Evoke and invoke are both fairly formal words that look and sound a lot alike—and, for what it’s worth, you can summon a spirit with either one (we’ll get to that, don’t worry). But the contexts in which they’re used are often quite different. Evoke is typically used when talking about how something produces or draws out feelings, memories, or reactions. Invoke is often used …
On Independence Day (July 4th), we ooh and ahh at the fireworks bursting in air, but did you know that the different types of fireworks effects have their own names? What’s a peony firework? The peony is one of the most common kinds of aerial pyrotechnic effects. It is named for a variety of plants with large, showy flowers. This firework display has a flower-like explosion …
Even though the standard calendar year is 365 days, Earth actually takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. (This is called a solar year.) In order to keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is (usually) added every four years as February 29. Where did this practice come from? Who came up …
Normally, we track new words for years before seeing enough evidence to convince us they have the staying power to merit inclusion in our traditional dictionary. Well, it’s not a normal day at the office. We’re all working at home, for one thing. COVID-19 has changed the dictionary world as suddenly and profoundly as it has changed all of our personal and professional lives. In …
In the US, the word boxing usually refers to two athletes stepping into a padded ring, each with the intention of knocking the other off their feet. But the day after Christmas brings up a new version of the word: Boxing Day The holiday is less familiar in the States, but it’s observed in the UK and Commonwealth nations on the first weekday after Christmas. It …
It’s no wonder you might need advice when it comes to the difference between council and counsel. Not only are they pronounced identically, but they are both often used in the same contexts and sometimes even in the same sentence! However, these words do have different meanings, and one of them is always a noun while the other can be a noun or a verb. …
