that you find hard to spell or worse say. I fall at the first hurdle of unequivocal, for reasons i can't explain, it comes out jumbled, and now i have to put it aside, or find an alternative....
years ago,my mum would say "Don"t just stand there "like Piffin on a Mountain",get a move on"! Who was this Piffin,or was it Piffy ? or do you have another version,where you...
Not sure if this is the right area to put this question in, but here goes anyway. I know that I have seen a dictionary of slang online but not sure where it is, or what its' name is. I know I could...
SPELUNKER noun a person who explores caves, especially as a hobby. Origin: 1940–45; < Latin spēlunc ( a ) cave (≪ Greek spêlynx, stem spēlyng-, akin to spḗlaion; compare...
We have transmit, permit, admit, commit and goodness knows how many more, but what happened to the simple 'mit'? I know they all come from Latin mittere, to send, + various prepositions, but it seems...
you are having a conversation, and stop dead, because for whatever reason the word that you need won't come to mind, no matter how hard you rack your brain. I did it this morning and for the life of...
The fully searchable OED is online, and can be accessed in most public libraries with computers, or at home, using a library access code. In Salford, its just SAL plus the number of your library card....
Does anyone know the name of the schematic pictures/maps that are often found at viewpoints that show what can be seen in the distance in certain directions? Thanks
Just listening to David Attenborough on the radio, about the origins of names of certain plants and vegetables, and how some items which are quite dissimilar carry the same name, e.g. potato and sweet...
My GF used this expression a few days ago, and I've never heard it before. I think the sense of it is - there's no fooling you - you're particularly bright and insightful today etc. It doesn't sound...
I have tried to find the origin of the word Scrubber,as in tart/*** or loose woman. There are plenty of websites with possibele origins,but none that I consider plausible. Anyone got any thoughts on...
looking for foreign words and/or phrases commonly used in the english language. They are: A Vast Selection (Swedish - 11) Out of control (Malay - 4) A duty on levied goods (Arabic - 7) A great yield...
We think now of 'pretty' as 'pleasing to the eye' but we also say 'pretty' in 'pretty good', 'pretty tough' and so on, and once said that something cost 'a pretty penny' meaning 'a lot of money'. When...