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If you’ve resolved to achieve something that requires a lot of effort in 2024, then this post is for you! Today I’m looking at idioms and phrases that we use to talk about making an effort. If you didn’t already know this, ‘make an effort‘ (= try hard) is a phrase itself, for example:
Can we all, please, make an effort to keep the kitchen a bit cleaner? Continue reading “Going the extra mile and elbow grease (Idioms for making an effort)”
house hushing noun [U]
/ˈhaʊs hʌʃ.ɪŋ/
decorating your house using pale, neutral colours and not filling it with too many objects, so that it feels calm and relaxing
Brits are looking to their homes to provide some much-needed tranquillity. Enter “house hushing”, an organised exercise in decluttering and “noise” reduction that claims to instil a sense of calm into any home, and even improve your emotional wellbeing. House hushing can help to reorganise a space, creating a softer, quieter, more relaxing environment, which clears headspace and helps us to feel less stressed.
[ha-w.co.uk, undated]
appliance garage noun [C]
UK /əˈplaɪ.əns ˌgær.ɑːʒ/ US /əˈplaɪ.əns gəˌrɑːʒ/
a cupboard in the kitchen used for storing equipment that would normally be kept on the worktop, such as the food mixer, toaster, coffee maker etc.
Appliance garages come in all shapes, sizes and designs, from those designed to run from floor to ceiling, to designs that span from the worktop upwards. They can be classic or contemporary in their looks and are usually designed to tie in with the other kitchen units in the space.
[homebuilding.co.uk, 20 December 2022]
friendlord noun [C]
UK /ˈfrend.lɔːd/ US /ˈfrend.lɔːrd/
someone who rents out a room in their house to a friend
There’s limited data on friendlords, but we know the number of homeowners taking in lodgers has tripled in the last ten years. Housing expert Vicky Spratt notes: “Troublingly, such agreements are as commonplace as they are flimsy, with homeowners from younger generations renting out rooms to lodgers and friends to cover their mortgages.”
[thelead.uk, 26 January 2023]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
In my last post, I wrote about verbs that describe circular movements. I’m staying with the theme of movement today and looking at shaking movements and movements from side to side. Continue reading “Juddering, quivering and wobbling: more verbs to describe movement”
broken rung noun [C, usually S]
UK /ˌbrəʊ.kᵊn ˈrʌŋ/ US /ˌbroʊ.kᵊn ˈrʌŋ/
the situation where someone can progress quickly in the early stages of their career but finds it difficult to get a more senior post
Although women have made gains in representation at the senior level, advancements are slower at the manager and director levels. “The ‘broken rung’ is the biggest barrier to women’s advancement,” said Rachel Thomas, Lean In’s CEO and co-founder. “Companies are effectively leaving women behind from the very beginning of their careers, and women can never catch up.”
[cnbc.com, 18 October 2023]
See also glass ceiling
exhaustion gap noun [C, usually S]
UK /ɪgˈzɔːs.tʃᵊn ˌgæp/ US /ɪgˈzɑː.tʃᵊn ˌgæp/
the situation where women are generally more tired than men, said to be because women have to do more housework, childcare, etc. in addition to their job
The exhaustion gap is a term that refers to the overwhelming impact of work (both in the office world and at home) exhaustion on women, pointing to stats that show women are more likely to experience burnout and stress as they juggle the demands of their careers with household and caregiving responsibilities.
[stylist.co.uk, September 2023]
gender tenure gap noun [C, usually S]
UK /ˌdʒen.də ˈten.jə ˌgæp/ US /ˌdʒen.dɚ ˈten.jɚ ˌgæp/
the situation where women hold very senior jobs for a shorter time than men
Female CEOs typically have shorter tenures compared to their male counterparts, a new study has found. This “gender tenure gap” sees women leading companies on stock exchanges around the world such as the FTSE 100 and ASX 200 for shorter periods than male leaders.
[womensagenda.com.au, 6 November 2023]
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This week, I’m looking at idioms and phrases from a range of national newspapers published on the same day in December 2023. This is something I do every couple of months in order to provide you with up-to-date, commonly used idioms. Continue reading “Blazing trails and plumbing the depths (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)”
hortifuturism noun [U]
UK /ˌhɔː.tɪˈfjuː.tʃᵊr.ɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˌhɔːr.t̬əˈfjuː.tʃɚ.ɪ.zᵊm/
a style of garden design that is often inspired by science fiction, featuring unusual plants, very bright colours and lighting that makes the garden look attractive at night
Expect to see bold and bright colors in 2024 with gardens that look straight out of a science fiction movie. Coined “hortifuturism” by Garden Media, the trend replaces cold, metallic hues with vibrant color. With this trend, the brand anticipates more terrariums, survivalist gardens, night gardens, neon-colored plants, and foliage with bright variegation.
