The semicolon is one of the most misunderstood (and misused) English punctuation marks. When should you use a semicolon? Let’s learn more about the specific functions of this unique punctuation mark.
The semicolon appears to be a visual blend of a colon and a comma, and it can perform similar jobs to each of those punctuation marks. Its primary use is to link ideas that are closely related in thought, but that’s a task that can also be done by a comma or an em dash. In part because of this, the semicolon is one of the most misunderstood (and misused) English punctuation marks; let’s learn more about the specific functions of this unique grammatical tool.
Advertisement
To Connect Independent Clauses
The most common way to use a semicolon is by joining two independent clauses. That means it links together two stand-alone clauses into one sentence.
We’re going to the dance; you could borrow my dress.
Tomorrow is the big game; I can’t stay out late tonight.
Keep in mind that the two independent clauses should be closely related. Otherwise, it makes more sense to break them into separate sentences. It’s also important to note that a comma can’t replace a semicolon in this usage — that creates a comma splice.
Another note: If there is an independent clause and a dependent clause, it’s not a place for a semicolon. Dependent clauses feature a subject and a verb but aren’t complete sentences. If there’s a dependent clause, a comma and a coordinating conjunction are likely needed instead of a semicolon.
Advertisement
In Place of a Conjunction
Independent clauses can be joined by a semicolon or by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. (Use the mnemonic FANBOYS to remember the seven coordinating conjunctions: “for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” and “so.”)
See how the the semicolon replaces the comma and the coordinating conjunction:
Tom went to the party, but Arleen stayed at home. / Tom went to the party; Arleen stayed at home.
The snake slithered past my feet, yet it didn’t seem to notice me. / The snake slithered past my feet; it didn’t seem to notice me.
When the semicolon links the independent clauses, it shows a relationship or contrast. It can also create variety. For example, the semicolon allows a writer to add a longer sentence among other short, clipped sentences.
With Conjunctive Adverbs
Semicolons are also used to link clauses when the second begins with a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression. These include “accordingly,” “furthermore,” “however,” “instead,” “otherwise,” and “therefore.”
Shawn set an oven timer; nevertheless, he burned the casserole.
Nora helped her brother study; however, he failed the class.
As long as it’s joining two independent clauses, using the semicolon is appropriate.
To Separate Items on a List
In speech, pauses or visual cues can break up long lists of items, but writers rely on punctuation to do the heavy lifting. Semicolons can make a long or complicated list of items easier to read. Typically, these are lists that contain phrases or other internal punctuation that might be difficult to read without semicolons.
Several speakers will be at the community center: Mr. Samuels, the judge; Khalid Basha, the lawyer; and Marta Sparks, the council member.
The President is visiting Cleveland and Cincinnati in Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; and Buffalo and Albany in New York.
The semicolon should be used only if the list contains three or more elements, and they’re elaborate enough that the extra punctuation would help readers understand the meaning.
Featured image credit: Credit: yogesh_more/ iStock
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
The Debate Over the Longest Word in the English Language
Calling all those with sesquipedalian tendencies (those who use overly long words) — this one’s for you. If you’ve ever wondered what the longest English word is, the answer is actually up for debate.
Calling all folks with sesquipedalian tendencies (those who use overly long words) — this one’s for you. If you’ve ever wondered what the longest English word is, the answer is actually up for debate. Lexicographers (those who study words) consider a variety of parameters, and some disagree on which aspects are most important. Must the word be listed in the dictionary (and if so, which dictionary)? Does a technical or medical word count? Can it be the name of a place or a person, for that matter? These questions (and others) contribute to the lengthy discussion.
Advertisement
Some English words are still in use just because of their length — their original usages are long outdated. Consider, for example, the 28-letter word “antidisestablishmentarianism.” This noun originally meant “opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England,” but today, it’s almost exclusively used as an example of one of the longest English words.
Other such examples include the 29-letter “floccinaucinihilipilification” (the estimation of something as worthless) and the 27-letter “honorificabilitudinitatibus” (a sesquipedalian synonym of “honorableness”). But while they might take up more than one line of text on a phone screen, none of these terms is in the running for the longest English word. Here are some words that are.
(Note: We hope this list doesn’t inspire any hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. This 36-letter term denotes a phobia of long words, and while it’s a newly coined term, it refers to a real social phobia that can arise while trying to pronounce or use very long words, especially in front of others.)
Advertisement
The Longest Word in the English Dictionary
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis This 45-letter noun is currently the longest entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s another word for silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in fine particles of silica, a mineral that is common in sand and concrete. The word was allegedly coined in jest in the 1930s by Everett M. Smith, president of the National Puzzlers’ League, as a jab at elaborate medical terms.
The Longest Technical Term in English
Methionylalanylthreonylserylarginylglycylalanylseryl…leucine This word goes on and on, officially tallying up to 189,819 characters. Perhaps not surprisingly, it isn’t found in any common dictionaries — it would fill up 12 standard pages and it takes approximately three and a half hours to pronounce the entire term. It’s the technical title of a protein that contributes to the elasticity of our muscles, but the name can be neatly shortened to “titin,” derived from the word “Titan,” a reference to the enormous gods of Greek mythology. Why is the full name so long? Per international science-naming guidelines, every single amino acid found inside a protein must be listed in its moniker, and titin contains 34,350 amino acids, resulting in this monstrosity of a word.
