reef is a deposit of rock or coral near …

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Rah vs. Raw

Rah and raw are commonly confused 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 meanings of the homophonic words rah and raw, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences. Rah …

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When the going gets tough, the tough get going

When the going gets tough, the tough get going is a proverb that is a little over 50 years old. We will examine the meaning of the proverb when the going gets tough, the tough get going, where the expression came from, and some examples of its use in sentences. When the going …

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