To those in the United States, happy Labor Day! We hope you’ll find Elysium in a moment of rest (and potentially, a good BBQ). Check in on Facebook or Twitter to let us know how you do on the Word of the Day Quiz. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite word in the poll below. If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in …
Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is our neighbor, and it has long captivated the human mind and spirit. Think of Martians, a go-to word for extraterrestrial life since science-fiction imagined inhabitants there in the late 19th century. But, how did Mars it get its name? Who is the mythological Mars? The planet Mars is named after the Roman god of war, Mars, considered …
Sentimental, a word intrinsically tied to Romanticism, entered English in the mid-eighteenth century, about 50 years before the Romantic era was in full swing. Scholars officially date the Romantic period from around 1800 to 1850, with the publication of William Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads in 1798 marking the palpable beginning of the era. In 1800, Wordsworth published a new edition of Lyrical Ballads, this time including …
Can you improve by incorporating the language from these videos into your everyday routine? Here’s our take on how to live better and achieve more through the use of language. Watch these videos to see how to improve outlook, mindset, and positivity through the use of words. And, for more chances to improve using words and language, check these books out: The Positivity Kit: Instant …
When it comes to writing, this common English word confuses many native speakers who aren’t sure whether to use Earth or earth. Why is this an issue? Earth can be either a proper noun or a common noun. In English, proper nouns (nouns which signify a particular person, place, or thing) are capitalized.
You may not like it, but we all use them. Whether it is in a text message, an instant chat, or a casual email, emoticons appear in written communication to indicate the tone, humor or feeling of a message. As communication moves away from personal interaction to a text-only environment, emoticons fill the void left by the absence of the tone of voice and facial …
Recently, the Detroit Lions’ Jahvid Best was forced out of a football game due to turf toe — Grade 2 turf toe, to be exact. It’s a funky name for what can become an significant injury for professional athletes. First of all, turf toe gets its name because athletes who play on artificial turf face the highest risk of suffering from it. This means football players, rugby …
Want to study garbology? Not sure what garbology is? Take this quiz and find out! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Not sure what some of the definitions of these words mean? We found some items (linked below) to help give a little more context … garbology magisterial cheville hoity-toity tummler carte blanche vogie Tell us your favorite word …
Some people find it easy to tell if someone is from New York or New Jersey the moment they meet them—all they have to do is start chatting! And if the New Yorker’s accent isn’t an immediate giveaway, the phrase on line usually is. In many states across the country, it’s all the same: people stand in line at the grocery store, wait in line …
There’s a running debate among translators about what word is hardest to translate. Obviously, the challenges vary from language to language, with languages that have less in common creating more elusive word to word translations. Let’s acknowledge that determining the hardest word to translate is more of a game than any sort of realistic exercise. That said, here are a few contenders that make the …
It may be nubilous outside, but you’ll feel sunshine and rainbows while taking this new Word of the Day Quiz … we’re sure of it. If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Interested in Words of the Day from the past? Check out this one that we brought to life … Not sure what some of the definitions of these words …