Advertisement
The Longest Place Name in an English-Speaking Country
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu If we’re considering proper nouns in this competition, the 85-letter name of this New Zealand summit might win for the longest word in an English-speaking country. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill on North Island, is named after the local legend of Tamatea, a fabled warrior celebrated by the Māori. The name of the hill comes from a Māori expression that translates to “the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as ‘landeater,’ played his flute to his loved one.” While the full name is written out on the sign to mark the hill near Hawke’s Bay, locals tend to call it Taumata Hill.
The Longest Nonsense Word in English
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Coming in at 34 letters long, “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” isn’t nearly the longest English word, but because it’s far more recognizable than most of its competition, it deserves a spot on the list. Sometimes cited as the longest nontechnical English word, this term was popularized by the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, in which a song helps clarify the bewildering pronunciation of the word. While it’s still considered a rare, fanciful term, it’s popular enough that it earned an entry in the dictionary as an adjective meaning “extraordinarily good” or “wonderful.”
Advertisement
The Longest Scrabble Word in English
Oxyphenbutazone This word might seem miniscule compared to some of the others on the list, but for gamers, it’s just as important. A Scrabble board is 15 by 15 blocks, so the maximum length of a word is 15 letters. Technically, any 15-letter word could be the longest Scrabble word, but “oxyphenbutazone” is noteworthy because it is also the highest-scoring Scrabble word possible when played on three triple-word squares with just the right preexisting tiles. The 1,778-point word is the name of an anti-inflammatory medication used to treat arthritis. The stars must align to use this word — it’s never actually been played in an official Scrabble tournament.
Featured image credit: Credit: Thomas M Perkins/ Shutterstock
Learn the Secret Dialect Still Spoken in California
Welcome to Boonville, California, a tiny hamlet in Mendocino County. While isolated, this town has a unique claim to fame: Residents developed their own English dialect, Boontling.
Welcome to Boonville, California, a tiny hamlet in Northern California’s Mendocino County. Settled in the mid-1800s, the remote town is sandwiched between two mountain ranges, with an estimated population of just over 1,000. While isolated, this town has a unique claim to fame: Residents developed their own English dialect, Boontling.
Advertisement
The name “Boontling” derives from a combination of “Boonter,” an adjectival demonym (a word used to describe people from a certain place) for the town, and “lingo.” There are fewer than 100 speakers of Boontling today, but when it developed more than a century ago, reportedly among women and children working in the fields, it thrived among the locals. In fact, it turned into a town pastime to coin a new word in Boontling and see if other Boonters could figure out the meaning.
Though Boontling includes more than 1,000 words and phrases, its syntax and grammar are distinctly English, so it isn’t considered its own language. Instead, it’s more of a jargon, or a specialized dialect. It combines loanwords and eponyms (words that come from the names of actual people) from English, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic, and Pomoan (the language spoken by the Indigenous Northern California Pomo tribe). And perhaps unsurprisingly, a large portion of the words are of a racy variety. (One of the milder ones: A Boonter named Barney was known to greet everyone with a kiss, so a “kiss” is called a “barney.”)
Here are a few words to cover the Boontling basics — try to sprinkle a few of these into your conversations.
Advertisement
Almittey
In Boontling, “almittey” is a noun. It refers to a belch, particularly a loud one, or a person who burps loudly or frequently. This eponym is in honor of a local woman who was reportedly known for her habitual belching.
Beljeek
A “beljeek” is a rabbit — specifically a black-tailed jackrabbit. This word is a combination of “Belgian” (as in Belgian hare) and “jackrabbit.”
Buckey Walter
This eponym is for a pay phone. While “buckey” is the Boontling word for “nickel,” the “Walter” part refers to Walter Levi, a local man who owned the first phone in the town. As such, “walter levi” is the Boontling term for “telephone.”
Advertisement
Doolsey
“Doolsey” refers to any kind of candy, sweet, or sugar. It’s borrowed from the Spanish dulce (“sugar”), which may have been indirectly borrowed from Pomoan before it made it to Boontling.
Golden Eagles
“Golden eagles” can be any kind of women’s clothing, but in particular undergarments. During the development of this jargon, Golden Eagle was a popular brand of flour. Locals frequently used the sacks to make clothing and underwear, and while other brand-name flour sacks also were used, apparently none of them had the same staying power.
Hedge
A “hedge” is a haircut — as one would trim a hedge, so must one keep their hair tidy with regular haircuts. Many recognizably English words in Boontling operate in this pattern. Words with similar usages, but perhaps in different fields (as in haircutting and lawn care), are swapped.
Linguistic swapping is also common in other English dialects, such as Cockney rhyming slang. “Bread and honey” translates to “money,” for example.
Kiloppety
To “kiloppety” means “to travel by horse-drawn vehicle, or on horseback.” It’s an onomatopoeia, meaning it comes from the sound of shod hooves clopping on the ground.
Wess
To “wess” is “to fib, or exaggerate the truth.” This eponym is styled after a local man named Wes who was known to stretch the truth.
Featured image credit: Credit: Vital Sinkevich/ Unsplash+
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
As children and teens during the ’60s and ’70s, boomers came up with some of the grooviest words to boogie down to. While many of these haven’t stood the test of time, other terms remain fresh. Here’s the skinny on the best boomer slang.