[marthastewart.com, 27 October 2023]
electroculture gardening noun [U]
UK /iˈlek.trəʊˌkʌl.tʃə ˈgɑː.dᵊn.ɪŋ/ US /iˈlek.troʊˌkʌl.tʃɚ ˈgɑːr.dᵊn.ɪŋ/
a technique that involves putting metal that conducts electricity into the soil, which is thought to send electrical currents from the air to the plants, making them grow more quickly and produce bigger and healthier crops
YouTube and TikTok is alive with videos of gardeners using basic materials, like copper (pipes or wire), galvanised wire, and/or magnets, to vitalize the soil and reporting yield increases of 100%–300%. Electroculture gardening has been explained as: “it is not electricity as we know it, but a breath of energy, which stimulates and increases the vitality of the soil.” The process is a methodology to enhance the earth’s natural magnetism to benefit your plants.
[futuregarden.co.uk, 9 June 2023]
edimental noun [C]
/ˌed.iˈmen.tᵊl/
a plant that is both edible and ornamental, and usually lives for several years
Harry Holding created an entire show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show based around the concept of edimentals. He explains the concept thus. “Edimentals are in the sweet spot of plants that both look nice, are edible, and generally live for three years or longer. Traditional food growing is more of a seasonal annual cycle, but with edimentals, once you’ve planted it or sown seeds, they are resilient and have longevity.”
[houseandgarden.co.uk, 28 June 2023]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
This week’s post looks at the topic of circular movements. It is quite surprising how many verbs we have to describe different ways of turning round and round or moving things in a circular motion. Continue reading “Twisting, rotating, and spinning: verbs for circular movements”
dexting noun [U]
/ˈdekst.ɪŋ/
exchanging many text messages with someone you have met on a dating app without ever meeting them in person
If you’ve ever found yourself in a back and forth texting marathon with a potential partner only to wind up with no actual in-person date to show for your time, you’ve probably been a victim of dexting. A combination of “dating” and “texting”, dexting is when people form strong bonds over text after meeting on a dating app but never actually arrange a real date.
[glamourmagazine.co.uk, 7 September 2023]
quiet dumping noun [U]
/ˌkwaɪ.ət ˈdʌm.pɪŋ/
gradually ending a romantic relationship with someone by never making more than the minimum amount of effort needed
Have you ever felt like someone’s pulling away from you? Maybe they’re avoiding a conversation, being aloof and non-commital when it comes to making plans? You could be experiencing quiet dumping. Unlike an explosive outburst and a tearing apart, quiet dumping is a slower and, well, a more quiet separation that usually leaves the dumpee feeling confused and understandably quite hurt.
[huffingtonpost.co.uk, 13 October 2023]
delusionship noun [C]
/dɪˈluː.ʒᵊn.ʃɪp/
a situation where a person imagines their romantic relationship with someone to be much more serious and committed than it is
You match with an attractive person on a dating app and exchange a few messages. Then, without warning, a dizzying daydream pops in your head. Walks on the beach together, picnic lunches, moonlit city strolls, all leading up to a whimsical wedding fantasy. Too bad none of that is real. You might, in fact, be in a “delusionship.”
[usatoday.com, 24 May 2023]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
This week, we’re looking at alternatives to the word advice, including single word near-synonyms and phrases. We’ll start by considering the noun ‘advice’ itself because it has some nice collocations. You give advice and you get advice. If you do what someone advises you to do, you take or follow their advice: Continue reading “Hints, hacks and pointers (Words meaning ‘advice’)”
grand-mate noun [C]
/ˈgrænd.meɪt/
a grandparent who shares a home with a grandchild, or a grandchild who shares a home with a grandparent
This new “grand-mates” trend is bringing about some truly heartwarming intergenerational bonding. The New York Times profiled a number of families who are “grand-mates,” and not one of them had complaints about it. The worst thing they could say was that sometimes the grandchildren weren’t as tidy as their grandparents would like. But there’s an easy solution: One grandma said, “I just keep the door to [my granddaughter’s] room closed.”
[aleteia.org, 10 November 2022]
blue zone thinking noun [U]
UK /ˌbluː zəʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/ US /ˌbluː zoʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/
a way of treating old people that sees them as an important part of society and encourages them to remain healthy and active
The best retirement home I’ve seen wasn’t a retirement home at all — it was an integrated living block in Austria, in which people of all ages lived together, with medical and care centres located on the ground floor, next to the children’s nursery. Homes could be adapted as your needs changed, there were restaurants, shops and clubs for all. This tallies with “blue zone thinking”, in which older people are integrated into society rather than put out to pasture.
[thetimes.co.uk, 24 September 2023]
zombie cell noun [C]
UK /ˈzɒm.bi ˌsel/ US /ˈzɑːm.bi ˌsel/
a cell that is damaged and can no longer multiply but remains in the body and can cause age-related disease
Scientists are working on drugs that kill “zombie cells” to help you live to 200. Zombie cells are a terror-inducing nickname for senescent cells, damaged cells that refuse to die. These damaged cells pile up as we age and lead to inflammation and altered stem cell function.
[honehealth.com, 29 June 2023]