Not only do people often misspell “tragedy” as “tradegy,” they mispronounce it that way too. Just remember that the adjective is “tragic” to recall that it’s the G that comes after the A. Also common is the misspelling “tradgedy.”
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Wednesday, August 30, 2017
This Week: More Language of Health Care on the Podcast + tradegy/tragedy
tradegy/tragedy
Not only do people often misspell “tragedy” as “tradegy,” they mispronounce it that way too. Just remember that the adjective is “tragic” to recall that it’s the G that comes after the A. Also common is the misspelling “tradgedy.”
____________
Not only do people often misspell “tragedy” as “tradegy,” they mispronounce it that way too. Just remember that the adjective is “tragic” to recall that it’s the G that comes after the A. Also common is the misspelling “tradgedy.”
____________
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
This Week: More Language of Health Care on the Podcast + boost in the arm/shot in the arm
boost in the arm/shot in the arm
Early in the 20th century it used to be common for people feeling a bit run-down to go to the doctor to get injected with a stimulant. By 1916 this remedy had led to a saying according to which a positive stimulation of almost any kind could be called “a real shot in the arm.”
We still use this expression in a wide variety of ways. It can refer to an increase of business in a company, to a stimulus administered to the economy, to the hopes of a sports franchise or a politician running for office.
A simpler way of expressing the idea is to refer to a stimulus as a “boost.” Examples: “the flowers on my birthday gave my spirits a real boost,” “the large donation by the pharmaceutical company gave his campaign a major boost,” “the President is looking for ways to boost the economy.”
It’s easy to understand how these two expressions came to be confused with each other in the popular form “a boost in the arm.” After all, we go to the doctor for a booster shot. But the boost in this expression is a shove from underneath to raise the whole body, not a needle in the biceps. It makes more sense to stick with the traditional expression “a shot in the arm” or to simply use “boost.”
____________
Early in the 20th century it used to be common for people feeling a bit run-down to go to the doctor to get injected with a stimulant. By 1916 this remedy had led to a saying according to which a positive stimulation of almost any kind could be called “a real shot in the arm.”
We still use this expression in a wide variety of ways. It can refer to an increase of business in a company, to a stimulus administered to the economy, to the hopes of a sports franchise or a politician running for office.
A simpler way of expressing the idea is to refer to a stimulus as a “boost.” Examples: “the flowers on my birthday gave my spirits a real boost,” “the large donation by the pharmaceutical company gave his campaign a major boost,” “the President is looking for ways to boost the economy.”
It’s easy to understand how these two expressions came to be confused with each other in the popular form “a boost in the arm.” After all, we go to the doctor for a booster shot. But the boost in this expression is a shove from underneath to raise the whole body, not a needle in the biceps. It makes more sense to stick with the traditional expression “a shot in the arm” or to simply use “boost.”
____________
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
This Week: The Language of Health Care on the Podcast + anecdote/antidote
anecdote/antidote
A humorist relates “anecdotes.” The doctor prescribes “antidotes” for children who have swallowed poison. Laughter may be the best medicine, but that’s no reason to confuse these two with each other.
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A humorist relates “anecdotes.” The doctor prescribes “antidotes” for children who have swallowed poison. Laughter may be the best medicine, but that’s no reason to confuse these two with each other.
____________
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
This Week: Smart Talk on the Podcast + genius/brilliant + Paul Brians' latest blog post
genius/brilliant
In standard English “genius” is a noun, but not an adjective. In slang, people often say things like “Telling Mom your English teacher is requiring the class to get HBO was genius!” The standard way to say this is “was brilliant.”
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On the podcast this week, we discuss some smart words.
Paul Brians’ latest blog posts discusses how media treats indelicate language.
In standard English “genius” is a noun, but not an adjective. In slang, people often say things like “Telling Mom your English teacher is requiring the class to get HBO was genius!” The standard way to say this is “was brilliant.”
____________
On the podcast this week, we discuss some smart words.
Paul Brians’ latest blog posts discusses how media treats indelicate language.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
This Week: More Stupid Adjectives on the Podcast + gull/gall
gull/gall
“How could you have the nerve, the chutzpah, the effrontery, the unmitigated gall to claim you didn’t cheat because it was your girlfriend who copied from the Web when she wrote your paper for you?”
This sense of “gall” has nothing to do with seabirds, so don’t say “How could you have the gull?”
“How could you have the nerve, the chutzpah, the effrontery, the unmitigated gall to claim you didn’t cheat because it was your girlfriend who copied from the Web when she wrote your paper for you?”
This sense of “gall” has nothing to do with seabirds, so don’t say “How could you have the gull?”
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