Between 1946 and 1964, an estimated 76 million babies were born in post-World War II America, giving rise to the baby boomers, one of the largest generations in the history of the United States. As children and teens during the ’60s and ’70s, boomers came up with some of the grooviest words to boogie down to. While many of these haven’t stood the test of time, other terms remain fresh. Here’s the skinny on the best boomer slang.
Advertisement
Groovy
Fashionable and exciting; enjoyable and excellent. “Groovy” had a lot of meanings throughout the 20th century. It was derived from the American jazz phrase “in the groove,” so it originally meant “performing well” in the 1930s. By the 1940s, “groovy” was a stand-in for words such as “excellent,” “first-rate,” and “wonderful.” It reached peak popularity in the ’60s before becoming outdated by the ’80s.
Freak Flag
Used in reference to the open, proud, or defiant exhibition of traits regarded as unconventional. Boomers can thank rock ’n’ roll trailblazer Jimi Hendrix for this one. In his 1967 hippie anthem “If 6 Was 9,” Hendrix exclaims, “But I’m going to wave / My freak flag high, high ow!” While “freak” on its own is more derogatory today, “freak flag” is still used on occasion, with the celebratory metaphor serving as a lasting nod to the counterculture movement of the ’60s.
Foxy
Attractive or sexy; cunning or sly. Today, calling someone “foxy” will elicit a few laughs, but in the ’60s it was quite the compliment. It was first used as “crafty or cunning” (in reference to the animal) in the 1520s, but it wouldn’t come to mean “attractive” until the late 1800s. The word had a resurgence in the 1960s, as seen in the Jimi Hendrix song “Foxy Lady.” The word “foxy” later evolved to be more of a punchline, such as in Foxxy Cleopatra, the name of Béyonce’s character in the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, which was set in 1975.
Advertisement
Bippy
Used euphemistically for an unspecified part of the body; generally understood as equivalent to “butt.” “You bet your (sweet) bippy!” This famous phrase was popularized in the late 1960s on the American television show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. “Bippy” is a PG slang term for buttocks, hindquarters, rump, caboose, etc. There is no solid case for the word’s origin, but some etymologists say it’s related to “biped” (an animal with two feet), while others point to the Yiddish word for “navel,” pipik/pupik. Both seem to be a stretch — likely, it’s just a nonsense word chosen for its funny sound.
Copacetic
In excellent order. In the ’60s and ’70s, if everything was “copacetic,” it was all good. The phrase might date back to the 1880s in Black communities in the American South, but the etymological root of the word is unclear. Leading origin theories include Hebrew’s kol be sedher (“everything is in order”), the Creole coupèstique (“able to be coped with”), the Italian cappo sotto (“OK”), or the Chinook copacete (“everything’s all right”). One sure thing: Early 20th-century entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson is credited with popularizing it through his catchphrase, “Everything’s copacetic.”
Boogie
Dance to fast pop or rock music; move or leave somewhere fast. Kool & the Gang might have described it best: “Jungle boogie (Get down with the boogie) / Jungle boogie (Shake it around)…” In the ’70s, partygoers weren’t just dancing — they were boogieing. This synonym for “dance” originated in the ’60s as a noun describing a style of rock music with blues influences, characterized by a strong, fast beat. Its natural progression from a music term into the dance lexicon seems inevitable.
Cool Beans
Used to express approval or delight. The year is 1964 and kids around America shriek, “Cool beans!” as they open their brand-new Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots. This phrase hung around in pop culture for a few more decades, all the way through the early ’90s, when it was a favorite of DJ Tanner on the sitcom Full House. While the sentiment is simple, the history of the phrase is complicated. “Cool beans” might come from the Australian slang “bean,” meaning “the epitome of fashion,” but more likely, it came from the mid-19th-century phrase “some beans,” used for something impressive. “Some beans” came from the even older phrase “full of beans” — stable jargon used to describe lively race horses that were fed beans to make them run faster.
The Skinny
Confidential information on a particular person or topic. Just as Gen Zers might get “the tea,” boomers got “the skinny.” This is the gossip, the latest news, or the 411. The phrase likely started as military slang during WWII, relating to the “naked truth,” much as “skinny dipping” also means “naked swimming.”
Advertisement
Doofus
A stupid person. What ’60s kid didn’t call their sibling a “doofus” at least once or twice? “Doofus” could describe someone who made a stupid decision, but it was also a word that a bully might use for a nerd. It might have transformed from a combination of the slang words “doo-doo” and “goofus,” or from the Scottish word “doof” (also meaning “dolt” or “stupid”).
Featured image credit: charles taylor/ Shutterstock
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Porsche, IKEA, and Other Brand Names You’ve Been Mispronouncing
When a brand is born outside of an English-speaking country, do we use the brand’s native language, an anglicized version, or something in between? For example: “Porsh” or “Porsh-uh”?
One of the most common culprits of mispronunciation must be brand names. When a brand is born outside of an English-speaking country, do we use the brand’s native language, an anglicized version, or something in between? Some brands anglicize their name right away to avoid any confusion, such as in the case of Italian chef Ettore Boiardi, who changed his name to Chef Boyardee so Americans would have an easier time with it phonetically. Of course, not every brand is that accommodating (nor should they have to be), so pronunciation pitfalls abound, from the aisles of the grocery store to fashion week runways and everywhere in between.
