ARE YOU A STORMY PETREL?

Storm petrels are small sea birds, and according to seasoned sailors, they generally make an appearance just before the arrival of a storm. The birds are seen as an omen of the troubled times ahead. Therefore, when you refer to someone as a stormy petrel, you mean the individual is a troublemaker; someone whose arrival […]

ARE YOU LEXIPHANIC?

According to scholars, this word was coined by the the satirist, Lucian of Samosata, in the first century. Lexiphanes is not only the name of the main character in the play, but also the title of Lucian’s satire. In it, the hero makes attempts to flaunt his non-existent knowledge by using big words and lengthy […]

ARE we CANNON FODDER?

Fodder comes from the Old English ‘fodder’ meaning ‘food’. In the past, it was mainly used to refer to the kind of things that cows and other livestock generally ate – hay, straw, etc. Common sense suggests that the expression cannon fodder should mean ‘food for the cannon’. During a battle, what is it that […]

EAVESDROP? WHAT is an EAVE?

When you eavesdrop on someone, you secretly listen to an individual’s private conversation. It is a deliberate act, and it is for this reason that the word carries with it a sense of disapproval. Let’s find a place where it’s not possible for anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation. The kids were trying to eavesdrop […]

INGENIOUS OR INGENUOUS PLAN?

Ingenious comes from the Latin ingeniosus meaning ‘clever, gifted with genius’; it is mostly used nowadays to describe someone who comes up with clever ideas, and is capable of inventing things. This creative talent that the individual has is inborn. According to this article, the NGO has come up with an ingenious way of saving […]