Targets in English

Idioms: Extra Innings

2021-10-29T12:19:00.004-07:00

For when things take more time than expected (a baseball game has nine innings).

Idiom: extra innings

Definition

Later than normal or expected. This idiom comes from the sport of baseball, where one game has nine innings. Extra-inning can be used as an adjective.

Examples

→ Tom’s extra-inning home run meant an extra-inning win for our team.

→ Talks between the two companies went into extra innings (lasted longer than expected).

Notes

This sports idiom refers to baseball games, which have nine innings. When two teams are tied at the end of the ninth inning, the game goes into additional, or extra, innings. This phrase is also used figuratively outside of baseball.

Related Terms

• overtime (synonym). Other sports such as basketball and American football use the word overtime when the game goes on longer than normal because of a tie. Overtime is also use figuratively.

Level

The idiom extra innings is advanced-level vocabulary. It is seen often in news stories, and is used in business English.

Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of baseball. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from the sport. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idioms: Early Innings

2021-10-29T12:08:00.001-07:00

A baseball game has nine innings.

Idiom: early innings

Definition

In the early stages. The phrase comes from the early part of a baseball game. A game has nine innings.

Examples

→ School started only two weeks ago. It’s still early innings, so don’t get too worried.

→ Scientists are researching the problem, but their research is still in the early innings.

Notes

This idiom comes from baseball. Baseball games are not timed like many other team sports. Instead, one game has nine innings. In an inning, both teams have a time to bat. During the inning, teach team bats until they have three outs.

The early innings are the early part of a game. The phrase has long been used figuratively outside of baseball to mean "the early part of something."

Related Idioms

• early stages (synonym)

Level

The idiom early innings is advanced-level vocabulary, but it is common in business English and it pops up in news, entertainment, and in everyday conversation.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Down to One's Last Out

2021-10-27T17:12:00.002-07:00

If you're down to your last out, concentrate.

Idiom: down to (one's) last out

Definition

To have only one chance left. This idiom comes from baseball, but the phrase is often used figuratively outside of baseball.

Examples

→ You’ve already gotten a bad grade on most of your tests; you’re down to your last out in class.

→ Our company is almost out of money; we’re down to our last out.

Notes

This idiom comes from baseball, where games are divided into nine innings. In each inning, both teams have a chance to bat, and each chance at bat ends with three outs. If a team has two outs, it is down to only one final out.

Down to is used to say what is left, as in "I'm down to my last hundred dollars. I'll run out of money soon."

Level

This phrase, down to (one's) last out, is advanced-level vocabulary. It is common in business English and everyday conversation—as well as in baseball.

Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of baseball. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from the sport. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Drop the Ball

2021-10-27T17:00:00.002-07:00

Don't do this. Don't drop the ball.

Idiom: drop the ball

Definition

(1) to make a mistake; (2) to fail because you were not ready. This phrase comes from sports such as baseball, where a players might drop a ball—a bad thing to do.

Examples

→ It is very important that you plan the birthday party well; don’t drop the ball.

→ Kyle had the chance to buy Amazon.com stock before the price shot up. He really dropped the ball by not investing money in it.

Notes

This sports idiom could pertain to baseball, American football, and basketball.

It has long been used figuratively outside of sports. The phrase is used when people have others relying on them.

Level

This idiom, drop the ball, is medium- to advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is common in business English and everyday conversation.

Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of the sport. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from baseball. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Charley Horse

2021-10-25T17:58:00.005-07:00

Here's an idiom that hurts.

Idiom: Charley horse

Definition

A sudden pain in the leg, often from exercise or sports. This idiom was first used in baseball.

Examples

→ Kim got a Charley horse and had to rest.

→ If you have a Charley horse, you need to stretch your leg.

Notes

This baseball idiom goes back to the late 1800s for both baseball and outside of baseball. It was recorded in 1888 for dancing: "I could dance in those days, because, you see, I never was bothered with ‘Charley Horse’."

Level

The idiom Charley horse is advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is very common in sports.

Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of the sport. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from baseball. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Bat Around

2021-10-22T18:51:00.007-07:00

Here's some vocabulary to bat around.