Advertisement
Nutella
NOU-tella
NUT-ella
This chocolatey hazelnut spread is beloved worldwide, and it has roots in multiple European countries, so the pronunciation is naturally debated. According to the Nutella brand, the pronunciation is something like “NOU-tella” with an emphasis on the “NOU” (which sounds like the vowel sound in “newt” in American English, using a hard “oo”). If you’ve been saying it incorrectly, don’t worry — in a recent poll conducted by the brand, 78% of British people were pronouncing it incorrectly as “NUT-ella.” Nutella was also adamant that it doesn’t care how consumers pronounce the product name, so long as they enjoy it.
Porsche
PORE-shuh
Porsh
Let the German car brand end the debate — “Porsche” is a two-syllable word. While plenty of Americans drop the “e” at the end, the correct German pronunciation is “PORE-shuh.” It comes from the brand’s founder, Ferdinand Porsche. The German language has far fewer silent letters than English, a difference that resulted in the incorrect anglicized version. In a recent poll on brand-name pronunciations, “Porsche” was the second-most-mispronounced name — around 65% of participants were incorrect.
Advertisement
Givenchy
zhee-VAAN-shee
gee-VIN-chi
Beating out Porsche in the pronunciation poll was Givenchy — more than 70% of participants got the name of this French luxury fashion and perfume house wrong, making it the most-mispronounced common brand name. The first syllable causes American English speakers the most grief: The “zh” or “sz” sound is pronounced like the “s” in the word “vision”; there is no American “g” sound in this word. The ending is also softer than an Americanized version would be, ending in “shee” rather than a hard “ch” sound.
La Croix
la-CROY
luh-KWAH
This one might be counterintuitive. “La Croix” looks like a French word, so it must be pronounced like a French word, right? Actually, it’s a Midwestern company, and the sparkling water brand stayed true to its roots when picking a name. It was first produced out of a brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the 1980s, and the city name was combined with the name of the St. Croix River, resulting in a portmanteau of the two Midwestern locales: La Croix. The brand suggests remembering this by using a helpful saying: “La-CROY. It rhymes with ‘enjoy.’”
To add to the confusion, the French luxury fashion brand Christian Lacroix ispronounced “luh-KWAH.” It stays true to French phonetics, where “croi” produces a “kwa” sound, as heard in the word “croissant.”
Advertisement
IKEA
ee-KAY-uh
eye-KEE-ah
If you’ve been saying “Let’s go to eye-KEE-ah,” you’re not totally out of bounds. While the anglicized pronunciation of the furniture store’s name is technically OK to use — even American IKEA commercials use it — the traditional Swedish pronunciation features different vowel sounds. The first syllable is “ee,” as in “need”; the second is emphasized and pronounced as “KAY,” as in “OK”; and the third ends in an “uh” or “yuh” sound.
Ralph Lauren
Ralf LAUR-en
Ralf lau-RAWN
This pronunciation mix-up comes from a classic case of trying to put a fancy spin on a word that doesn’t require it. Ralph Lauren is an American fashion brand, and as such, it uses the American pronunciation of the name “Lauren,” with an emphasis on the first syllable. Some people add a European-esque emphasis on the second syllable, but this is incorrect, as Ralph Lauren himself uses the American style of his name.
Fage
FAH-yeh
FAH-gee or FAY-j
The Fage yogurt brand was founded in Athens, Greece, and its naming is twofold. First, the word “fage” (φαγε) is the verb for “to eat,” and second, the name “Fage” operates as an acronym. It stands for Filippou Adelphoi Galaktokomika Epicheiriseis (Filippou Brothers Dairy Company). With these Greek roots for the Greek yogurt brand, the pronunciation is “FAH-yeh.”
Moschino
Mos-KEY-no
Moh-SHEE-no
Founded by Franco Moschino, this Italian fashion brand is on the long list of designer names that have been (incorrectly) Americanized. In English, we often naturally turn the “ch” grouping into a “shh” sound, but in Italian, it takes the form of a hard “c” or “k” sound, so the second syllable is pronounced “KEY” (not “SHEE”).
Hermès
AIR-mez
HER-meez or HER-me
“H” is a silent letter in French when it stands alone as a consonant, so for this French luxury brand, go ahead and drop the first letter altogether. Typically, the “s” at the end would also be silent in French pronunciation, but the accent mark on the second “e” (called an “accent grave”) changes the pronunciation of the “e,” and therefore the “s.” The accent calls for the “e” to be pronounced like the vowel sound in the English word “net.” Because of this, the “s” is also softly pronounced.
Advertisement
Sriracha
sir-ROTCH-ah or see-ROTCH-ah
sri-ROTCH-ah
The trick to pronouncing this Thai chili sauce is to leave out the first “r.” As for the pronunciation of the first vowel, that’s up for debate. Some official sources, including Merriam-Webster and the Oxford Dictionary, say to pronounce the first syllable as the word “sir,” while in the Thai language, the first syllable is “see.” Both options seem to be acceptable for hot sauce fans, so long as that first “r” remains silent.
Versace
Ver-sach-EH
Ver-sach-EE
As confirmed by Donatella Versace herself, the correct pronunciation of this Italian fashion brand is “Ver-sach-EH,” with more of an “uh” or “eh” sound at the end (not an elongated “ee” as in “knee”). The fashion magnate explained the pronunciation of her family name in an interview with Vogue, putting an end to the discussion once and for all.
