June 3, 2020
by Graham
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This word has achieved a lot of prominence in the last three months, but it is being used in a way that the Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t – yet – recognise. Shield as a verb in English goes back a … Continue reading
April 5, 2019
by Graham
4 Comments
This is unusual – I’m not commenting on pronunciation or usage this time, but asking for help. I’ve been asked to provide a translation of the German-language instructions to performers for the programme of our local Music Club, where we … Continue reading
February 4, 2019
by Graham
4 Comments
I wrote about the confusion between these two words three years ago (here). From the evidence we appear to be losing the word ‘sliver’ completely. I recently offered a slice of cake to a very well-educated person who wanted to … Continue reading
July 14, 2018
by Graham
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My regular correspondent in Thailand has sent me the following, which includes IPA script. I hope that it doesn’t suffer the same fate as other of my posts, where the IPA has become corrupted over time. “Good old BBC. No … Continue reading
November 10, 2017
by Graham
1 Comment
We appear to be in danger of completely losing what I consider to be a useful distinction between two phrases, one of which seems to be disappearing. Earlier this year, a cyclist, Charlie Alliston, riding an illegal bicycle (it had … Continue reading
January 18, 2017
by gpointon
4 Comments
Following my last post, there seems to have been a spate of malapropisms perpetrated (not perpetuated!) by eminent people on radio and television. The leader of the populist British political party UKIP, Paul Nuttall, described Donald Trump as an anglophobe … Continue reading
January 22, 2016
by gpointon
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Back in 2007, I wrote about the confusion of the words inter and intern, in the context of going to a funeral. This week, the confusion has surfaced again, but this time the other way round. In her BBC series … Continue reading
December 14, 2013
by Graham
6 Comments
About a month ago, John Maidment wrote about an ambiguous phrase: here Now here is a proverb that has two meanings, and they are quite difficult to distinguish even by their intonation: “No news is good news”. When this means … Continue reading