Idiom: bat around

Definition

To discuss, to debate and talk about. Used for ideas, suggestions, etc. See the note below.

Examples

→ The teachers batted around different plans for the school party.

→ Our company has been batting around ideas for new products.

Notes

This baseball idiom goes back to the late 1800s. It uses the idea of batting balls around a field to mean “a back-and-forth discussion.”

Related Idioms

• talk about.

Level

The idiom bat a thousand is advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is very common in business English,m in talk around the office, as well as in everyday conversation.

Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of the sport. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from baseball. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Bat a Thousand

2021-10-21T18:43:00.002-07:00

If you're batting a thousand, you're doing perfectly.

Idiom: bat a thousand

Definition

To have a perfect record, to be doing perfectly at something. See the note below.

Examples

→ Joe is batting a thousand on homework; he’s gotten an A on every assignment.

→ Tom is batting one thousand on getting to work on time.

Notes

If a baseball player is batting one thousand, he or she is hitting every pitch. Baseball players have batting averages, which keep track of the number of pitches they hit. This term is now used figuratively outside of baseball. Also: batting one thousand.

Related Idioms

• bat(ting) one thousand.

Level

The idiom bat a thousand is advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is common in business English and everyday conversation, as well as in baseball.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Ballpark Figure

2021-10-20T18:41:00.002-07:00

A ballpark is a baseball stadium and figure here means "number."

Idiom: ball park figure

Definition

An estimate; a number that is not correct, but is acceptable. Also: ballpark estimate.

Examples

→ I can’t give you a price on the work yet, but I can give you a ballpark figure.

→ The mayor offered a ballpark estimate on how much a new airport would cost.

Notes

This idiom comes from baseball.

Related Idioms

• ballpark estimate (synonym)

Level

The idiom ballpark figure is intermediate- to advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is common in business English and in everyday conversation.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Better Know Your Dictionaries, Part 1: How Webster Became a Household Name

2021-10-16T02:00:00.002-07:00

Add caption

If you’re working with the English language, as a writer, an editor, or a teacher, dictionaries are of course basic tools of the trade. It’s essential, therefore, to define them in terms of advantages and uses. This is part 1 of a series.

Noah Webster

History classes might not spend a lot of time on Noah Webster, but Webster’s contributions to the country in the earliest days were substantial.

Born in 1758, Webster grew up alongside a nation also just coming into its own. After studying at Yale University, he went on to become known as a lexicographer, textbook pioneer, spelling reformer, author, and editor, not to mention lawyer, political writer, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and founder of the Connecticut Society for the Abolition of Slavery.

Most important, his textbook and educational work helped create an intellectual foundation for the fledgling United States.

Two hundred years later Webster is synonymous with dictionary. The distinction no doubt would have pleased Noah, except for the part where we now have confusion over the very name, since multiple publishers use the Webster brand.

The original Webster-branded dictionary was published by Noah Webster in 1828 (check out this online version). The only dictionaries today that derived from the originals are published by Merriam-Webster Inc.

G. and C. Merriam

After Webster’s death, G. & C. Merriam Co. (founded by the brothers George and Charles Merriam) bought rights to Webster’s Dictionary, in 1843. They went on to publish Webster's International Dictionary, 1890, and then a vastly expanded Webster's New International Dictionary in 1909, which featured 400,000 entries. That volume was revised in 1934 as Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition—sometimes referred to as Webster's Second.

In 1961, G. & C. Merriam published Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, often called Webster's Third or W3. It is also referred to as the "unabridged" Webster's (and occasionally "Thanksgiving turkey-size” book). Though the new edition was widely criticized for being descriptive, rather than prescriptive, it was a masterwork of scholarship that became a staple still used in American publishing and education today. It is considered the most comprehensive dictionary of American English. (Of course, new words have been added since 1961.)

Merriam-Webster

G. & C. Merriam lost rights to the Webster's brand after several lawsuits moved it into the public domain. The company rebranded itself in 1983 as Merriam-Webster Inc.

In 1898, Merriam introduced Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, a smaller, desktop version (see this free online version). The newest edition in that line is the eleventh. This is the main spelling authority on the desks of many book and magazine editors.

