by Liz Walter
My last post looked at phrasal and prepositional verbs connected with starting arguments and what happens during arguments. Today I’ll start with describing other people’s involvement in an argument and then go on to talking about what happens when an argument is over.
Continue reading “Egging on, storming out and making up: phrasal verbs connected with arguing (2).”
jackpotting noun [U]
UK /ˈdʒæk.pɒt.ɪŋ/ US /ˈdʒæk.pɑːt.ɪŋ/
the crime of hacking into a cash machine in order to obtain money
Jackpotting has been rising worldwide in recent years, though it is unclear how much cash has been stolen because victims and police often do not disclose details. Hackers require physical access to the cash machine using specialised electronics and malware to take control, including an endoscope.
[The Guardian, 29 January 2018]
transaction laundering noun [U]
UK /trænˈzæk.ʃᵊn. ˌlɔːn.də.rɪŋ/ US /trænˈzæk.ʃᵊn.ˌlɑːn.dɚ.ɪŋ/
the crime of using a company’s payment system to process a payment for illegal products and services
Scammers were recently caught using fake Airbnb listings to launder money. Because there are so many listings on the site and no way to manually monitor all transactions, criminals can pay each other or cash out stolen credit cards in seconds. This electronic money laundering, also called transaction laundering, is a growing problem for regulators and law enforcement. According to our estimates, as much as $200 billion is laundered via ecommerce payments every year.
[www.linkedin.com/company/evercompliant, 28 February 2018]
cryptojacking noun [U]
UK /ˈkrɪp.təʊ.ˌdʒæk.ɪŋ/ US /ˈkrɪp.toʊ.ˌdʒæk.ɪŋ/
the illegal activity of secretly using someone’s computer to obtain new cryptocurrency (digital currency produced by a public network rather than by a government)
Cryptojacking doesn’t require a download, starts instantly, and works efficiently. Making it even more insidious, hackers can sneak a mining component onto unsuspecting websites and pilfer cryptocurrency off of the legitimate site’s traffic.
[www.wired.com, 29 December 2017]
This week we’re all about ages and stages as we look at words and phrases that refer either to people of a particular age or to people at a particular stage in their life. Some of these words and phrases have additional meanings and connotations.
Continue reading “Millennials and snowflakes (Words and phrases for ages and stages)”
shero noun [C]
UK /ˈʃɪə.rəʊ/ US /ˈʃɪr.oʊ/
a female hero, especially one who supports women’s issues
The COO of Facebook and a true shero, Sandberg is a mother, activist, author, speaker and leader … Through her book she conveys that women can be great mentors for each other … She believes that until women demand equality and power in all spheres, of which work is a very important part, the plight of women leaders will not change.
[www.theodysseyonline.com, 11 July 2016]
ladydata noun [U, C]
UK /ˈleɪ.di.ˌdeɪ.tə/ US /ˈleɪ.di.ˌdeɪ.t̬ə/
the results of an investigation into how any of the government’s proposed changes to the budget would affect women
And that’s one reason the Labour MP Stella Creasy has just launched a campaign for what she’s calling “ladydata” (and, yes, the name’s meant to be ironic). She wants the government to commit to running all its budget decisions through an independent assessment of their gender impact, which would publicly reveal any differences in the way they affect men and women.
[The Pool, 12 December 2017]
womenomics noun [U]
UK /ˌwɪm.ɪ.ˈnɒm.ɪks/ US /ˌwɪm.ɪ.ˈnɑː.mɪks/
the activities undertaken by a government to enable more women to enter the workforce, especially into high-level jobs
For those who have already decided that Japan’s “womenomics” movement is an empty promise, the Kanagawa Women’s Empowerment Support Group has plenty of ammunition. Its pink-toned website introduces a panel of movers and shakers aiming to promote female empowerment in Kanagawa prefecture in the coming year: 11 high-profile corporate leaders — and all 11 of them men.
[Financial Times, 8 March 2017]
Even the most positive among us now and then say that we think something is bad. Very often we do it for the right reasons, hoping for improvement or even suggesting ways in which something can be improved. Sometimes, we do it because we are angry, upset or jealous. This week we’re looking at the words and idioms in this area, as ever, focusing on current, useful language.
Continue reading “Picking holes and taking a dig (The language of criticizing)”
hotumn noun [C]
UK /ˈhɔː.təm/ US /ˈhɑː.tᵊm/
an autumn where the temperatures are warmer than usual for the season, thought to be at least partly caused by climate change
100-degree October temperatures? Welcome to ‘hotumn.’ We’re in the middle of a new, climate-changed kind of fall — one where you ask for that pumpkin spice latte iced, please … Scientists caution against attributing this year’s sweltering Sweatember and Hottober temps to climate change alone, but the long-term trend is clear: This certainly won’t be our last hotumn.
