Wordwizard

It isn't a new thing ...

There are various phrases which people use to buck people up:
- at least you have your health
- count your blessings

"Could have been worse" is another of these, slightly odd, supportive statements which are to help people look for opportunities rather than dwell on the calamity.

I don't know what they are called but the purpose is more obvious in this photograph ...

They are essentially a name tag but also act as advertising if the person is on camera.

A hunch. Blivet seems to me like the name of person. So I did a search and found the play which features Blivet being the 1909 work; Le danseur inconnu : comédie en trois actes par Tristan Bernard. I am trying to find an English translation as my French is not good enough to determine whether Blivet...

If you are also trying to say that he wasn't the overall winner: He had one of winning stories (in the contest) or His story was amongst the winners (in the contest) Note that if it is clear which contest is being referred to, eg the conversation is at the awards ceremony, then "in the contest" is u...

I appreciate the "decent feller" residing quietly in the middle.

Congratulations Geraint Thomas.

My wife was in my workshop when she said, "how many oscilloscopes do you need?". "Good point", I thought and bought another.
Now I am in trouble.

Bobinwales wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:40 am

Which is why birds with black heads are called "penguin" which is a corruption of the Welsh 'pen gwyn' which in turn means 'white head'.
Naturally, this just might be urban myth.

Why are they "urban myths" and not "town myths" or "rural myths"?

Phil, at the end of a difficult day, I did enjoy that. Thank you.

…but not according to my teachers. The notion of that pronunciation being incorrect was reinforced so thoroughly when I was in school My French teacher did the same thing. "Pronunciation and grammar are very important in France. You won't find French people making a mistake." As a result I avoided ...

charley horse That is a new one on me. And for those similarly ignorant of it: Charley horse is another name for a muscle spasm. Charley horses can occur in any muscle, but they’re most common in the legs. These spasms are marked by uncomfortable muscle contractions. [/color] Definition courtesy of...

Those options are terribly cumbersome. Bob, it is odd how things become cumbersome> I was playing about with the phrase and found Original: On the way to learning where I should board my plane ... Option 1: On the way to finding where I should board my plane - sounds ok. Option 2: On the way to fin...

baton

Hi, and welcome to the site. I am puzzled at your premise. It seems to me the words do mean what their nouns suggest. Taking them in turn - and without thoroughly checking the etymology: Bread has a range of meanings from food generally to a "baked and leavened loaf" to morsels of food. Shortbread -...