Tag: pun
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Play on words
Phrase: Play on words If you are a male, the hardest thing to understand in a foreign language is a female. The second hardest thing to understand in a foreign tongue, which applies to both men and women, is a joke. I’m not going to talk about women here because I’ll only get myself into…
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Downplay
Word of the Day: Downplay As often happens with new technology, we tend to emphasize the benefits and downplay the drawbacks. What I mean by that is we tend to make things seem less important or harmful than they really are. Downplay means to make things seem less important or harmful than they really are.…
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No harm, no foul
Phrase: No harm, no foul To begin with, I chose today’s picture for no harm, no foul as a play on words. Did you get a little chuckle out of it, or did it at least make you smile? Foul – fowl, a bird is a fowl – It’s a play on words. No matter; let’s give it…
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Pun
Word of the Day: Pun The most challenging aspect of a language to understand is humour. When it comes to humour, a pun is very challenging for English language students to find funny. Puns play with the multiple meanings and pronunciations of words. They require intimate knowledge and understanding of a particular language. In addition, the ability to…
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Under the thumb
Idiom: Under the thumb You may want to be at the beach or the opera, but you never want to be under the thumb of someone else. When someone has you under their thumb, they completely dominate and control you. It’s never a good place to be. Overbearing, domineering, controlling people want to have others under their thumb. These…
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The lesser of two evils
Idiom: The lesser of two evils Making hard decisions is a part of life. The decision-making process becomes even more complicated when we have to choose the lesser of two evils. What I mean is that when you have to choose between two things, and neither one of them is good, you have to accept the lesser…
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Lip chap
Word of the Day: Lip Chap I am Canadian so that I will slip in some Canadian English here. Lip chap, otherwise known as lip balm or lip salve, is the lipstick-like substance that we put on our lips when they get chapped (dry and cracked) in the winter. Usually, winters are dry in Canada…
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Saying
Word of the Day: Saying In the English language, we have proverbs, idioms, expressions, quotes, puns, slogans, mottos, clichés, adages, sayings and quips. There are still more. These are all used to name little expressions that English speakers commonly use. Often, these are very difficult for English language students to understand, and usually, it is…