[grist.org, 25 October 2017]
bombogenesis noun [U]
UK /ˌbɒmb.əʊ.ˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/ US /ˌbɑːmb.oʊ.ˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/
the process by which a storm very quickly becomes more severe because of a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure
The eastern coast has experienced bombogenesis in the past, like the Superstorm of 1993, which is best known for a snowfall that covered parts of Alabama and went all the way to Maine. The NWS ranked it as “among the deadliest and most costly weather events of the 20th Century”.
[www.euronews.com, 3 January 2018]
supercell noun [C]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.sel/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.sel/
a type of severe thunderstorm in which a column of rotating air is sucked upwards, and is usually accompanied by extreme weather conditions such as very heavy rain or hailstones
A frightening picture taken in Newcastle during the huge storms in June 2012 showed what was believed to be the North East’s first taste of a supercell. The freak storm caused flash flooding across the city, closed the Tyne Tunnel and left over 23,000 homes without power. Now five years later, it is feared one could strike again in our region.
[www.chroniclelive.co.uk, 21 June 2017]
by Liz Walter
We use phrasal verbs a lot, and it’s worth learning as many as you can. In this post, I will look at phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs connected with arguing – there is a surprisingly large number of them! It is often important to know what preposition to use after a phrasal verb, so pay particular attention to the prepositions highlighted in the example sentences.
koselig noun [U]
UK /ˈkəʊsᵊlɪ/ US /ˈkoʊsᵊlɪ/
a Norwegian word for a quality of cosiness that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, eating nice food or spending time with friends in a warm, comfortable place
Long, cold evenings are a perfect excuse for being koselig… It] means warm and generous and companionable and a hundred other nice things. It’s when cafés offer you a blanket or sheepskin so you can linger outside and watch the Northern Lights. Or shops are lit with candles. Or complete strangers in a ski hut share a flask of hot chocolate with you.
[The Telegraph, 5 January 2018]
plogging noun [U]
UK /ˈplɒg.ɪŋ/ US /ˈplɑː.gɪŋ/
an activity involving jogging and picking up litter at the same time, from the Swedish word for ‘pick up’ (plocka) and the English word ‘jogging’
Plogging isn’t just fun to say, though. It’s good for your body, good for your mind and good for the environment around you. It means you’re doing something good for yourself and something good for the world, all at the same time.
[www.metro.co.uk, 29 January 2018]
firgun noun [U]
UK /ˈfɪə.gʊn/ US /ˈfɪr.gʊn/
a Hebrew word for a feeling of happiness or pride in someone else’s success
So having “discovered” this new emotion in myself, I’ve spent the last number of weeks just noticing when it crops up in my daily life. I have noticed it is gentle and slow but has a significant bodily response and a quirky side. The people for whom I feel firgun are diverse and sometimes inexplicable. I feel firgun for the people closest to me but also people I barely know or only fleetingly come across.
[www.thejournal.ie, 28 May 2017]
The idioms and phrases in this post come from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. We write a post on newspaper idioms every couple of months with the aim of keeping you supplied with up-to-date, frequently used English idioms.
Continue reading “Raising your game and squaring the circle (Everyday idioms in newspapers)”
back whisperer noun [C]
UK /ˈbæk.ˌwɪs.pᵊr.əʳ/ US /ˈbæk.ˌwɪs.pɚ.ɚ/
a person who helps someone control and manage their back pain without using conventional drugs
Over time, Jakobson Ramin’s squad of back whisperers – rehab, postural and ergonomic specialists, cognitive psychologists and experts in meditation and kinesiology – left her convinced that outwitting back pain requires changing your attitude, from “victimised” to “in control”.
[The Telegraph, 22 January 2018]
carb rinsing noun [U]
UK /ˈkɑːb.rɪns.ɪŋ/ US /ˈkɑːrb.rɪns.ɪŋ/
washing the inside of one’s mouth with a liquid containing sugar and then spitting the liquid out, an activity thought to give the body an instant boost of energy
The researchers, from Coventry University, tested 12 healthy men in their early or mid-20s and found that carb rinsing significantly improved jumping height, the number of bench presses and squats, sprint times over 10 meters, and their sense of alertness.
[The Guardian, 6 February 2018]
DASH diet noun [U]
/ˈdæʃ.daɪ.ət/
abbreviation for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension: a way of eating that aims to reduce high blood pressure
One study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that a combination of the DASH diet and regular exercise can help hypertensive patients lower systolic blood pressure by up to 16 points in four months. Research also shows that the diet can help lower your LDL cholesterol, or the most harmful form of cholesterol.
[Men’s Health, 19 January 2018]