Featured image credit: Credit: redcharlie/ Unsplash+
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Take the Bull by the Horns and Learn These Animal Idioms
With at least 25,000 known idioms in English, it’s no surprise that thousands are based on animals. So, why does it rain “cats and dogs” and not “zebras and giraffes”? Make a “beeline” to these explanations.
Tell a small child, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” and you might get a giggle or a confused look. While adult native English speakers know this just means it’s pouring, a child (or a new English learner) might not understand this or other idioms, which are nonliteral expressions whose meanings are not easily understood from the meanings of the individual words. Among the 25,000 known idioms in English, a wide swath are based on animals, a topic that everyone is familiar with. So, why does it rain “cats and dogs” and not “zebras and giraffes”? Make a “beeline” to these explanations below.
Advertisement
The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back
Meaning: The last in a series of bad things, seen as the tipping point. This idiom is essentially a more imaginative way to say “the final straw” (which is also an idiom, but more easily decipherable). “The straw that broke the camel’s back” has negative connotations, referring to the final element in a series of negative things that have already happened. For example, “After a long week of work, the dead car battery was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
While the phrase has been seen in English publications dating back to the 1600s, it most likely comes from an ancient Arab proverb that translates as “the last straw breaks the camel’s back.” The wording sometimes varies slightly — as seen in the 1954 journal Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, in the line, “It is certainly true that the last feather will sink the camel” — but the usage carries the same meaning. Other animals, including monkeys and horses, have been used interchangeably in this idiom as well, but the camel is the most popular version.
Take the Bull by the Horns
Meaning: To deal with a difficult situation directly. When the best course of action is to deal with something directly and confidently, one might say they are “taking the bull by the horns.” This is common advice to tell someone to face something head on. It might have originated with cowboys in the American West who often wrestled cattle, but it more likely came from farmers who controlled cattle by grabbing their horns to guide them. The earliest versions of the phrase appeared around the early 18th century.
Advertisement
I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle
Meaning: An exclamation of surprise or disbelief. “Did you hear Mary won the lottery?” “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” This idiom is bound to bemuse non-native English speakers, but it’s been used for at least a century as a display of astonishment (sometimes sarcastically). Its exact origin has never been pinned down, but one guess is that the phrase was a sarcastic response to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. One of its earliest recordings came in a 1917 ad in the El Paso Herald for the play A Brass Monkey — the small ad features the line, “Well, I’m a monkey’s uncle!”
It’s Raining Cats and Dogs
Meaning: A downpour of rain; a violent storm. The first recorded use of “cats and dogs” to refer to heavy rain came in 1651 from British poet Henry Vaughan, who wrote, “dogs and cats rained in shower.” Nearly a century later, Jonathan Swift popularized the phrase “rain cats and dogs” in his 1738 satire Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation.
There are several leading theories as to why Swift and other writers chose “cats and dogs” over, say, “zebras and giraffes.” The most eccentric hypothesis deals with Odin, the Norse god of storms, who is often depicted with dogs (symbols of the wind). This idea was allegedly combined with the folklore of witches, who were associated with black cats and rainstorms. So, “raining cats and dogs” referred to the rain and wind, combining two mythologies. Another possible source is a perversion of the Old English word catadupe, meaning “cataract” (a large waterfall), and yet another theory stems from the perversion of the Greek phrase cata doxa, meaning “contrary to belief,” as in, “it is raining beyond belief.”
Advertisement
One-Trick Pony
Meaning: Someone or something that is only good at one particular thing. When someone or something is lacking diversity in abilities, they might be referred to as a “one-trick pony.” For example, “After decades of romance writing, the author released a new sci-fi novel, proving that she wasn’t just a one-trick pony.” This idiom was probably derived from a literal circus expression at the beginning of the 20th century, when a one-trick pony would have been rather boring to the audience. By the mid-20th century, it had transformed into the idiom we still use today.
Make a Beeline For
Meaning: Go directly to. If you’ve been told you make a beeline to the coffee pot in the morning, you likely understand this idiom describes taking a quick and direct path. It relates to the science behind how bees travel back to their hives after they’ve had their fill of nectar and pollen. Research has shown that they take the fastest, most direct route home — in other words, a “beeline.” This saying has been around for centuries, as seen in an 1830 excerpt from The Massachusetts Spy: “The squirrel took a bee line, and reached the ground six feet ahead.”
Get Your Ducks in a Row
Meaning: Get organized or prepared. This phrase was popularized in the 1970s as slang to tell someone to get ready for something. However, early variations date to the late 19th century. These references all pertain to the idea of ducks being in a literal row, but they point to real ducks, target ducks in a shooting gallery, and duckpins (a type of bowling pin), so take your pick on the origin of the idiom.
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
While you’re trying to keep it cool on a shoestring budget, we have some trivia about the origins of summer-related idioms. Explore how the dog days began in the stars, why one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and why that beach vacation is happening rain or shine.
Advertisement
Dog Days of Summer
Meaning: The hottest part of the summer. “Dog days of summer” is a colloquial expression used to describe the hottest part of the year. Technically, the dog days occur between July 3 and August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere, due to an astronomical occurrence. This period of reliably hot and humid weather coincides with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, part of the Canis Major (Greater Dog) constellation, after which it is named. The ancient Greeks believed that the rising of this star caused the summer heat. Even the name of the star, “Sirius,” is derived from the Greek seirios, meaning “scorching.”
