Good morning, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for another Word Nerd Wednesday.As I was reading this week, I was reminded of a phrase I haven’t heard in quite some time: a fine kettle of fish. It’s most often heard in this kind of context: “Well, this is a fine kettle of fish you’ve landed us in.”
What’s this? A Word Nerd Wednesday post? I know, I know. It’s been aaaages, but I’ve been so busy and it’s been a while since a word leaped out at me like vertiginous did this week. It was actually the sole bright…
Hello, word nerds! It’s been a little while since I did a word nerd post, but last week I wrote a review that mentioned a character who fit a certain description ‘to a T’. First of all I had to check how to ‘spell’ it. Was it ‘to a T’ or ‘to a tee/tea’? You can probably guess the outcome of that investigation! 😉 Then the inevitable question dawned. What is a ‘T’, and why is it the ultimate measure of accuracy?
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! Have you ever come across a word that sounds all wrong for its meaning? Today’s words is one of those for me. It came up no less than three times in a book I was reading recently, and I have to say, it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m pretty sure I’d never heard the word before, and being the good little word nerd that I am, I looked up its meaning:
Greetings Word Nerds! Last night as I was saying goodnight to my children, my nine-year-old son piped up with the question, “Mum, what is a mare?” One of my other children replied by saying it was a female horse, which prompted the further question, “Then, why do we call bad dreams nightmares?” Cue silence. Have you ever noticed that children become mini philosophers at bedtime, pondering the meaning of life, the universe, and everything—including the English language? Mine certainly do. Anyway, I had to confess I didn’t know and that we would look it up in the morning. And so here
Welcome Word Nerds! Nothing highlights the inconsistencies of the English language like teaching your kids spelling or helping them learn to read. As a homeschool mum I’m currently doing both at multiple levels, and I can tell you I’m so very grateful for the fantastic spelling program we use. (All About Spelling for those who are interested). But have you ever stopped to wonder why the English language is the way it is?