- quits – all even; on equal monetary terms; neither owing or being owed.
- to call it quits – To conclude; to quit or stop an activity, especially after applying oneself to it for a significant period of time.
Category Archives: English
meatspace
meatspace: (Internet, often derogatory) The physical world, as opposed to cyberspace, i.e. the virtual world of the Internet.
English – 2014-06-20
A few words I learnt these days:
- lambaste /læmˈbæst/; /læmˈbeɪst/ (US): to scold, reprimand or criticize harshly.
- lifesavers: apart from the normal meaning (person who participates in lifesaving or lifeguarding activities), it can also refer to Life Savers, a brand of ring-shaped candies.
- skewer: a long pin, normally made of metal or wood, used to secure food during cooking.
Process, processor
English – 2014-06-16
A few new words:
- belfry: a tower or other part of a building specifically for containing one or more bells.
- bequeath /bɪˈkwiːθ/, /bɪˈkwiːð/: to hand down; to transmit, especially by will or testament.
- moiety: a half, a share, a portion or part.
And just refreshing these two:
- lay-off, layoff: dismissal of employees from their jobs because of tightened budgetary constraints or work shortage.
- no sooner… than: I always have to think for a while when I see this expression. Ex.: No sooner does she tell you who you are, than she blows up. I know the meaning but it just always seems to be such a weird manner of putting it. 🙂
Transparent, patent
Just a reminder about the pronunciation of these two words:
- transparent: /trænsˈpærənt/
- patent: /ˈpeɪtənt/ or /ˈpætənt/
English – 2014-06-12
cobweb
Long (longest?) English word
This one comes right from Beakman’s World; allegedly the longest word in the English language (other than scientific terminology):
- floccinaucinihilipilification /ˌflɒksɪˌnɒsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/: act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant.
Pronunciation of some English words
Just refreshing the pronunciation of some English words:
- solder (alloy used to join metal pieces): /ˈsɒldə(ɹ)/; /ˈsəʊldə(ɹ)/, /ˈsɑdɚ/, /ˈsəʊdə(ɹ)/ (Canada, USA) (see also forvo.com)
- façade / facade (face of a building): /fəˈsɑːd/
- gif (image format): /dʒɪf/, /ɡɪf/
- short-lived: /ʃɔː(ɹ)tˈlaɪvd/, /ʃɔː(ɹ)tˈlɪvd/
- mischievous (troublesome): /ˈmɪst͡ʃɪvəs/
- kindergarten (elementary school grade): /ˈkɪndə(ɹ)ˌgɑː(ɹ)dən/ (different from German)
- frigate: /ˈfɹɪɡ.ət/