Q. Our animal friends (well, some of these friendships are best pursued from a distance) have inspired an impressive list of similes. What kinds of animal similes did Shakespeare use? . A. The Bard was ‘smooth as oil’ in his use of  animal similes. His, of course, are cut in

Q. What are some allegedly encouraging – or, at least, mildly positive – words that don’t feel so encouraging when offered as personal feedback? . A. Brave Not, of course, in the sword-wielding, evil-smiting context. Rather, when you’ve taken a creative risk – say, in an audition or performing arts

Q. Today has the dubious distinction of being ‘National Tell A Lie Day’. Not sure, in today’s climate, if we should be encouraging such a thing? Perhaps this is meant in the spirit of extended April Fools’ Day pranks. Let’s hope we can muscle through to April 30th – National

Q. What is it with English and all of its words that have opposite or near opposite meanings, like ‘dust’ or ‘seed’, for instance? . A. These contranyms are yet another reason why people find English so difficult to learn. These pesky contradictions are also called Janus words after the

Q. As we look to the horrors in Ukraine, it is stunning to watch the incredible courage of the Ukrainians who find themselves under the most extreme of threats. 🙏🏼 What are some lesser used words that relate to the concept of bravery? . A. Doughty Having deep courage. Hard

Q. What are some of the euphemisms that polite – or seemingly polite – society have used to describe love (or lust) making over the centuries? . A. . Amorous congress . Basket-making . Behind door work . A bit of summer cabbage . Blanket hornpipe . Boil the cabbage

Q. In his 1653 Complete Herbal, botanist Nicholas Culpeper wrote: ‘the decoction of the thistle in wine being drank, expels superfluous melancholy out of the body, and makes a man as merry as a cricket.’ ‘As merry as a cricket’. That’s not something one hears much in 2022. What are

Q. What are some English idioms that reflect the hope that things just have to get better… at some point.   A. Due for a purple patch A purple patch is a sustained period of good luck and serious success. The expression stems back to Imperial Rome, where only emperors

Q. Pugs have played an outsized role in fiction. Jane Austen brings us Mansfield Park’s Lady Bertram who would rather spend time with her pug than her children. ‘To the education of her daughters Lady Bertram paid not the smallest attention. She had not time for such cares. She was

Q. What are some forgotten or little used words related to eating or drinking? . A. Bags O’ Mystery Sausages. Nuff said Bellytimber Food Bever A snack Bibulous Related to or a fancy for alcoholic drinks Bouffage A spectacular feast Carousal A crazed party with much drinking Cibarious Food-related Collation