AUSTRALIA DROPS PLAN TO FINE SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS ACCUSED OF ENABLING MISINFORMATION
( education / language / english )

Australia's government said it had dropped plans to fine internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online........ read more

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHEST OF DRAWERS AND A BUREAU
( education / language / english )

Because I keep wondering what to call that thing we have in our entryway/foyer (another term I go back and forth on)! Here is an explanation:The main difference between the chest of drawers and the bureau is that a chest has multiple compartments while a bureau has only one large compartment. A bureau also has a mirror, while a chest doesn't.... read more

LAMBAST VS. LAMBASTE
( education / language / english )

While the exact derivation of the word is not definitively known, the OED posits that it's a combination of lam and baste, both of which bear the sense (now archaic for both words) to beat soundly. Other sources agree. And lambaste is the newer form. In historical Google Books searches, lambast is almost nonexistent before 1850. It appears inc... read more

WORD OF THE DAY: FASCISM
( education / language / english )

Fascism is not an ideology, it's a means to power -- Benito Mussolini According to Merriam Webster online, it means: a political philosophy, movement, or regime... that exalts nation and often race above the individual... In Italian, the word fascio (plural fasci) means literally bundle, and figuratively group.Replace nation and race wi... read more

FOREIGN WORDS WE USE IN ENGLISH
( education / language / english )

This first one, lexico.com, is a great site on this subject, though a LOT of the words they list are never used by anyone but dilettantes (from the French and, surprisingly, not listed there). 20-best-foreign-loanwords-in-englishenglish-words-from-other-languagesforeign-words-used-englishsomething-borrowed-english-words-with-foreign-originsenglish-... read more

AMERICAN-ENGLISH WORDS THAT SEEM TO BE UNIVERSAL
( education / language / english )

Judging by foreign-language TV shows/movies I've watched, here are a few English and/or American-English words / mutterings / phrases that now seem universal, no matter which language you speak: Mm-hmm or uh-huh -- meaning yes;OK or okay;Hey;Super pronounced supah -- meaning great; Of course, the Italian word ciao has been... read more

WORD HIPPO
( education / language / english )

Useful site here: Word Hippo. Thesaurus and word tools for your creative needs. UPDATE: And now they translate to/from foreign languages! See dynamic translation.... read more

COOL WEBSITE: WORDNIK
( education / language / english )

Wordnik. Cool website for those who like words. I love how they provide samples from articles on the internet. And they provide an explanation/definition to links (if you click it) like the one above. It claims to be the most comprehensive English dictionary in the world. I don't know about that, but I like it.And, you can support them by adopt... read more

WORD OF THE DAY: DINKUM
( education / language / english )

(DING-kuhm)Dinkum, also dinky-di, fair dinkum, adjectiveTrue; honest; genuine. Etymology: Probably derived, like many other Australian words, from English dialect. The counties of Lincolnshire and Derbyshire had a word or dincum meaning work; a fair share of work. The word was first recorded in Australia in Rolf Boldrewood's Robbery Under Arm... read more

WORD OF THE DAY: PARSIMONIOUS
( education / language / english )

par-si-MO-nee-uhss adjective: Excessively sparing or frugal. Etymology: From Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimonia, from parcere (to spare). First recorded use: 1598. Usage: President Calvin Coolidge was so parsimonious with words that he became known as 'Silent Cal'. -- Rob Christensen; Interesting, But Not Quite Convincing... read more