Below is everything (newest at top) with "life OR health OR food OR language" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereFOODS NAMED AFTER CULTURES... BUT NOT REALLYfrom 2026 in ( life / health / food / language )
Prompted and edited by Bill.Food history is basically a scrapbook of misunderstandings, stereotypes, and Europeans projecting their fantasies onto other cultures. Let's walk through a few of the most interesting examples. Here are some of the biggest offenders -- dishes whose names gesture toward a people or place, but the conne... read more MLB BANS 2 FANS WHO GRABBED BETTS INDEFINITELYfrom 2025 in ( education / language / english / headlines )
Major League Baseball has banned two fans, Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen, who interfered with Dodgers star Mookie Betts during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium from attending any games at big league ballparks.... espn.com/mlb/story//id/43362055/mlb-bans... read more WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHEST OF DRAWERS AND A BUREAUfrom 2022 in ( 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 m... read more IT'S A MYTH THAT ADULTS CAN'T LEARN LANGUAGES AS EASILY AS KIDSfrom 2021 in ( education / language )Adults can learn a second language as fast as children, reports a new study, and it's only the conditions in which a child learns a second language that's given kids a reputation as such fast learners. This means that adults can develop the increased neural connections typical of... h... read more WORD OF THE DAY: FASCISMfrom 2021 in ( education / language / english )Fascism is not an ideology, it's a means to power -- Benito Mussolini According to merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascismMerriam Webster online , it means: a political philosophy, movement, or regime... that exalts nation and often race above the individual... In Italian... read more FOREIGN WORDS WE USE IN ENGLISHfrom 2021 in ( education / language / english )This first one, lexico.com/explore/foreign-words-and-phraseslexico.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). altalang.com/beyond-words/2... read more AMERICAN-ENGLISH WORDS THAT SEEM TO BE UNIVERSALfrom 2021 in ( 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 wo... read more WHEN TO USE WHO INSTEAD OF WHOMfrom 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / english )Almost everyone uses the word whom incorrectly. Whom is ONLY correct when following a preposition as in of whom, to whom, from whom, etc. That is the ONLY time you use whom instead of who. And, yes, even your English teacher probably gets it wrong. :) Who without the m is a perfectly valid word.... read more WHAT IS TITLE CASE?from 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / english )This might be useful: thoughtco.com/title-case-capitalization-1692469title-case-capitalization Title case is one of the conventions used for capitalizing the words in a title, subtitle, heading, or headline: capitalize the first word, the last word, and all major words in bet... read more THIS SO-CALLED PANDEMIC IS NOT EVEN AN EPIDEMICfrom 2020 in ( education / language / semantics / covid )
One-third (now one-sixth) of one percent does not constitute an epidemic, let alone a pandemic. Semantics, I know, but can they not even get the language right?330,102,000 population (see census.gov/popclock/census.gov )2,800,000 cases130,000 related deaths (which means they ma... read more EARBUD-LIKE DEVICE CLAIMS TO BOOST LINGUISTIC SKILLSfrom 2020 in ( education / tech / language )
The simple gadget dramatically improves the wearer's ability to learn new words, say the University of Pittsburgh team behind the research new...: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-... read more SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ONLINEfrom 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / internet )When is that spelling-and-grammar-checking feature coming to Facebook, Instagram, etc.? It's not that my own (or anyone's) grammar and punctuation are flawless (too many contradictory rules), but can we all at least try harder for the sake of being understood?... read more YET ANOTHER GRAMMAR RANTfrom 2017 in ( education / language / grammar )In addition to honoring our veteran's, how about if we honor our teachers who taught us punctuation, spelling, and the difference between possessive and plural? :)... read more HOW TO SPELL TRAMPOLINEfrom 2017 in ( education / language )
ebay.com/itm/12-FT-Round-Trampoline-with-Enclosure-Net-W-Spring-Pad-Ladder/132407663404?hashitem1ed41c9b2c:g:K6EAAOSw6D1a8-D1:rk:1:pf:0Trampoline ends in ine not ene as I had thought. Just FYI for next time someone tells you that's the wi-fi password and you can't get online to look it up. ... read more DOLPHINS SPEAK IN HOLOGRAPHIC LANGUAGEfrom 2015 in ( education / science / animals / language )Very cool! : newspunch.com/scientists-reveal-that-dolphins-speak-in-a-holographic-language/scientists-reveal-that-dolphins-speak-in-a-holographic-language/ UPDATE: The commenters are mostly unconvinced.... read more WORD OF THE DAY: DINKUMfrom 2010 in ( 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&... read more WORD OF THE DAY: PARSIMONIOUSfrom 2010 in ( education / language / english )
Our word of the day is parsimonious(par-si-MO-nee-uhs)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 with words that he became known... read more LESSON FOR TODAYfrom 2010 in ( education / language )There is an new hotel/pub in Marble Arch, London which used to have gallows adjacent. Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial, of course) to be hung. The horse-drawn dray carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ONE LAST DRINK.If he s... read more |
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