Today, we know that this star has no impact on the summertime heat, but the nickname for the time period has persisted nonetheless. In the early 16th century, the phrase “dog days” began appearing in English to describe the hot summer months. It was a direct translation of the Latin dies caniculares, but English speakers were the first to use it as an idiom.
Rain or Shine
Meaning: Something will happen regardless of the circumstances. While summer is often depicted with sunny skies, showers are common in many places. Thus, the phrase “rain or shine” is used both literally and metaphorically, as in, “The parade starts at noon, rain or shine,” or, “She’s always been there for me, come rain or shine.” The exact origin is unknown, but a figurative usage shows up as early as 1622 in a poem called “Faire-virtue” by George Wither: “Or shine, or raine, or Blow, I, my Resolutions know.” Almost 300 years later, a 1908 Sears Roebuck catalog demonstrated the literal usage in an ad for coats: “These overcoats do double service, being adapted for all kinds of chilly weather, rain or shine.”
Advertisement
Traveling on a Shoestring
Meaning: To travel using a very small amount of money. Summer is for adventuring, so you might hear backpackers or campers talk about their “shoestring budget,” which is an idiom to describe low-cost travel. The concept of “shoestring” as a word to mean “small amount of money” emerged in the late 19th century. A possible source of the idiom came from wandering peddlers who offered small items such as fabric, trinkets, and shoelaces to townspeople as they passed through. These items were low cost, and soon shoelaces or “shoestrings” became associated with very small amounts of money. It’s unknown who coined the term, but today, anything involving low costs or using a small budget can be described as “shoestring.”
Sun-Kissed
Meaning: Made warm or brown by the sun. Although “sun-kissed” might be a modern makeup trend, the adjective was first recorded 200 years ago in the early 19th century. It can describe people, places, and things that have been touched by the sun (or at least look like they have been). An early example of this comes from an 1899 edition of the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Lore magazine, which included the line, “[Swallows] have gained enormous heights, and are soaring majestically in the sun-kissed zenith.”
One Swallow Does Not a Summer Make
Meaning: The situation is not certain to improve just because one good thing has happened; a single instance does not indicate a trend. Speaking of swallows, Greek philosopher Aristotle popularized this idiom more than 2,000 years ago in Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, with the line, “For one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.” This is in reference to the migration of swallows at the beginning of summer, relating to the idea that the arrival of a single bird does not indicate that the entire flock will migrate. Aristotle might have been inspired by one of Aesop’s fables, “The Spindrift & the Swallow.”
Featured image credit: Credit: Toni Cuenca/ Unsplash+
Megan Hennessey is a freelance writer based in Boston, MA. She covers arts and entertainment for outlets including "Vulture," "The Seattle Times," and "Pittsburgh City Paper." When she's not writing, she likes seeking out nearby vintage markets and antique shops.
Why British and American English Have Different Names for the Same Foods
Here’s a sampling of different words in American English and British English for the exact same foods, and some possible linguistic explanations for them. Bon appétit!
While American English and British English are very much the same language, the dialects differ in terms of vocabulary. The category with perhaps the most differences is food words — in particular, fruits and vegetables. This list is a sampling of different words in American English and British English for the exact same foods, and some possible linguistic explanations for them. Bon appétit!
Advertisement
Aubergine / Eggplant
The scientifically named Solanum melongena comes from the Indian subcontinent and first appeared in England by the end of the 16th century. The British (and Germans) borrowed the French word aubergine (which actually traces back to the Sanskrit vatinganah) to name the plant. The American word for it, “eggplant,” originated in English in the mid-18th century and is derived from the white and yellow versions of the vegetable, which apparently resemble goose eggs.
Arugula / Rocket
Both of these words come from the same place, and while they appear quite different, “arugula” and “rocket” follow the same linguistic path. Both names for the plant species Eruca sativashare the common Latin root eruca, meaning “a cabbage-like plant.” The native Mediterranean plant was originally called ruchetta by the ancient Romans, eventually becoming rucola in Italian. By the 16th century, fellow Romance language speakers in France called it roquette. When the leafy green made it to England, the British replaced the French-sounding “qu” with the more Anglican-sounding “ck” in “rocket.” Meanwhile, Italian immigrants brought what they called rucola to the United States, where it evolved in American English to “arugula.”
Advertisement
Coriander / Cilantro
Coriander is the plant that produces the zesty green herb we know in North America as “cilantro,” but most Europeans call “coriander.” In the U.S., “cilantro” refers to the leafy part of the plant used as an herb or garnish, while “coriander” refers to the seeds that are ground into a cooking spice. In Europe, “coriander” refers to the leaves, seeds, and stem of the same plant. Interestingly, the linguistic root of “coriander” is the Greek koriannon, which botanists say is related to koris (“bedbug”), for the bad smell of unripe fruit. Folks who have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap can identify with this particular naming convention.
Courgette / Zucchini
Much like the “aubergine”/”eggplant” and “arugula”/”rocket” dichotomies, the split between “courgette” and “zucchini” has a lot to do with geographical location and emigration. Both words refer to a type of green squash from the Cucurbita pepo family. The vegetable, native to Central and South America, was cultivated for thousands of years before it was adopted into European cuisine as a result of colonization. The French called it courgette, and the Italians called it zucchini. “Courgette” made it to British English by way of geographic proximity, while “zucchini” came into American English with the wave of Italian immigration to the United States from about 1880 to 1920.
