Tag: word origin

Old words imbedded in our idioms

An interesting list (at least to fans of English) from Mental Floss of old words that linger in our language by merit of inclusion in idioms.  See if you know the word meanings within these expressions: http://mentalfloss.com/article/51150/12-old-words-survived-getting-fossilized-idioms

Perscription or Prescription?

When unsure how a word is spelled, the best resource, of course, is a dictionary. But without one on hand, I often ‘sound out’ the word using the phonetics I learned in grade school. Here’s where I run into trouble with prescription, because I mispronounce it! Many Americans also say the word as if the …

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