by Liz Walter
The concept of fairness is an important one to most people – a common complaint of even very young children is, “It’s not fair!”. We enjoy a so-called “Hollywood ending” to a movie, when the good people triumph and the baddies get the punishment they deserve. So it’s not surprising that there are a lot of words and phrases connected with fairness. This blog looks at some of the most common ones. Continue reading “It serves you right! Talking about people who deserve bad things.”
disloyalty card noun [C]
UK /dɪsˈlɔɪ.əl.ti ˌkɑːd/ US /dɪsˈlɔɪ.əl.ti ˌkɑːrd/
a card that is given to a customer by a group of similar businesses, used to reward the customer for buying goods at any of the businesses and not just one
“Through the disloyalty card that is a part of the campaign, every card holder will earn a stamp for every coffee bought at any of the outlets. The card with the completed number of stamps will entitle the card holder to a free coffee at the first cafe they visited.” … The campaign is aimed to increase awareness of independent authentic coffee makers in the respective market and to increase targeted footfall in the respective participating cafes.
[jewelcoffee.com, 27 August 2021]
inactivist noun [C]
UK /ɪnˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/ US /ɪnˈæk.tə.vɪst/
a person who does not believe that political or social change is worth the effort
As many people now see climate change as the most important issue we currently face, anti-environmentalism has had a facelift. … Climate inactivists claim that government plans to tackle carbon emissions are overly ambitious, expensive and undemocratic. They form part of a growing movement that poses a serious risk to the UK achieving its climate goals.
[nesta.org.uk, 18 January 2022]
anti-ambition noun [U]
UK /ˌæn.ti.æmˈbɪʃ.ᵊn/ US /ˌæn.t̬i.æmˈbɪʃ.ᵊn/
the lack of any strong wish to achieve something
A recent Twitter thread from strategic researcher Victoria Buchanan examined a growing trend among young people on social media toward anti-ambition … Appearing to support this further, a Randstad report in April revealed that 56% of 18–24-year-olds surveyed would rather be unemployed than work in a job that restricts their lifestyle.
[hrmagazine.co.uk, 17 January 2022]
In the last of these three ‘heart’ posts I’ll be looking at phrases for expressing emotions. There are quite a lot and I won’t be able to cover them all so if you can think of a useful ‘heart’ idiom or phrase on this theme that I haven’t included, do please leave a note below. Continue reading “Sobbing or pouring your heart out (‘Heart’ senses and phrases, Part 3)”
superskinny noun [C]
UK /ˌsuː.pə.ˈskɪn.i/ US /ˌsuː.pɚ.ˈskɪn.i/
a very thin skyscraper
‘Superskinnies’ are changing urban skylines and the Steinway Tower in New York is the slimmest (so far), with a height-to-width ratio of 24:1. The views are staggering, as they should be at $26 million an apartment.
[thetimes.co.uk, 9 July 2022]
sidescraper noun [C]
UK /ˈsaɪd.skreɪ.pəʳ/ US /ˈsaɪd.skreɪ.pɚ/
a very long, narrow building that looks like a skyscraper lying on its side
If completed, the Mirror Line sidescraper will run from the Gulf of Aqaba, bisecting a mountain range that extends along the coast. The mirrored building will continue east through a mountain resort and complex housing Saudi’s government, WSJ report cited the planning documents.
[hindustantimes.com, 26 July 2022]
barkitecture noun [U]
UK /ˈbɑː.kɪ.tek.tʃəʳ/ US /ˈbɑːr.kə.tek.tʃɚ/
the art and practice of designing a house or the inside of a house around the needs of one’s pets
The key to good ‘barkitecture’ is that you can’t tell it’s designed for pets, says Nathan Cuttle, founder of New York-based Studio Nato. ‘We find that animal-centric design tends to be best when it’s incorporated as part of the greater design of the home,’ he explains. ‘This means finding ways to incorporate it into the furniture and the fabric of the home as much as possible.’
[livingetc.com, 19 June 2022]
In Part 1 of this ‘heart’ series, I looked at common ‘heart’ idioms and phrases for saying that someone is kind. In this post, I’ll consider various figurative senses of the word ‘heart’ and then focus on idioms and phrases that relate to love and romance. Continue reading “Losing and breaking your heart (Heart senses and phrases, Part 2)”
sea allotment noun [C]
UK /ˈsiː əˌlɒt.mənt/ US /ˈsiː əˌlɑːt.mənt/
a small area of the sea that someone rents for growing shellfish, edible seaweed etc.
As with land-based allotments, members of a sea allotment society share an area granted to them by local authorities and use it to cultivate food. The difference is that instead of a field, growers share a patch of the ocean. In the case of Kerteminde Maritime Haver, it is the Great Belt – the strait between Funen island and Denmark’s capital island, Zealand. Here, ropes strung between buoys are hung with mussels and sea kelp.
