a tired-looking man sitting at a desk is pouring coffee from a jug into a coffee cup that is overflowing and spilling onto the table

Ample and adequate (Other ways of saying ‘enough’)

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a tired-looking man sitting at a desk is pouring coffee from a jug into a coffee cup that is overflowing and spilling onto the table
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by Kate Woodford

One of various things that we like to do on this blog is consider the many different ways we express the same thing in English. (Of course, we are rarely expressing exactly the same thing and it’s the differences – sometimes very subtle – that make language interesting.) In today’s post, I’m looking at words and phrases we use to convey the basic meaning of ‘enough’. Continue reading “Ample and adequate (Other ways of saying ‘enough’)”

a smiling woman reading a newspaper on the bus

A flash in the pan (Newspaper idioms)

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a smiling woman reading a newspaper on the bus
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in my ‘newspaper idioms and phrases’ series. The aim of this series is to keep you supplied with up-to-date, frequent English idioms. As with previous ‘newspaper idioms’ posts, these expressions all come from a range of national newspapers published on the same day. Continue reading “A flash in the pan (Newspaper idioms)”

a woman lying in bed with her eyes wide open, holding her temples as she is unable to sleep

Tossing and turning (Talking about sleep, Part 3)

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a woman lying in bed with her eyes wide open, holding her temples as she is unable to sleep
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by Kate Woodford

In my last couple of posts, I’ve looked at the language we use to describe how and when we sleep (Part 1 and Part 2). In this, the third of my ‘sleep’ posts, I look at the language of not sleeping and stopping sleeping. Continue reading “Tossing and turning (Talking about sleep, Part 3)”

a young woman resting her head on her folded arms as she sleeps at her desk

Dropping off and snoozing (Talking about sleep, Part 2)

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a young woman resting her head on her folded arms as she sleeps at her desk
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by Kate Woodford

I recently published an article on the word ‘sleep’ and its related collocations and idioms. Continuing the theme, this week’s post looks at the range of alternatives to the word ‘sleep’ and the phrase ‘fall asleep’. As you might expect, it includes a good number of phrasal verbs. Continue reading “Dropping off and snoozing (Talking about sleep, Part 2)”

a young man asleep in bed holding a pillow

How did you sleep? (Talking about sleep, Part 1)

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a young man asleep in bed holding a pillow
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by Kate Woodford

Sleep is a necessary activity that allows us to rest and recuperate. Although it’s essential, we sometimes find it surprisingly difficult. Perhaps for this reason, we often talk about sleep. This post – in two parts – will give you lots of useful vocabulary for speaking about this subject. Continue reading “How did you sleep? (Talking about sleep, Part 1)”

a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day

At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)

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a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day
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by Kate Woodford

In a recent post, I looked at phrases containing the word ‘day’, most of which relate in some way to time. Today, I’m considering frequent idioms that feature the word ‘day’. In many of these, the original meaning of ‘day’ isn’t quite as obvious. Continue reading “At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)”

composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night

From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)

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composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night
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by Kate Woodford

The word ‘day’ features in a lot of commonly used phrases and idioms so I thought I’d take a look at the most useful ones. This post focuses mainly on phrases rather than idioms. Continue reading “From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)”

close-up photograph of a mobile phone with a cracked screen

Chips, cracks and dents (Describing the condition of objects, Part 2)

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close-up photograph of a mobile phone with a cracked screen
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by Kate Woodford

I recently published a post on the various ways we describe the condition of objects, including words such as shabby and rickety and phrases such as beyond repair and on its last legs. Staying with this theme, today I’m looking at words that we use to describe specific types of damage to particular types of object. Continue reading “Chips, cracks and dents (Describing the condition of objects, Part 2)”

picture of an old, worn teddy bear against a dark red background

On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)

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picture of an old, worn teddy bear against a dark red background
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by Kate Woodford

A friend recently told me that she needed a new sofa. Her current one, she said, ‘had seen better days’, meaning that it was clearly old and damaged. This nice idiom (‘have seen better days’) got me thinking about the many ways we describe the condition of objects, both good and bad. This post, in two parts and covering both single words and phrases, is the result of this. Continue reading “On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)”

a man with his mouth open and eyebrows raised in a shocked expression, halfway through removing his glasses as he stares at something off-camera

Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)

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a man with his mouth open and eyebrows raised in a shocked expression, halfway through removing his glasses as he stares at something off-camera
izusek / iStock / Getty Images Plus

by Kate Woodford

This post is for anyone who feels they use the words ‘surprised’ and ‘shocked’ too much and is looking for more interesting alternatives. It will include both single words and phrases. Continue reading “Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)”