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Eggcorns
see source in image The misuse of certain phrases in English is something that really gets my goat. Some examples: baited breath instead of bated breath here here instead of hear hear step foot instead...
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Beautiful Eggcorn from the Daily Mail yesterday
They had this beautiful example of an eggcorn in two different places in the Daily Fail yesterday. I mentioned this exact eggcorn the other day. Of course you cannot call the people who work for this...
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Very British phrases
There are several words and phrases I use on social media without realising that they are culturally or geographically niched. A few that spring to mind are ‘hamfisted’, ‘cheeky’ and ‘trainspotter’....
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Spoonerisms
Meaning An accidental transposition of the initial sounds, or other parts, of two or more words. Origin The Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), who was a fellow and warden of New College,...
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Swenglish – when things go horribly wrong
In English if you have to clear your throat it is called having a frog in your throat. In Swedish it is called a tupp i halsen, which means a cock in your throat. A cock in your throat is definitely...
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The Coriolis Effect Myth
Were you ever told (or even taught) that water spirals down a drain in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres due to the Coriolis effect? Weird how those things stick in your...
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Figuratively speaking…English idioms using numbers
A1 back to square one a one-track mind one in a million to be at one go one better one-man band one-horse town as easy as one-two-three one too many one for the road it takes two to tango two-timing...
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Idiom – damning with faint praise
Damning with faint praise means that you praise someone so so slightly and inconsequential that it actually comes across as more of an insult. For example if someone says ‘you hardly noticed your beer...
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Fashion and Clothing Related Idioms
A feather in one’s cap À la mode A stitch in time saves nine A wolf in sheep’s clothing Bee in your bonnet Belt and braces Best bib and tucker Bodice ripper Buckle down Clog up Dressed to the nines...
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Idiom: to jump the shark
When a tv series ‘jumps the shark’ it means that the story arc reaches its peak, the storyline becomes ridiculous and the show loses credibility. The phrase comes from the television series Happy Days...
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The Streisand Effect
The Streisand effect is the phenomenon whereby an attempt to hide, remove, or censor a piece of information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely, usually...
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Common phrases in their complete form
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one Happy as a clam at high tide Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back The love of money is the...
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Rickrolling
Rickrolling is an internet meme. If you click on a link that leads to the Rick Astley video for ‘Never gonna give you up’ you have been Rickrolled. The link is usually from someone you know and looks...
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