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In this Word Nerd, we are talking about balls, because, apparently, we talk about balls a lot! And not just in the context of sports. It is a common metaphor in politics, business, or any kind of conversation. Not surprising, given that humans have been preoccupied with balls for millennia. There are handball drawings on […]

In our Word Nerd blogs last year, we’ve talked about words to use, as well as how and why. For 2017, we start by sharing a list of words that ought to be banned, according to popular opinion. Every year, since 1976, the Lake Superior State University has been publishing the “List of Words Banished […]

Winter is not only coming, it is well & truly here. If not in the Game of Thrones, at least in the northern hemisphere. For Monsoon, we did a piece on how weather is a great source of creative inspiration in literature. So, for this week’s Word Nerd, we will look at 6 idiomatic phrases […]

The human body fascinates all of us endlessly. It’s front and center – on magazine covers, in poetry and medical journals, in cultural debates and literary criticism, in rites and experiments. There are ways in which we talk about it, ways in which we should talk about it, and ways in which we never should. […]

What an amazing planet we live on! Right now, the Australian bureau of meterology is reporting that it’s pretty hot (highs in the mid-30s Celsius, which is mid-90s Fahrenheit) in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. Meanwhile, in Canada’s Alberta province, where it’s -17°C (2°F) and snowing, local news media are informing the public on what to […]

December is here, and that means holiday season in many parts of the world. Sure, everyone is familiar with the more common holiday traditions, like Santa Claus and decorated trees. But if it’s your first December as an international student, you’re probably on a learning curve. Let us help you out! 1. Snow Day This […]

“I love Americans, but not when they try to talk French. What a blessing it is that they never try to talk English.” Saki, The Chronicles of Clovis In an earlier Word Nerd, we’ve discussed how accents divide us even when we speak a common language. Today, we want to talk about how idioms and […]

Maybe you’ve been chided for being disheveled, but have you ever been complimented for being ‘shevelled’ or ‘hevelled’? And there must’ve been times when you were dismayed, but were you ever just ‘mayed’? Chances are, you’ve answered no to both questions. It’s because English, like life, is not made of binaries. Not every word has […]

Since the Indian government scrapped Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes – amounting to some 86% of the country’s cash – on November 8, at just four hours’ notice, everyone in the country seems to have money on the brain. Here are some money-related words that any English-speaking Indian will understand without any trouble. But […]

In this Word Nerd, we are talking valedictions, which sounds fancy; cucumber-sandwiches-and-Earl-Grey-with-the-Queen-and-Archbishop-fancy. But it’s just Latin for farewell. As Robertson Davies once said, “When John Ryder, for instance, writes I utter valediction to the author of my being, he means simply that he said goodbye to his mother.” And farewells are as important in the […]