Today a favorite reference is the free Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Originally based on the eleventh edition, this unique dictionary has been expanded with new entries and revised definitions. It is also packed with additional content such as Word of the Day features, quizzes, and reports on what words are trending (being looked up the most) at a given time.

Of course, there’s an app for this. Merriam-Webster also makes useful dictionary apps for smartphones and mobile devices, iOS and Android. (Style tip: For a publication or a company, decide which is your first authority, Merriam-Webster.com or the print edition.)

Other publishers have produced popular dictionaries bearing the Webster's name. Those works include Webster's New World Dictionary, by Wiley Publishing, and Random House Webster's Dictionary, from Random House.

See more on Webster’s New World Dictionary along with AP style in Better Know Your Dictionaries, Part II.

Better Know Your Dictionaries (Coming soon.)

Part 1: How Webster Became a Household Name
Part 2: Religion, Politics, and Style
Part 3: Idiom Dictionaries for Pain-in-the-Neck Vocabulary
Part 4: Sizing Up Phrasal Verb Dictionaries
Part 5: Slang Dictionaries for Taboo Vocabulary

Idiom: Have (One’s) Nose Out of Joint

2021-06-11T15:09:00.002-07:00

Here's an idiom for when someone's irritated.

Idiom: have (one’s) nose out of joint

Definition

To be angry, irritated, or upset. Also: put (someone’s) nose out of joint. Out of joint means "to be out of position or dislocated," as in “He put his hip out of joint.”

Examples

→ Mark has had his nose out of joint ever since Sarah became his manager.

→ The customer’s remarks really put my nose out of joint.

Notes

This idiom probably refers to expressions people make when they feel angry or irritated. An early form of this idiom, thrust (one’s) nose out of joint, was recorded in 1581.

Level

The idiom have (one’s) nose out of joint is intermediate- to advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is informal and colloquial.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Poke (One’s) Nose Into

2021-06-10T15:02:00.003-07:00

Poke your nose into this definition.

Idiom: poke (one’s) nose into

Definition

(1) to pry into someone’s life, to try to learn about someone or something.

(2) to meddle in someone’s life, to get involved in someone’s life.

Examples

→ Hank’s always poking his nose in other people’s business.

→ Please keep your nose out of my business.

Notes

This idiom is also used with put and stick, as in “Don’t put/stick your nose in his business.”

Related Idioms

• poke around, poke about

→ I’ll poke around to see what I can learn.

• nose around, nose about

→ Some guy was nosing around here asking questions.

Level

The idiom poke (one’s) nose into is intermediate-level vocabulary. The phrase is informal and colloquial.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Keep (One’s) Nose to the Grindstone

2021-06-09T14:56:00.002-07:00

Let's put our nose to the grindstone and learn this phrase.

Idiom: keep (one’s) nose to the grindstone

Definition

To work hard, to concentrate on one’s work. Sometimes also: hold (one’s) nose to the grindstone).

Examples

→ Be sure to keep your nose to the grindstone while you’re in school. Good grades are essential.

→ Katrina always held her nose to the grindstone when we worked together.

Notes

This idiom was first recorded in 1539. It refers to a grindstone, which is used for sharpening tools. A similar idiom is get (one’s) nose down (to). From 1966, author P. G. Wodehouse:

→ One would certainly have expected him by this time to have raised the price of a marriage license and had the Bishop and assistant clergy getting their noses down to it.

Level:

The idiom keep (one’s) nose to the grindstone is intermediate- to advanced-level vocabulary. It is useful in business English.

Editing Cookbooks: Want Your Brains Scrambled or Fried?

2021-06-09T12:13:00.004-07:00

Cookbook editing requires a special recipe, a combination of patience, vocabulary, and the ability to deal with ever-mounting hunger.

I’ve had the pleasure recently of copyediting a series of cookbooks, and I was surprised at the number of terms and special copyediting issues I had to stop and consider.

I’ve edited a wide range of materials over the years and I figured cookbooks would be, well, a piece of cake. But it turns out there’s more to cooking than “Microwave on high for twenty minutes.” You see, I’m one of those people who doesn’t read instructions before doing things (even microwaving frozen dinners), a fact my wife and son will attest to when it comes to my cooking.