Biscuit / Cookie
In the U.S., a biscuit is a flaky, buttery pastry often served for breakfast. In England, a biscuit is what Americans call a “cookie” — a sweet, baked dessert ranging in texture and density. When Dutch settlers arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City), they brought with them koekjes, what we now call “cookies.” The root is koek, the Dutch word for “cake,” with the suffix -je added to designate “little cakes.” Meanwhile, the British get “biscuit” from the French bescuit, meaning “twice cooked.” The Italian word biscotti also comes from the same Latin root.
Advertisement
Prawn / Shrimp
Scientifically, shrimp and prawns are different species: Shrimp have one pair of legs with a claw at the end, whereas prawns have three pairs of legs with claws. However, in terms of language and cooking, Americans use the word “shrimp” as a blanket term for both species, while British English speakers say “prawns” for both.
Featured image credit: Credit: Peter Dazeley/ The Image Bank via Getty Images
Mandy Brownholtz is a writer and editor based in Baltimore, MD. She is the Managing Editor of "CREEM Magazine," and her work has appeared in the "New York Times," "Insider," and elsewhere. She has also written a novel entitled "Rotten."
How To Pronounce Common (and Commonly Confused) Irish Names
While traditional Irish names can be tricky to sound out, they are very popular — so let’s take a closer look at the correct pronunciation for some names that may be difficult for those outside of Ireland to pronounce.
Around 4.5 million Irish immigrants entered America between 1820 and 1930, and with them came an influx of lasting Irish culture. Case in point: In 2023, the Irish name Liam became the most popular baby boy name in the U.S. Other Irish names including Connor, Claire, Riley, Nora, Logan, and Rowan also have risen through the ranks.
Advertisement
But some Irish names aren’t as easy for Americans to pronounce. This is perhaps most notable in the case of Irish American actress Saoirse Ronan. The Oscar-nominated star playfully jokes about her name (pronounced “SUR-sha,” which rhymes with “inertia”) in interviews, and acknowledges that Americans have trouble saying it correctly. While traditional Irish names can be tricky to sound out, they show no signs of waning in popularity — so let’s take a closer look at the correct pronunciation for some that might be difficult for those outside of Ireland to pronounce.
Aoife
Pronunciation: EE-fuh Aoife is one of the most popular baby girl names in Ireland today, but in a recent British poll, it ranked among the hardest words to pronounce (along with Saoirse and Kyiv). It’s perhaps so tricky because in the Irish language, vowels have different sounds than in English. The common vowel pairing “ao” actually sounds like the “ee” in “tree.” Combine that with a silent “i” and an accentuated “uh” sound at the end, and Aoife is a conundrum for those outside of Ireland.
Caitríona
Pronunciation: Ka-TREE-nah The Irish name Caitríona is pronounced the same way as the name Katrina. Notice the accent mark above the “i”— this changes the vowel sound in Irish. The mark above means it’s called a “slender vowel,” and the “í” is pronounced as a long “e” sound, as in “tree.”
Advertisement
Caoimhe
Pronunciation: KEE-vah or KWEE-vah This is a traditional Irish girl’s name that comes from the same root as the boy’s name Kevin. It follows the rule of pronouncing “ao” as a long “e” (as in “tree”). The consonant pair “mh” is sometimes pronounced as “v” in Irish, which adds to the complexity of this name.
Cillian
Pronunciation: KIL-ee-an Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is likely the cause of this name’s recent popularity. Before his fame, the other spelling of the name, Killian, was more popular in the United States. In Cillian, the “c” is pronounced with a hard “c” (or “k”) sound, rather than an “s” sound.
Eoghan
Pronunciation: OH-in Eoghan is a traditional Gaelic name that features a lot of silent letters. It is pronounced like the English name Owen, and can also be spelled as Eoin.
Advertisement
Fionn
Pronunciation: FIN Often in Irish, “io” is pronounced as “ih” (as in “mist”). This holds true for the name Fionn (sometimes spelled Finn). There is no “e” or “o” sound traditionally in the name, but many American speakers might incorrectly say, “FEE-on.”
Maebh
Pronunciation: MAY-ve This alternate spelling of the English name Maeve is popular in Ireland. It follows the Irish rule that “bh” can be pronounced with a “v” sound.
Ruaidhri
Pronunciation: RUE-ree or RUR-ree At first glance to an American, this might look like one of the hardest Irish names to pronounce, but it’s actually one of the simplest. It’s pronounced “RUR-ee,” very similar to the name Rory. The name features many silent vowels and consonants, resulting in a simple, two-syllable word.
Saoirse
Pronunciation: SUR-sha or SEER-sha There is some debate about the pronunciation of one of today’s most popular traditional Irish names. The Hollywood actress Saoirse Ronan pronounces her name “SUR-sha,” but it can also be pronounced with a different vowel sound at the front, “SEER-sha.” The “sha” sound at the end correlates to the common rule of using a “sh” sound for “se” or “si” in Irish names, as seen in the name Sean, pronounced “Shawn.”
Sinéad
Pronunciation: shi-NAYD Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor introduced this name to American pop culture in the ’80s, and although it’s not as popular as some other Irish names today, it’s still recognizable. Just as in Sean (and the second “s” of Saoirse), the “s” in Sinéad is pronounced with a “sh” sound. The letter “é” is a slender vowel in Irish that is pronounced as “ay” (as in “hay”).
