You may have heard the cheery saying When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! It means, when something bad happens to you, take a positive attitude and use it to your advantage. (After all, lemons on their own are sour and unpleasant, but add sugar and water and you have a delicious drink!) This idiom (heard on a podcast this morning) reminded me of all the nice fruit idioms we have in the English language. I thought I’d share the best of them with you.
barndominiumnoun [C] UK /ˌbɑːn.dəˈmɪn.i.əm/ US /ˌbɑːrn.dəˈmɪn.i.əm/ a type of house made of metal or wood that combines a large, open-plan living space with a garage or workshop
Interpretations vary, but many in the housing industry define today’s barndominiums — barndos, for short — as large metal structures with high ceilings, open-plan layouts, and garages or workshop areas. “The goal would be as much square footage as you can fit on the site,” said Andy Wiker, a pre-construction project manager at Conestoga Buildings, which builds barndos throughout the Northeast. “People want to play basketball in their living room.” [nytimes.com, 19 December 2024]
shousenoun [C]
/ʃaʊs/ a type of home where a large workshop is attached to the living area
Firstly, a shouse is a business owner’s dream, whether you’re a carpenter, woodworker, crafter or simply someone who needs a large space for working in. Gone are the days of having to drive somewhere else to do your work, you can simply have it in your house instead—but still have it in a completely separate space. [thespruce.com, 9 October 2024]
pocket officenoun [C] UK /ˈpɒk.ɪt ˌɒf.ɪs/ US /ˈpɑː.kɪt ˌɑː.fɪs/ a small area in a house used as a workspace
In today’s fast-paced world, the need for flexible, efficient, and multipurpose spaces is more important than ever. Enter the pocket office – a compact, versatile area that takes up less space than a traditional office but offers endless possibilities for work, hobbies, and personal projects. Perfect for younger generations and families alike, pocket offices are quickly becoming a must-have in modern homes. [verticalbuilders.com, 28 June 2024]
One of the best ways to learn a language is to go to a country where it is spoken, or to interact with speakers of the language in other ways. However, you are likely to come across some non-standard grammar. Some of these forms are very common, so it is useful to be aware of them. However, they are not considered correct, especially in formal contexts, and you will lose marks if you use them in exams. This post and my next one will look at a few such grammar points.
noctourismnoun [U] UK /ˈnɒk.tʊə.rɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˈnɑːk.tʊr.ɪ.zᵊm/ tourist activities that are designed to take place at night
Luxury travel company Wayfairer Travel said noctourism experiences rose 25% in the past year, with requests for Northern Light viewings in Norway and Iceland, but also night diving in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Egypt’s Red Sea. Nocturnal wildlife safaris in Zambia and Kenya and stargazing in Chile’s Atacama Desert are also popular. [cnbc.com, 29 December 2024]
doom tourismnoun [U] UK /ˈduːm ˌtʊə.rɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˈduːm ˌtʊr.ɪ.zᵊm/ visiting places that soon may not exist or be suitable for visiting because of environmental issues such as climate change
There’s an obvious paradox to “doom tourism”: the very act of travelling to visit a threatened region or species can accelerate its demise. Well-meaning media coverage of climate challenges in a region can then contribute to increased volumes of visitors: images of flooding or accounts of habitat losses can then lead to tourists seeking “exotic” travel to choose these locations as their next destination. [workingabroad.com, 19 May 2024]
quietcationnoun [C]
/ˈkwaɪ.ətˌkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ a holiday where the focus is on spending time in silence
A quietcation is a vacation that gives you a break from the noise and hustle of the modern world, prioritizing more mindful, slow travel that doesn’t require a vacation from your vacation. A quietcation can vary depending on just how much silence you’re looking for — you can find everything from a wellness resort where you participate in a noise-free breakfast or walking meditation to an outdoor trek with just you and the sounds of nature. [bustle.com, 21 January 2025]
It’s the second week of February and here in Cambridge, the weather feels arctic! As I type this, my fingers are as cold as ice. Time to get that electric heater from the spare room! In a way though, it’s appropriate, as today’s post is about how we describe the effect that the weather has on us.