To begin with, cooks have a language of their own—vocabulary you don’t come across on a daily basis. Words like dollop, for instance. I considered myself clever when I learned to slit the plastic before microwaving a frozen pasta dish; and so I am fully unprepared to “garnish with a dollop of sour cream.”

And in a cookbook you have to spell the ingredients and cooking terms correctly, and that’s more labor-intensive than editing, say, explanations of high-performance computing.

I did grow up in a pre-microwave world around things like colanders and ladles, but we didn’t have to spell them. And over the years since I haven’t either.

And then there are caps, a problem you get into with any text on wine or cheeses, since many varieties are named after regions in France or Greece or Italy, and thus must be capped, while others are not. So you wind up with cheddar and Parmesan, mozzarella and Asiago.

And in a wider cookbook a whole lot of ingredients might need capping, and to me getting that right is as important as using elegant photos in the book. And is it chick peas or chickpeas, and a lot of questions like that.

And style issues quickly begin to heat up, as well. Cookbooks are often full of abbreviations, which might come with or without periods. They have numbers, many used for measurements, others used in quotes, and the clean, simple rules laid down in AP for numerals versus spelling out numbers just don’t cut the mustard.

That’s when it’s time to pull out a deeper style guide and some other cookbooks for wisdom.

Grammar issues arise too. For brevity in their instructions, cookbooks tend to omit the subject and/or object of sentences, leading to possible danglers along the lines of “stir until frothy” (I picture chefs with rabies) or “chill until cool,” which sounds like a cold euphemism for “calm the heck down!”

But these are fun challenges, easily met by pulling out a few style guides and cookbooks for reference—and making (and following) a style sheet, all of which can be enforced with thoughtful use of Find, and Find and Replace. And also lunch breaks that may require running to the supermarket to pick up some tasty-sounding ingredient you’ve never heard of.

But copyediting is easy. The hard task is checking the content, including measurements, cooking times, etc., and as I said, I don’t garnish with dollops. So the cook/writer is left with the most-formidable of editing tasks.

What I also learned is how creative people get in the kitchen, mixing ingredients and flavors.

One I just proofread is a cookbook devoted solely to pumpkin recipes—timed, appropriately, for the fall season with the approach of Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s a whole book of pumpkin recipes and not a single one read “Microwave on high for seven minutes . . .”

And in proving there’s more to Jack-O’-Lanterns (spelling according to Merriam-Webster’s) than just pumpkin pie, the book shows how to use pumpkins for everything from dessert to snacks to something you bake a meatloaf in.

A quick plug for the book: It is Easy Pumpkin Recipes: There’s More to Pumpkin than Pumpkin Pie! by Nicole L’Esperance and her mother, Marie L’Esperance.

As with the other books in their Easy Recipes from Scratch series, they have complied a collection of family and modern recipes to prove that cooking from scratch can be easy and is even possible on busy weeknights—and even without a microwave.

Idiom: Have (One’s) Nose in the Air

2021-06-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

Idiom: have (one’s) nose in the air, v. phr.

Definition

To be snobbish, to act like one is better than others. This idiom pictures a snobbish person turning his or her nose upward. Also: with (one’s) nose in the air.

Examples

→ Ever since Holly became famous, she’s had her nose in the air.

→ Don’t walk around with your nose in the air all the time.

Related Idioms

• turn up (one’s) nose

• look down (one’s) nose at

Notes

All of these phrases picture the lifting of the head.

Level:

The idiom have (one’s) nose in the air is lower- to intermediate-level vocabulary. It is informal/colloquial.

Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.

Idiom: Have (One’s) Nose in a Book

2021-06-07T14:45:00.002-07:00

Let's put our nose in a book.

Idiom: have (one's) nose in a book

Definition

To be constantly reading. This idiom pictures just that: a person who is seen with his or her head facing a book.

Example Sentences

→ Shelly always had her nose in a book when she was in school.

→ Mark had his nose in a book the entire weekend.

