It’s the holidays! My friends have been wishing me ¡Felices fiestas! but they’re not just talking about parties. They’re talking about the whole holiday season. So, let’s talk about the ways to talk about free time in English. A holiday can be ONE day. Monday is a holiday. This use of the word holiday is tied to…
Category: Why do they say that?
Ghosting
Ghosts, of course, are nouns. They are spirits without bodies. Ghosting turns that noun into a verb. You can ghost someone (cut off contact without explaining why), or suspect that you, yourself, are being ghosted (no replies when you try to regain contact). They’re there–but they’re not there. Or, are they? Is this silence as…
Mixed signals
What does this traffic light tell you? To me, it says Left lane (red light)–STOP! Middle lane (green arrow)–You can make a protected turn. Traffic coming toward you from the other direction is on pause. Go ahead, turn in front of it. You’re okay. No one will hit you. I’m serious. Wait just a minute,…
May the 4th be with you
Today is May 4th, and for fans of the Star Wars universe and nerds* like me, it’s a day to go around saying, May the 4th be with you. Why? A famous line in the Star Wars movies is, May the Force be with you and if you lisp just a little bit when saying…
Grit
If you look very long at Netflix, you will see words like gritty in some of the program descriptions. Reviewers use these words to signal several things at once. Just what does this mean? Real, physical grit* is like sand. It is uncomfortable and irritating, especially when it gets in your eyes (or certain places…