Variations on a Theme Words From ac, acr, acu
Acid is from the Latin adjective acidus, meaning sharp, sour. It has the same root as acer keen, sharp. Even in Latin acid(us) had both modern meaning: sour-tasting and sour…
Origins How To Give And Forgive
To condone is to forgive, overlook, pardon, or be uncritical of (an offence, or of an antisocial or illegal act). You yourself might or might not indulge in such behaviour…
Intelligent Learning – Grammar
Some words are restricted to very particular uses. If you have learnt a word in one grammatical context, don’t automatically assume that you can use it in another context. Suppose…
Origins – War
Militate derives from militis, one of the forms of the Latin noun meaning soldier or fighting man. If something militates against you, it fights against you, i.e., works to your…
African English
The English used in black Africa varies widely from place to place, and often has features of the local languages. As English is often taught first as a written language,…
Origins – How To Tickle
Titillate comes from a Latin verb meaning to tickle, and may be used both literally and figuratively. That is (literally), you can titillate by gentle touches in strategic places; you…
British Vs American – Please Can You Translate?
Every language has certain words and expressions that defy simple translation in other languages. So have dialects. English has no satisfactory term for the American Indian giver (someone who takes…
Origins – Not To Be Confused With Horses
Equestrian is someone on a horse (as pedestrian is someone on foot); an equestrienne is a woman on a horse (if you must make the distinction); and equine is like…