Notes

A similar idiom is bury one’s nose in (something), meaning “to become very occupied or busy with something."

→ I had my nose buried in work.

→ Our bookkeeper was buried in receipts when I got to the office.

From 1652, Richard Brome, A joviall crew (a play):

→ The foul Fiend took him napping with his nose Betwixt the sheet-leaves of his conjuring Book.

From 1837, Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers:

→ Mr. Weller looked very profound as he delivered this legal opinion; and burying his nose in his tumbler, winked over the top thereof.

Level:

This common idiom is basic- to intermediate-level vocabulary.

Idiom: Run into the Ground

2021-06-03T16:40:00.002-07:00

Let's have a look.

Idiom: run into the ground, v. phr.

Definition

(1) To destroy a business with bad management. To run a business such as a store or a restaurant so badly that it closes down.

(2) To overdo something, to discuss a topic too long or too thoroughly.

Example sentences

→ The store’s new owner quickly ran it into the ground.

→ If you let him continue to run the company, he’ll run it into the ground.

→ Politicians have run the issue of raising taxes into the ground.

Notes

Run here means "manage," as in She runs a successful business.

The idiom run into the ground is advanced-level vocabulary. It is useful in business English, management, and general conversation about stores businesses.

Examples from the Web:

The company president is obviously allowing the business to be run into the ground.

Globe and Mail (2003)

What had begun as a big investigation had run into the ground.

Times, Sunday Times (2012)

Idiom: Gain Ground

2021-06-02T15:58:00.007-07:00

Let's cover some ground.

Idiom: gain ground, v. phr.

Definition

To make progress; to win acceptance. Opposite: lose ground.

Example Sentences

→ The mayor’s development plan is gaining ground among voters.

→ Our company still leads in the market, but others are gaining ground on us (= catching up).

→ We are gaining ground in some markets but losing ground in others.

Notes

This idiom refers to a military advance, when an army literally takes over (gains) control in an area (ground). The phrase was used figuratively as early as 1625: "But in fearefull Natures, they [sc. suspicions] gaine Ground too fast."

The idiom gain ground is intermediate- to advanced-level vocabulary. It is useful in business English, marketing, politics, and talking about trends in society.

Usage: Compare To vs. Compare With

2021-05-17T14:14:00.006-07:00

Let's compare ...

Rule: A traditional rule says that compare to should be used when the meaning is "to liken," when you are noting the similarities between two things: Compare thee to a summer's day.

But when the meaning is to consider how two things are similar or different, compare with should be used: The accountant compared last year's sales with this year's.

So:

• compare to = to liken, to note similarities.

→ The scientist compared computers to the human brain.

• compare with = to consider what is similar and different.

→ We compared my plan with her plan to see which was best.

But: Many native speakers don't know or follow this rule.

Advice: This rule is worth remembering and following, especially in writing. It is widely used in news and publishing.

Sports Idioms: Down to the Wire

2021-05-12T00:16:00.000-07:00

"We finished at the last minute. It came down to the wire!"

Idiom: down to the wire

Definition: adj./adv. phr., happening at the last minute or the very end.

This popular idiom comes from horse racing, where wires were put across tracks to show winners, even if two or more horses were close at the race’s end.

Nowadays we have a photo-finish for horse racing, where images show exactly which horse has the lead as they cross the finish line.

Down to the wire is an example of an idiom that comes from sports. We have numerous idioms from racing competitions, from running races, to car races to horse races.

One related idiom is by a nose, as in win by a nose. If a horse wins by a nose, it is ahead only the length of its nose.

The idiom down to the wire is vocabulary for intermediate- to advanced-level English learners.

Examples

Present: These two basketball teams play each regularly, and their games often come down to the wire.

Past: The project at work was getting down to the wire; we finished at the last minute.

Nauseous vs. Nauseated: Nauseous Word Usage

2021-05-05T03:30:00.005-07:00

The Rule: Teachers, dictionaries, and word usage guides used to say that nauseous should be used only to mean "causing nausea" or "making one's stomach feel sick" and not be used to mean "feeling sick to one's stomach."

