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
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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)”

a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together

Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)

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a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in my ‘Idioms and phrases in newspapers’ series, which I write in order to provide you with a regular supply of contemporary, frequently used English idioms and phrases. The expressions all come from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. Continue reading “Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)”

four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit

Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)

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four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit
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by Kate Woodford

My last blog post looked at adjectives used to describe things that are unusual or in some way different. In today’s post, I focus on idioms and phrases in this area. Continue reading “Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)”

portrait of a textile artist wearing eccentric make-up and sequins and a large, brightly coloured headdress

Quirky and novel: ways of saying that something is unusual (1)

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portrait of a textile artist wearing eccentric make-up and sequins and a large, brightly coloured headdress
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by Kate Woodford

Today, I’m looking at the various words that we use to describe things that are unusual or in some way different. As usual, I’ll be looking at the subtle differences in meaning between this group of near-synonyms. Continue reading “Quirky and novel: ways of saying that something is unusual (1)”

close-up photograph of a person holding a small olive branch, with leaves and dark olives, in their cupped hands

Keeping the peace and olive branches (Idioms for becoming friends again after an argument)

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close-up photograph of a person holding a small olive branch, with leaves and dark olives, in their cupped hands
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by Kate Woodford

Earlier this month, we published a blog post on idioms used to describe people arguing. Today’s post follows on from that and focuses instead on the nicer area of becoming friends again after an argument. Again, we’re looking at idioms and phrases with this meaning. Continue reading “Keeping the peace and olive branches (Idioms for becoming friends again after an argument)”

a couple seated facing each other having an angry argument

Crossing swords and sparks flying (Idioms about arguing)

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a couple seated facing each other having an angry argument
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by Kate Woodford

The English language contains a lot of idioms and phrases on the theme of arguing. This post looks at some of the most useful ones. I hope you find it interesting. Continue reading “Crossing swords and sparks flying (Idioms about arguing)”

a woman moving boxes in a large warehouse filled with tall shelves of boxes

No shortage of phrases (The language of large amounts or numbers, Part 2)

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a woman moving boxes in a large warehouse filled with tall shelves of boxes
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s offering is Part 2 of a post looking at the language of large numbers or amounts of things. Part 1 focused on adjectives and verbs, so this post looks at nouns and phrases in this area. Continue reading “No shortage of phrases (The language of large amounts or numbers, Part 2)”

close-up of a man's hands holding a large pile of small yellow soya beans

Teeming with and abundant (The language of large amounts and numbers, Part 1)

close-up of a man's hands holding a large pile of small yellow soya beans
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by Kate Woodford

Today, I’m looking at the language we use to describe large amounts or numbers of things. Of course, words that mean ‘very large’ such as huge and massive, are often used in this way, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on words and phrases which refer specifically to large amounts and numbers. It’s a very rich area of the language so the post will be in two parts. Continue reading “Teeming with and abundant (The language of large amounts and numbers, Part 1)”

close up photograph of a person holding an empty wallet, with credit cards and a calculator visible on the table in the background

Making ends meet and feeling the pinch (Money idioms, Part 2)

close up photograph of a person holding an empty wallet, with credit cards and a calculator visible on the table in the background
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by Kate Woodford

Part 1 of this money-themed post looked at idioms that say something about having lots of money.  Today’s post features idioms about not having enough money and about controlling how you spend money when you don’t have very much of it. In addition, I’ll also include sayings about money. Continue reading “Making ends meet and feeling the pinch (Money idioms, Part 2)”

Young woman pushes a kayak in the water of lake on a summer sunny day.

Paying through the nose and pushing the boat out (Money Idioms, Part 1)

Young woman pushes a kayak in the water of lake on a summer sunny day.
Remains/iStock/Getty Images Plus

by Kate Woodford

Today, in the latest of my money-themed posts, I’m looking at money idioms, by which I mean idioms that say something about money (and not idioms about other subjects that feature the words ‘penny’, ‘money’, ‘coin’ etc.). There are lots of money idioms so this is Part 1 and we’ll publish Part 2 in a couple of weeks. Continue reading “Paying through the nose and pushing the boat out (Money Idioms, Part 1)”