painsomnianoun [U] UK /peɪn.ˈsɒm.ni.ə/ US /peɪn.ˈsɑːm.ni.ə/ the condition of being unable to sleep, over a period of time, because you are in physical pain
“Painsomnia”, as it is commonly known, affects an awful lot of bad sleepers, manifesting itself in everything from nerve and muscle pain to joint and bone discomfort. There are a number of reasons why pain can be worse at night … All of which mean that if your sleep is disturbed at the end of the cycle, you’re more likely to be woken up by it. [telegraph.co.uk, 6 April 2024]
techquitynoun [U] UK /ˈtek.wɪ.tɪ/ US /ˈtek.wɪ.t̬ɪ/ the use of technology to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to access adequate healthcare, for example by ensuring resources are distributed fairly
A sustainable, equitable expansion of telehealth requires long-term commitment from policymakers, health care providers and technology companies to advance techquity. Together, we must address disparities in technological access as we continue investing to broadly integrate telehealth into health care delivery on a national scale. [medcitynews.com, 10 October 2024]
corridor carenoun [U] UK /ˈkɒr.ɪ.dɔː ˌkeəʳ/ US /ˈkɔːr.ə.dɚ ˌker/ the activity of providing medical treatment to hospital patients in a space not intended for that purpose, such as a corridor, waiting room or cupboard
I have been fortunate not to have experienced the extreme nature of corridor care that is becoming an everyday occurrence at other hospitals. We have not yet resorted to beds lining the corridors, but I have seen an increase in the conversion of non-clinical spaces to areas where we are seeing and treating patients. [health.org.uk, 14 February 2024]
Most of us know someone who often gets into trouble because they don’t stop to consider the consequences of their behaviour. This post is about ways of describing these people and their actions.
fraudbotnoun [C] UK /ˈfrɔːd.bɒt/ US /ˈfrɑːd.bɑːt/ a type of computer program that uses AI to pretend to be an online customer in order to carry out fraudulent activities
Introducing the fraudbot – a chatbot that impersonates customers and tries to open fake accounts, reopen closed accounts, or access real customer data. Not only do fraudbots pose a security risk to your customer information, but they waste valuable agent time. [tethr.com, 7 November 2022]
viewbotnoun [C] UK /ˈvjuː.bɒt/ US /ˈvjuː.bɑːt/ a type of computer program that uses AI to make a piece of online content, such as a social media post, appear to have been viewed more times than it actually has
Employing a viewbot allows your channel and content to gain more visibility by artificially inflating your view count. This can attract real viewers who may not have otherwise discovered your stream. Over time, the real viewers gained from increased exposure may replace the viewbot viewers. [medium.com, 17 January 2024]
aidbotnoun [C] UK /ˈeɪd.bɒt/ US /ˈeɪd.bɑːt/ a type of computer program that uses AI to deliver aid such as food, clothes or medicine as quickly and efficiently as possible to the people who need it
Hania created the “aidbot” to narrow the gap between the demand and supply of aid. The aidbot is a chatbot – a type of AI system designed to communicate with its users online – that links to WhatsApp. It is programmed to ask simple questions about the types of aid people require along with their names and locations. [bbc.co.uk/news, 11 January 2025]
Regular visitors to the Cambridge Dictionary blog will be familiar with my newspaper idioms posts in which I present idioms and phrases from a range of national newspapers published on the same day. This post is the latest in this series.
gate licenoun [plural]
/ˈgeɪt ˌlaɪs/ an informal way of referring to people who crowd around the boarding gate at an airport and try to board the plane before their assigned row or section has been called
American Airlines has announced it is expanding its new technology to end a process known as “gate lice,” which is when passengers cut lines in hopes of boarding a flight early. The system audibly flags when a passenger attempts to board the plane before their designated assignment is called and will automatically reject the ticket. [nypost.com, 21 November 2024]
check-in chickennoun [U]
/ˌtʃek.ɪn ˈtʃɪk.ɪn/ a strategy where an air passenger delays checking in for a flight until the last minute with the aim of being assigned a better seat
There’s a new type of passenger causing chaos in the airport – those playing “check-in chicken”. The latest category of flyer applies to travellers who wait to book a seat until check-ins are almost closed in the hope of scoring the best available seats. [independent.co.uk, 10 December 2024]
Wilmanoun [U]
/ˈwɪl.mə/ abbreviation for window, middle, aisle: a process for boarding a plane where all the passengers in window seats board first, followed by those in middle seats and finally those in aisle seats
A year ago United Airlines introduced the “Wilma” system — where all window-seat passengers board first, then middle seats, then aisle, a sort of “outside in” technique, which the airline claims saves around two minutes per flight — rather than getting the passengers at the back in first, as is more common. [thetimes.com 8 December 2024]