The say if your meaning is "feeling sick to one's stomach," the word nauseated should be used. So:

• nauseous = causing one to feel sick to one's stomach.
→ the nauseous smell of rotting garbage

• nauseated = feeling sick to one's stomach.
→ The man felt nauseated.

In recent decades, however, nauseous has been widely used for both meanings.

• nauseous = (1) causing one to feel sick to one's stomach. (2) feeling sick to one's stomach.
→ The nauseous smell made me feel nauseous/nauseated.

Today, both Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary say it is OK to use nauseous for both meanings.

The American Heritage Dictionary has a Usage Panel, a group of writers, speakers, and others who vote on word usage rules. In 1965, 88 percent of its Usage Panel said nauseous should not be used to mean "feeling sick." By 2013, that number had dropped to 23 percent.

To quote the American Heritage Dictionary: "… what was once considered an error is now standard practice. Nauseous is now far more common than nauseated in describing the sick feeling."

Advice: For work or school, if you have a manager or English teacher who is picky about word usage, follow the traditional rule. If not, nauseous might be your best choice.

Related:

• nausea = (n.) a sick feeling in one's stomach.

• nauseate = (v.) to make one feel sick to one's stomach.

• nauseating = (adj.) making one feel sick to one's stomach.

• nauseated = (adj.) feeling sick to one's stomach.

• nauseous = (adj.) (1) making one to feel sick to one's stomach. (2) feeling sick to one's stomach.

Phrasal Verbs: Cut Off

2021-04-29T01:00:00.004-07:00

We can cut dried flowers off a plant so that new ones will grow, we can cut the tag off a new coat, and we can cut the nose off to spite the face (idiom) … And there’s a lot of other things people can cut off. This is a phrasal verb with numerous meanings. Here are ten.

1) cut off = to remove with scissors or a knife.

→ I need to cut the tags off my new shirts.

→ He cut the legs off his blue jeans.

2) cutoffs = (n.) blue jeans with the legs cut off to make short pants.

→ Joe wore a pair of cutoffs to the beach.

3) cut off = to be isolated. Often passive voice.

→ The town was cut off by the flooding. (The flooding cut the town off.)

→ Janet wanted to cut herself off from the world.

→ Working from home, many people feel cut off.

4) cut off = to stop the supply of something.

→ The generals were seeking ways to cut off the enemy’s supplies.

→ We’ll have our power cut off if we don’t pay the bill.

5) (get) cut off = to have a telephone call disconnected. Often passive voice.

→ (on the phone) I suddenly can’t hear her. I think we got cut off.

→ Would you like to give me your phone number so I can call you back if we get cut off?

6) cut off = to interrupt.

→ I tried to explain, but the man cut me off with the wave of a hand and walked away.

→ Her words were cut off by a loud explosion nearby.

7) cut off = to bring to an early end or death.

→ The victim was cut off in the prime of his life.

8) cut off = to end financial help; to disinherit.

→ Banks are cutting off funding to companies in this industry.

→ His father threatened to cut him off without a penny.

9) (get) cut off = to have another car suddenly drive (cut) into your lane in front of you. Often passive voice.

→ I got cut off.

→ A truck cut us off just before the freeway exit.

10) cutoff = the point, date, or time for the ending of something.

→ The cutoff point for applying to the university is April 5.

→ Is there a cutoff point?

Confusing Words: Libel vs. Slander

2021-04-28T02:00:00.039-07:00

If an unhappy customer says to other people that the store owner is a "crook," the owner might take the customer to court and sue the person. But would the owner sue for slander or libel?

– libel vs. slander –

The Difference: These two legal terms both mean to illegally criticize someone, to accuse a person of dishonest or criminal behavior, when the criticism is untrue. But libel and slander originally had different meanings:

• libel = written

→ She sued the newspaper for libel.

• slander = spoken (n. and v.)

→ What they said was slander. They slandered me! I'll sue them for slander.

However, slander has long been used for both written and spoken statements in popular usage such as on radio and TV. It's also more common in spoken English.

Advice: (1) In formal writing or speaking, follow the rule: libel for written statements and slander for spoken statements. (2) Avoid libel and slander and courts altogether. They are all much too troublesome.

