Know Your English - December 2008

December 2008

• What is the meaning and origin of ‘at the fall of a hat’? (20081230)
• How is the word ‘vouchsafe’ pronounced? (20081230)
• What is the meaning of ‘Hippopotomonstro- sesquippedaliophobia’? (20081230)
• Which is correct: sons in law or son in laws? (20081230)
• What is the difference between ‘portent’ and ‘portend’? (20081223)
• What is the meaning of ‘tchotchke’? How is it pronounced? (20081223)
• What is the meaning and origin of the idiom ‘take something with a grain of salt’? (20081223)
• What is the meaning of ‘academic bulimia’? (20081216)
• How is the word ‘potpourri’ pronounced? (20081216)
• What is the difference between ‘prescribe’ and ’proscribe’? (20081216)
• What is the meaning of ‘be up with the larks’? (20081216)
• What is the meaning and origin of `pull out all the stops'? (20081209)
• How is the word `angst' pronounced? (20081209)
• Which is correct: `grumble about' or `grumble at'? (20081209)
• Is it ok to say, `I was confident on hitting the shot'? (20081209)
• What is the meaning of `tease' in `tease something out of someone'? (20081209)
• What is the meaning and origin of the idiom ‘roll out the red carpet’? (20081202)
• How is the word ‘caveat’ pronounced? (20081202)
• What is the opposite of ‘uxoricide’? (20081202)
• Which is correct: ‘different from’ or ‘different than’? (20081202)
• How is the word ‘sepulchre’ pronounced? (20081202)