‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.’
‘In the midst of darkness, light persists.’
These quotes, from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, perfectly demonstrate the way darkness and light are used as metaphors in English (and many other languages), with darkness suggesting ignorance, evil and unhappiness and light signifying knowledge, purity and happiness. There are many common phrases that exemplify this, and this post will look at some of the most common ones.
super bloomnoun [C] UK /ˈsuː.pə.bluːm/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.bluːm/ the appearance of an unusually high number of wild flowers in a particular season
NASA has released a stunning series of images of a massive orange poppy super bloom in USA’s Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The wildflowers have blossomed in such a massive scale that they are now visible from space. [news18.com, 16 May 2020]
moon gardennoun [C] UK /ˌmuːn.ˈgɑː.dᵊn/ US /ˌmuːn.ˈgɑːr.dᵊn/ a garden that has been designed to be enjoyed at night
Night pollinators such as moths, native bees and bats are attracted to plants in a moon garden with white and pale-colored flowers that are intensely fragrant and produce a lot of nectar. As you walk through the moon garden, you can watch these varied and industrious third-shift pollinators as they go about their important work. [familyhandyman.com, 14 May 2020]
vegan gardeningnoun [U] UK /ˌviː.gən.ˈgɑː.dᵊn.ɪŋ/ US /ˌviː.gən.ˈgɑːr.dᵊn.ɪŋ/ the practice of growing plants without using any animal products
In vegan gardening, you have to be mindful of what you put on your crops. Animal manures used to help plants grow can be contaminated with infectious diseases such as E coli and listeria, as well as persistent herbicides. [guardian.com, 26 January 2019]
Idioms are sometimes easier to remember when they create a vivid image in your mind. The English idioms in this post all contain a word for a colour which might help you to commit them to memory.
Prapass Pulsub / Moment / Getty cleanliness theatrenoun [U] UK /ˈklen.li.nəs.θɪə.təʳ/ US /ˈklen.li.nəs.θiː.ə.t̬ɚ/ the practice of cleaning public buildings and other places in a very obvious way so that the users of those buildings and places feel reassured about how clean they are
Housekeeping will play a pivotal role for numerous hotels in the years to come, so please consider how you can utilize the concept of cleanliness theatre so guests can see and appreciate all the hard work you’ve done to ensure their safety. [hoteliermagazine.com, 4 May 2020]
air bridgenoun [C] UK /ˌeə.ˈbrɪdʒ/ US /ˌer.ˈbrɪdʒ/ a flight route between two countries where the covid-19 virus is well controlled, enabling people to travel without having to go into quarantine afterwards
The possibility of going abroad for a summer holiday this year has been ambitious at best, but Brits have now been given renewed hope thanks to the prospect of “air bridges” . [scotsman.com, 21 May 2020]
double bubblenoun [C]
/ˌdʌb.əl.ˈbʌb.əl/ the people from two separate households who are allowed to see each other as part of the gradual easing of restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic
In particular, social bubbles are a way to support Canadians experiencing mental-health issues due to the loneliness of isolation as well as parents who are desperate for help with childcare. But even if you fall into neither of those groups, a double bubble means some long-awaited social interactions. [refinery29.com, 13 May 2020]
Last month, I spoke about general words connected with data. This post covers ways of talking about what we can see from data, particularly when numbers increase, decrease or remain the same. For anyone doing IELTS, this should be useful vocabulary to learn!