Phrasal Verbs: Cut Out

2021-04-27T14:21:00.003-07:00

The phrasal verb cut out brings to mind removing an article or advertisement from a newspaper with a pair of scissors, but this idiom has developed a number of uses. Here are ten of them.

1) to remove with scissors or a knife.

→ She cut out a newspaper article.

2) to remove from a diet, etc.

→ He cut out all fats and sugar from your diet.

3) to block light.

→ The curtains cut out the sunlight.

4) to be suitable for a kind of work.

→ I’m not cut out for hard work like this.

5) to stop operating.

→ The engine suddenly cut out.

6) to have interruptions in radio or cellphone reception.

→ I didn’t hear that. You’re cutting out.

7) to not print or broadcast part of an article, etc.

→ I cut out the third paragraph of the news article.

8) to depart suddenly. Informal/colloquial.

→ Peter cut out for the store the minute he hear about the sale.

9) to shape or form by cutting.

→ Mary slowly cut out the form of a fish from a piece of wood.

10) to not include.

→ Don't cut me out of your plans.

Word Focus: Get Away, A Useful Phrasal Verb

2021-04-22T04:30:00.002-07:00

The basic meaning of this phrasal verb is obvious: get = “become” and away = “not here.” If you see a really, really big spider on a tree, you shout, “Get away from the tree!” But what does it mean to get away with only three hours of sleep? Is that different from getting away with murder? And more importantly, doesn’t a tropical getaway sound like a nice place to get away from it all?

Let’s have a look at the many uses of the phrasal verb get away.

• get away = move away from something. This idiom is often used in the imperative (as a command; see example 2).

→ She told me to get away from the window because of the typhoon.

→ Get away from the car! It’s going to explode.*

(Usually, cars explode only in movies.)

• get away = to leave a place or a person.

→ What time did you finally get away (from work) last night?

→ We walked farther into the park to get away from the crowd.

→ Sorry, I couldn’t get away any earlier. I got away as early as I could.

• get away = to escape. Noun: getaway.

→ The police chased the robber, but he got away.

→ Come and help me clean the kitchen. You’re not getting away this time.

→ The bank robbers planned a getaway. They had a getaway car.

• get away = to go somewhere on holiday or for a break from normal routines. Noun: getaway.

→ Sherry needs to get away for a few days to think things over.

→ I’m heading to the beach this weekend to get away from it all.

→ I know of a special getaway in the mountains north of the city.

• get away from = to change the way you do something.

→ Our company needs to get away from expensive advertising.

→ Pete’s restaurant can’t get away from the bad image people have of it.

• get away from = to begin to change the subject of discussion.

→ That’s interesting, but we’re getting away from the main point.

→ Our discussion quickly got away from the things we needed to talk about.

• get away with = to not be punished or criticized for something.

→ The thief got away with his crime.

→ Hal often makes mistakes at work, but he always gets away with it.

• get away with = to do something successfully, even though it’s not the best way to do it.

→ Do you think we can get away with spending less on the meeting?

→ I think we can get away with a single coat (layer) of paint on the wall.

• get away with murder = to not be punished or criticized for bad things.

→ Ben always gets away with murder at work, because the boss really likes him.

→ Hank lets his kids get away with murder. They get bad grades in school, they don’t follow rules …

Important Takeaway: Learning idioms and phrasal verbs is much easier if you learn them alongside similar phrases. You won’t get away without studying, you might get away from all the confusion of trying to learn them in other ways.

Illegible vs. Unreadable: Make It More Readable

2021-04-21T01:00:00.003-07:00

Usage Rule: Something is illegible because it is impossible to read; it is handwritten or printed poorly. The letters cannot be understood. → The letter quickly became illegible in the rain.

Something is unreadable because it is uninteresting, dull, or badly worded.

→ The novel was unreadable. I fell asleep twice trying.

Still, unreadable is sometimes also used for illegible, as a synonym, and for other things one cannot understand, such as a facial expression or emotions.

→ She had an unreadable expression on her face.

Advice: It’s best to keep the distinction and not use unreadable if something is illegible. I hope this explanation is readable.