Word of the day, 2nd April 2015
Honeymoon /ˈhʌnɪˌmuːn/
One of my friends recently got married (I saw some pictures yesterday, so perhaps I really ought to change the name of these posts to “word of yesterday”).
After getting married, …
April Fool’s Day
Word of the day, 1st April 2015
April Fool’s Day /ˈeɪprəl fuːlz deɪ/
Don’t believe everything you hear today – if there’s a news story that sounds a bit strange, or too good to be true, it may well be …
Eclipse
Word of the day, 19th March 2015
I guess there really was only one word I could choose today:
eclipse /ɪˈklɪps/ (noun and verb)
I am sure you know this meaning: “the total or partial obscuring of one celestial …
Respite
Word of the day, 18th March 2015
respite /ˈrɛspaɪt/ (noun)
– a pause from exertion; interval of rest
– a temporary delay
– a temporary stay of execution; reprieve
I was unable to write a word of the day earlier, …
Reminisce
Word of the day, 17th March 2015
Yesterday I unexpectedly got back in touch with another international friend from a few years ago, so I have been reminiscing /ˌrɛmɪˈnɪsɪŋ/ a bit.
Sadly I have a very poor memory, so I …
Dilemma
Word of the day, 16th March 2015
dilemma /daɪˈlɛmə/ (noun)
I had a bit of a dilemma this weekend.
When I use that expression, “I had a bit of a dilemma”, I mean that I had a difficult …
Mothering Sunday
Word of the day, 15th March 2015
Mothering Sunday
Here’s a bit of cultural information, rather than a new word itself.
Today in the UK it is “Mothering Sunday”.
In recent years this has become called “Mother’s Day”, so it …
Liquorice
Word of the day, 14th March 2015
liquorice /ˈlɪkərɪʃ/ (noun)
I was doing a bit of shopping in Godalming today (a quaint town on the River Wey, about 8 kilometres, or 5 miles, south of Guildford). In the high street …
Strive
Word of the day, 13th March 2015
strive /straɪv/ (verb)
– To make a great and tenacious effort.
e.g. “strive to get promotion”
– To fight; contend
Bonus word meanings (in these contexts):
* tenacious /tɪˈneɪʃəs/ (adjective) “…
Pun
Word of the day, 12th March 2015
pun /pʌn/ (noun)
– the use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendoes in their meaning, usually for humorous effect; a play on words. There are many different kinds of puns; …