Friday, November 29, 2024

"Whet," "Wet" and More Homophones Explained

Why do we "make do" instead of "make due," or wait with "bated breath" rather than "baited breath"?
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Why You Whet Your Appetite but Wet Your Whistle

Why do we "make do" instead of "make due," or wait with "bated breath" rather than "baited breath"? The answers lie in the origins of these historical homophones.

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Why Do We Say "O'Clock"?

From sundials to mechanical clocks, a simple phrase reveals centuries of time-keeping history.

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When Should You Use "Lay" vs. "Lie"?

One of the trickiest (and most easily forgotten) lessons seems to be the difference between "lay" and "lie" and when it's appropriate to use one over the other.

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Where Did These Internet Abbreviations Come From?

While older shortcuts are still in use, the internet age has given us plenty of new acronyms for a wide variety of digital and real-life scenarios.

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Image option one: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/appetizing-carrots-gm1276763699-376171289 Olga Chzhu/ iStock  Image option two: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/cute-dog-lying-in-garden-in-back-yard-gm1310342688-399783895 freemixer/ iStock
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Can You Decipher These Idioms From Foreign Languages?

Foreign languages have clever idioms, too. Check these out for some witty sayings from all over the world that you might want to add to your repertoire.

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