superforecasternoun [C] UK /ˌsuː.pə.ˈfɔː.kɑː.stəʳ/ US /ˌsuː.pɚ.ˈfɔːr.kæs.tɚ/ someone whose job is to predict what certain events or situations are going to be like in the future, and who can do this very accurately
One of the subjects which a group of superforecasters is tackling now is the total number of Covid-19 infected, and the mortality rate, of the virus a year from now … Here’s what the group of superforecasters … think the figures will be by end March 2021: total global infected population below 7 per cent (with many estimates below 4 per cent), with a case fatality rate of one per cent. [businesstimes.com.sg, 18 April 2020]
hyperleadernoun [C] UK /ˈhaɪ.pə.ˌliː.dəʳ/ US /ˈhaɪ.pə.ˌliː.dɚ/ the leader of a political party who is more popular than the party they lead and who uses social media to engage with their supporters
These modern “hyperleaders” invert the relationship between politician and party. In contrast to the representative model of democracy where politicians were figureheads and parties were the true repositories of power, the hyperleader may have a far larger social media base than their organisation. They float above the party, lifting it into the air through their personal visibility. [www.newstatesman.com, 8 March 2019]
edupreneurnoun [C] UK /ˌedʒ.u.prəˈnɜːʳ/ US /ˌedʒ.ə.prəˈnɝː/ an entrepreneur who works in the field of education
Edupreneurs are now offering educational opportunities through online courses, mastermind groups, digital apprenticeships, bootcamps, coworking retreats and all kinds of other innovative ways teachers are dreaming up to get results for their students. [diygenius.com, 24 July 2019]
Zoombombingnoun [U] UK /ˈzuːm.bɒm.ɪŋ/ US /ˈzuːm.bɑː.mɪŋ/ the act of joining a meeting on the Zoom videoconferencing platform without having been invited, with the aim of disrupting it, often by posting inappropriate content
After Zoom announced it was halting product development to focus on fixing its security, the first changes appear to have arrived. The video messaging service has boomed since the coronavirus outbreak but users have fallen victim to a particular type of attack called Zoombombing. [metro.co.uk, 9 April 2020]
zumpingnoun [U]
/ˈzʌm.pɪŋ/ the act of ending a relationship by telling the other person during a video call
Social distancing, self-quarantining and shelter-in-place orders have separated some hopeless romantics from potential partners amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it has also created a terrible new breakup trend for those who hope to part ways with someone they started seeing before pandemic began, but are unable to do so in person: zumping. [foxnews.com, 15 April 2020]
teletherapynoun [U]
/ˌtel.iˈθer.ə.pi/ the treatment of mental illness by discussing someone’s problems with them using videoconferencing rather than in person
The transition to teletherapy has been more of a tidal wave than a trickle, with therapists, who generally prefer person-to-person interaction, saying that it’s a safer way to serve their clients. [Chicago Tribune, 7 April 2020]
As COVID-19 continues to force so much of the world’s population into lockdown (= a situation in which you are ordered to stay at home), I thought it might be interesting to look at the language that we use to describe what we are now doing with our days.
infinity recyclingnoun [U] UK /ɪnˈfɪn.ə.ti.ˌriːˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/ US /ɪnˈfɪn.ə.t̬i.ˌriːˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/ a way of recycling plastic that never reduces its quality, which means it can be recycled an unlimited number of times
Through infinity recycling we are able to fully regenerate plastic waste, making recycled plastic identical to virgin. This is the first time that certified recycled plastic coming from this technology has been used in premium beauty packaging and is opening a future where plastic can be infinitely recycled without losing its quality, hence the name. [renskincare.com, 7 February 2020]
forever chemicalnoun [C] UK /fəˈre.və.ˈkem.ɪ.kᵊl/ US /ˈfɔːˈrev.ɚ.ˈkem.ɪ.kᵊl/ one of a group of chemicals that do not break down in the environment or in the human body
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 5,000 fluorinated compounds whose nickname as “forever chemicals” comes because they don’t naturally break down and there is no known way to destroy them. The ubiquitous compounds are used to make products water- and stain-resistant. [theguardian.com, 3 February 2020]
eco-guardnoun [C] UK /ˌiː.kəʊ.gɑːd/ US /ˌiː.koʊ.gɑːrd/ someone whose job is to protect wild animals, especially those that are endangered
His experience in the forest makes him particularly well-suited to the work given his knowledge of the terrain and endurance for long patrols. He enjoys being an eco-guard, saying that it has given him a good understanding of the environment and why it is important to keep animals alive rather than killing them for money. [www.awf.org, 23 May 2019]
