Guilt has very quick ears to an accusation. Discuss
Month: January 2021
prince
admiral – First used in English to mean “an emir or prince under the Sultan,” coming from Arabic amir al, “commander of”; admiral was originally a sea lord due to the office of amir-al-bahr or amir-al-ma (Arabic), “ameer/emir of the sea.” More…
prince – Derived from Latin princeps, “chief man” or “leading citizen.” More…
tycoon – Comes from Japanese tai, “great,” and kun, “prince, lord,” from Chinese da, “great,” and jun, “prince, ruler.” More…
whipping boy – Meaning “scapegoat,” the phrase derives from the boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter’s misdeeds. More…
Jill of all trades(, master of none)
A woman who is skilled in or adept at a wide variety of tasks or abilities (i.e., the female equivalent of “Jack of all trades”). If used with “master of none,” it implies that while competent in a variety of things, she is not highly skilled in a particular one. Watch the video
Personal Space
Though personal space boundaries vary somewhat in different cultures, coming within about 3 feet (1 m) of a stranger is generally viewed as socially unacceptable. Intrusions into the area that an individual psychologically regards as their own can prompt strong emotional reactions. To cope in crowded environments, people may avoid acknowledging each other. Such reactions are thought to be governed by the amygdala, a region of the brain. What can happen to a person whose amygdala is damaged? Discuss
enrapture
retreat
retreatant – A person taking part in a retreat. More…
anabasis, catabasis – An anabasis is a military expedition and a catabasis is the retreat of an army. More…
ivory tower – Suggests elegant detachment in a cool, white aerie, where a poet or philosopher might retreat to think and write. More…
resile, arsle – To resile or arsle is to recoil, retreat, or draw back. More…
jet-setter
A wealthy individual who travels globally, especially by private jet, to frequent fashionable resorts, social events, and the like. Watch the video
Barley
One of the first crops domesticated by humans, barley also had the distinction of being used to make one of the first alcoholic drinks—beer. With its short growing season, barley is adaptable to a greater range of climates than any other cereal. It thus became a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, featured in ancient Greek rituals, was used as currency, and even had it grains used for measurement in England. Shoe sizes in the US and UK are based on a historic inch equivalent to how many barleycorns? Discuss
corpulence
squeeze
anguish, anxious, anxiety – Anguish, anxious, and anxiety come from Latin angere, “to choke, squeeze, strangle.” More…
kvetch – To complain chronically or habitually, from Yiddish kvetshn, “pinch, squeeze; complain.” More…
squash – As a verb, it is an alteration of quash, and means, generally, to “crush, squeeze, or suppress.” More…
tapioca – Comes from Tupi-Guarani tipi, “residue,” and ok/og, “squeeze out.” More…