[theguardian.com, 25 June 2022]
robo-fish noun [C]
UK /ˈrəʊ.bəʊˌfɪʃ/ US /ˈroʊ.boʊˌfɪʃ/
a very small robot that looks like a fish, designed to remove very small pieces of plastic from the seas and oceans
Engineers at the Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University have devised a tiny robo-fish that can flap around a body of water, grabbing microplastics as it goes. The 13mm robot uses a light laser system in its tail to propel itself at approximately 30mm a second. If the robot experiences damage during a swim, it can repair itself and continue the job without outside intervention.
[extremetech.com, 23 June 2022]
crab-bot noun [C]
UK /ˈkræbˌbɒt/ US /ˈkræbˌbɑːt/
a very small robot that looks like a crab, designed to enter the human body
The inventors of a flea-sized robot crab have suggested that future versions could travel through the arteries of patients with heart disease to clear blockages. Measuring about half a millimetre across, the “crab-bot” is said to be the smallest remote-controlled walking robot. It can scurry sideways, turn and jump.
[thetimes.co.uk, 26 May 2022]
by Liz Walter
This is the second of two posts on texture. The previous one provided words to describe food, texture words from fabrics, and words to describe how smooth or rough something is. This one will focus on hardness and softness. Continue reading “Spongy, rock-hard or pliable? Talking about textures (2)”
cash stuffing noun [C]
/ˈkæʃ ˌstʌf.ɪŋ/
the practice of saving cash in a different envelope for each type of bill or purchase
Inspired by Tik Tok influencers, one money trend that seems new, but is actually a throwback to simpler times, is “cash stuffing.” It’s pretty much what it sounds like: dividing up your income into physical envelopes marked for different expense categories and stuffing them with money. “Cash stuffing is a financial strategy that involves saving cash instead of investing it in order to best inflation,” says Harry Turner from an investing and trading education website.
[gobankingrates.com, 16 May 2022]
hypermiling noun [U]
UK /ˈhaɪ.pəˌmaɪ.lɪŋ/ US /ˈhaɪ.pɚˌmaɪ.lɪŋ/
a way of driving that uses various techniques to minimise the amount of fuel used
Some motoring experts have highlighted hypermiling as being one of the key resources in helping to combat the sharp rise in fuel costs. In some instances, using simple hypermiling techniques can help cut petrol and diesel usage by up to 40 percent.
[dailypost.co.uk, 8 June 2022]
frugaller noun [C]
UK /ˈfruː.gəl.əʳ/ US /ˈfruː.gəl.ɚ/
someone who tries very hard to avoid wasting food or other resources and spends as little money as possible
She stores carrots in water so they don’t go bendy, and she puts kitchen roll in the salad bag to stop leaves drooping. She also plans meals, so never buys something she already has. Some extreme frugallers take this one step further by keeping inventory lists. This means they can be confident they have supplies to fall back on if an unexpected bill comes in.
[theguardian.com, 4 June 2022]
The word ‘heart’ is used a tremendous lot in English. As you might imagine, it’s often used to say things about love and emotions, but it has other less predictable meanings too. In this three-part post, I’ll look at the way we use this word, focusing on its various senses and a range of ‘heart’ idioms and phrases. As ever, I’ll present language that is current and useful. Continue reading “A heart of gold or a heart of stone? (‘Heart’ senses and phrases, Part 1)”
urban mining noun [U]
UK /ˌɜː.bən ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/ US /ˌɝː.bən ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/
removing and recycling metal parts from objects such as batteries and electronic devices that have been thrown away
As well as requiring good collection and recycling systems, urban mining relies upon people handing over products they no longer use. British charity WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) recently estimated that as many as 125 million mobile phones are being hoarded in people’s drawers and cupboards in the UK alone.
[opendemocracy.net, 15 March 2022]
solar skin noun [C]
UK /ˌsəʊ.lə ˈskɪn/ US /ˌsoʊ.lɚ ˈskɪn/
a number of very thin solar panels that completely cover the outside of a building
In West Melbourne, Australia, an eight-story building will be the country’s first office tower with a “solar skin,” marking a watershed moment for the construction industry. The $40-million office tower will be outfitted with 1,182 solar panels the thickness of a regular glass facade. And when complete, the array will provide enough power to meet practically all of the building’s energy needs, with almost no ongoing power costs.
[interestingengineering.com, 6 June 2022]
peecycling noun [U]
/ˌpiːˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/
using human urine as a fertilizer for plants
Peecycling—aka recycling human urine—gives “liquid gold” an entirely new meaning. But while the concept is making waves today, it’s nothing new. Urine has been used as fertilizer since 1867. Before making its way to the United States, it was considered a sustainable farming practice around the world in Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
[brightly.eco, 21 June 2022]