Advertisement
Síle
Pronunciation: SHE-luh This Irish girl’s name is pronounced like the name Sheila. It uses the common Irish “sh” sound for “s,” and the long “ee” sound for “í.” The “e” at the end takes on the common short “eh” sound, for a surprisingly familiar name for English speakers, despite its Irish spelling.
Siobhan
Pronunciation: shiv-AWN HBO’s hit series Succession did well to popularize the name of one of its lead characters, Siobhan “Shiv” Roy. Thanks to her nickname, many viewers learned how to pronounce that surprising first syllable of the name. We know that in Irish names, a “bh” results in a “v” sound, and here that’s coupled with another rule: “io” can be pronounced as “ih.” This results in “Shiv-AWN” — not “See-oh-BAWN,” as one might try to sound out in American English.
Featured image credit: Credit: Alexander Mils/ Unsplash+
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
From “doing as the Romans do” to your date insisting on “going Dutch,” there is no shortage of international idioms in English. People from all walks of life — William Shakespeare, Italian saints, and American emigrants included — have played a role in coining these well-known expressions.
Advertisement
It’s All Greek to Me
Current usage: To not comprehend something.
William Shakespeare popularized this phrase in Act 1, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, first performed in 1599. It is spoken by Casca:
Cassius: Did Cicero say anything?
Casca: Ay, he spoke Greek.
Cassius: To what effect?
Casca: Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ th’ face again. But those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.
In these lines, Casca describes a speech that was deliberately given in Greek so not everyone could understand it. Ancient Romans were usually bilingual in Latin and Greek, but Greek usage had declined by the Middle Ages. Around this time, the phrase “Graecum est; non legitur” — “It is Greek and therefore is impossible to read” — began popping up. Eventually, “Greek” was used to refer to anything that couldn’t be understood. The idiom was translated from Latin into English, and by the 16th-century Elizabethan era, it was a popular phrase that would have been understood by anyone watching Shakespeare’s play. Today, other languages have adopted the idiom and made it their own, with a few tweaks.
Advertisement
International equivalents of “It’s all Greek to me”:
Czech: To je pro mě španělská vesnice (“It’s a Spanish village to me”)
German: Das kommt mir spanisch vor (“That seems Spanish to me”)
Greek: Εμένα, αυτά μου φαίνονται Κινέζικα (“To me, this appears like Chinese”)
Bulgarian: Все едно ми говориш на патагонски (“It’s like you’re talking to me in Patagonian”; but Spanish is the primary language in the Patagonian countries of Chile and Argentina.)
Pardon My French/Excuse My French
Current usage: To apologize for using profane or offensive language.
Why don’t we say “Pardon my Spanish” or “Excuse my Italian”? This idiom originated in the Middle Ages, when the French-speaking Duke of Normandy — better known as William the Conqueror — invaded England in 1066 CE and brought the French language with him. French influenced many aspects of English because it was seen as the fancier language, and everyday words were flipped into terms of prestige — “house” became “mansion,” “pig” was “pork,” and “offspring” was “progeny.” So, in everyday conversations, English speakers were saying “Pardon my French” in a literal way, to highlight their use of French.
By the mid-18th century, the phrase was used more metaphorically. An example of this is found in an 1895 edition of Harper’s Weekly in a discussion with an American tourist: “‘Do not the palaces interest you?’ I asked, inquiringly. ‘Palaces be durned! Excuse my French.’”
Nearly 100 years later, one of the most memorable modern uses of the phrase appeared in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, when Cameron (Ferris’ best friend) says, “Pardon my French, but you’re an a**h***!” while on the phone with the dean of students, Ed Rooney.
When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do
Current usage: To embrace local customs and habits in an unfamiliar place or situation.
Often shortened to “When in Rome…,” this idiom is usually said lightheartedly while trying new things. Unsure about trying that unfamiliar regional food delicacy on your vacation? “When in Rome…” The expression is not exclusive to usage in Rome, though — it can refer to new places and experiences around the world.
The phrase might have been coined in the fourth century by St. Ambrose (of Milan) during a conversation with St. Augustine, who had just arrived in Milan and was unfamiliar with the local customs. He was reportedly shocked to find that the clergy did not fast on Saturdays (as they did in Rome). St. Ambrose gave him a bit of advice: In a new place, it is essential to adapt to the local customs. The phrase as we know it first appeared in English centuries later, around 1530.
Advertisement
Going Dutch
Current usage: To split the bill; to pay for yourself.
If you go to the movies with a friend and each pay for your own ticket, you could say you’re “going Dutch” — but the phrase likely has nothing to do with Dutch people from the Netherlands. It actually originated in the U.S. from the phrase “Dutch treat” (or “Dutch lunch/supper”), after the Pennsylvania Dutch (immigrants from Germany and Switzerland, not the Netherlands) tradition of bringing their own food to potlucks. The idiom “going Dutch” is slightly newer, dating to at least 1914.
Featured image credit: Credit: Virginia Marinova/ Unsplash+
Megan Hennessey is a freelance writer based in Boston, MA. She covers arts and entertainment for outlets including "Vulture," "The Seattle Times," and "Pittsburgh City Paper." When she's not writing, she likes seeking out nearby vintage markets and antique shops.
Enter your email to receive daily lessons that dive into what makes English so fascinating. Each email is packed with odd rules, etymologies, and the tools you need to be a better communicator.
Sorry, your email address is not valid. Please try again.
Sorry, your email address is not valid. Please try again.
 Irish Names)
