An Arm and a Leg!

An Arm and a Leg: Anything where the cost is extremely expensive; pricey, often times excessively so.

Example: Buying a brand new car is going to cost us an arm and a leg! Maybe we should save money by riding a bike or the bus to work.

Origin: The origins for this phrase are unclear, but word has it that this phrase originated from the early 20th century, during one of the major World Wars. 

The theory is that soldiers, because of their heavy involvement in war and being in the line of enemy fire, would sometimes lose a hand, foot, leg, or arm. When returning home and reuniting with their concerned families, the first thing a loving relative would instantly recognize is a missing limb. Thus, a member of the family might acknowledge the high price paid during the war, and say: “This war cost you your leg, but at least you’re still alive and well!”

 

Censure Vs Censor Vs Censer!

Censure: To criticize strongly                                                       

Example: The government faces censure for its alleged involvement in the assassination.

      Vs

Censor: to ban parts of a book or film; a person who does this

Example: The soldier would have to carefully word his letter so that it would pass the censor.

Vs

censer: a container in which incense is burned.

 

 

 

 

Does it seem “all Greek” to you?

It’s all Greek to me: I don’t understand it at all

Example: I don’t understand this contract. It’s all Greek to me.” 

Origin: At least two different playwrights used this phrase during one of their plays in the 17th century, those being Thomas Dekkar and William Shakespeare. In 1603, Dekkar’s play Patient Grissel reads:

 “FAR: Asking for some Greek poet, to him he fails. I’ll be sworn he knows not so much as one character of the tongue.

RIC: Why, then it’s Greek to him.”

 

The saying was also used in 1616 in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar:

 

“CASSIUS: Did Cicero say any thing?

CASCA: Ay, he spoke Greek.

CASSIUS: To what effect?

CASCA: Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ the face again: but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.”

 

 

Are you a Balmy or a Barmy?

Balmy: pleasantly warm

Example: I was wearing just shorts because the evening was quite balmy.

      Vs

Barmy: foolish, crazy

Example: If you believe what that lying flirt says, then you must be barmy !

 

Bed of roses!

A Bed Of Roses: a situation that feels comfortable and easy

Example: “Working here is no bed of roses.” 

 

Appraise Vs Apprise

  Vs

 

All in the same boat!

All in the same boat: when everyone is facing the same challenges.

Example: “These may be difficult times, but we’re all in the same boat. We can get through it together.” 

Origin: This expression is an indirect reference to the risks shared by passengers in a small boat at sea. 

 

 

 

Phrasal verbs with “act”

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
Act on	To take action because of something like information received	The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed.
Act on	Affect	The medicine only ACTS ON infected tissue.
Act out	Perform something with actions and gestures.	They ACTED OUT the story on stage.
Act out	Express an emotion in your behaviour	Their anger is ACTED OUT in their antisocial behaviour.
Act up	Behave badly or strangely	My computer’s ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus.
Act upon	To take action because of something like information received	The police were ACTING UPON a tip-off.
Act upon	Affect	The enzyme ACTS UPON certain proteins.

 

Heard of phrasal verbs before?

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a single-word or multi-word prepositional phrase (alt. preposition, adverb, particle) that form a complete (i.e. combined) semantic unit as a phrase.

A phrasal verb may also be called ‘compound verb’, ‘verb-adverb combination’, ‘verb-particle construction’(VPC).

As a class, phrasal verb complexes belong to the same category as the so-called separable verbs of other Germanic languages. They are more commonly found in everyday, informal speech as opposed to more formal English and Latinate verbs, such as “to get together” rather than “to congregate”, “to put off” rather than “to postpone” (or “to deter”), or “to do up” rather than “to fasten”.

In general it can be shown that to use and understand the “phrasal verb complex”, even in the case of idioms, it is necessary to understand both the verb and the particle independently and how these work together to give a combined meaning. 

We will be seeing a lot of phrasal verbs and their usage in my upcoming posts …

 

Affluent Vs Effluent

Affluent: Wealthy

Example: The United States is one of the most affluent nations in the world, yet some Americans exist in extreme poverty.

Vs

Effluent: flowing out; of liquid waste

Example: Factories must check effluent material for potential hazards to the environment.