LIKE FARMING

The term “like farming” is defined in the Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication as

“The cynical practice of creating a Facebook page with popular or viral content, such as heart-rending but bogus appeals for support with a plea to ‘share this’, in order to use it for posting ads and links when the likes reach a substantial number (or to sell it to someone else for the same purpose).”

Like farmers use several methods to persuade people to share pictures:

(1) People are persuaded to feel sorry for a person or animal (see above) and share their picture, usually via an emotive appeal, such as, “I bet I won’t even get one share!” These images are generally taken from elsewhere on the internet and used without the permission or knowledge of the person who first shared them, so you cannot encourage them by sharing their picture.

(2) A like-farming page shows a picture of someone who is seriously ill (often a child) and says that Facebook will pay a certain amount of money (usually £1 or $1) for that person’s treatment every time the post is shared. They won’t! Again, the photo will have been used without the person’s permission.

(3) A like-farming page posts a picture of something that can be won by sharing the post and/or commenting on it. It’s usually something expensive, such as a car, camper van or even a house. In this case, a page is often set up specifically for this “promotion.” No one will win anything.

Before sharing anything on Facebook, it’s worth checking its origin to avoid being exploited by like farmers.

If you’d like to learn more about like farming and how to spot it, I recommend this article by Hoax-Slayer. This organisation has its own Facebook page as well as a web page and provides a lot of useful information on internet hoaxes or scams.

Photo credit: Alejandro Arango (Creative Commons)

[1] Chandler, Daniel, and Rod Munday. “like farming” in A Dictionary of Media and Communication. Oxford University Press, 2020.

LOCKDOWN

“People over 70 have been grappling with the possibility that they could face an extended coronavirus lockdown after general restrictions end, filling them with fear and frustration.”

 The term “lockdown” isn’t new, but COVID-19 has given it new meaning. Current dictionary references to lockdown mention confining prisoners to their cells during a riot and isolating or resticting access to a place because of a dangerous situation.

 Since COVID-19 appeared, we’ve used the term “lockdown” in reference to measures taken to avoid spreading the virus, especially in relation to the new rules related to travelling, meeting with others and closing places that involve unnecessary contact between people. This is strictly a partial lockdown: most of us can still go out but only for certain reasons and normally only once a day. For others, and especially where people are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, the lockdown is total, as illustrated in the last of the following examples.


 Examples

 “The big weekly shop has made a comeback with supermarkets reporting record trolley loads as Britons develop new lockdown routines.”

 “Shops in cities and towns across the UK have been closed since lockdown measures were introduced.”

 “A total of 27 people – 17 residents with dementia and 10 staff – have been in lockdown for five weeks.”


Photo credit: byronv2 (Creative Commons)

SELF-ISOLATING

“The number of fire staff affected by the virus has increased

 with some 3,000 fire and rescue staff now self-isolating.”

 The terms “self-isolation” (noun) and “self-isolate” (verb) were submitted to the Collins online dictionary between late January and early March this year and have only recently been published in it. They still haven’t been published in the free online Oxford or Cambridge dictionaries.

 Based on the dictionary definition, to self-isolate is to isolate (quarantine) yourself because you have, or suspect you have, a contagious disease, such as COVID-19; it also means to remain alone.

 Based on guidelines published by the UK government and the National Health Service (NHS), the term “self-isolation” is reserved for people who have, or have been living with someone who has had, COVID-19.


More examples

 “The letter has also raised concerns about the ‘narrow spectrum of symptoms the UK is using as an indication for self-isolation.’”

 “He was discharged from Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 10 April and has since been self-isolating in their Woodgate home.”

 “Her heartbroken parents were then told they would have to go home without her to self-isolate for 14 days.”


 In reality, the term “self-isolation” is regularly being used to describe social distancing. It’s also being used by or to refer to people who are isolating themselves because their age or underlying health conditions make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. However, another term has been introduced for people in this category: shielding.

 “Vulnerable residents shielding from coronavirus in Lichfield and Burntwood are being urged to register for help if they need it.”


 Summary:

 Social distancing – taking steps to avoid spreading COVID-19 (coronavirus). This should be practised by everyone, regardless of their age and health.

 Self-isolating – staying at home and avoiding any contact with others because you either have, suspect you have, or have been living with someone who has COVID-19 (coronavirus).

 Shielding – avoiding contact with others because you are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 (coronavirus) due to age or underlying health conditions.


 Photo credit: Marc Roberts (Creative Commons)

SOCIAL DISTANCING

“Education workers say enforcing social distancing among primary pupils is ‘almost impossible’”

 The noun “social distancing” was submitted as a new word to the Collins online dictionary on 5th March 2020, and its definition has now been published as “the practice of maintaining a certain distance between oneself and other people in order to prevent infection with a disease.”

 Since COVID-19 appeared, “social distancing” has crept into our writing and speech almost without our becoming aware of it. Today, a Google search for “social distancing” receives over 740 million hits.


 More examples

 “Strict social distancing arrangements will be in force with MPs required to sit two metres apart.”

 “Picture of people at Staffordshire beauty spot sparks fierce debate about social distancing during lockdown”

 “The government has asked people across the UK to observe social distancing to help limit the spread of coronavirus.”


 The term also appears as the verb, to socially distance (or to social distance):

 “We have taken steps to make sure our workers can socially distance while working.”

 “Doctors warn it is extremely difficult to social distance or self-isolate in overcrowded environments.”


 Although it’s not in the dictionary yet, the adjective “socially distanced” is now regularly used:

 “Having to self-isolate and remain socially distanced at this time can make feelings of grief and loneliness even more intense.”


 Photo credit: Tim Dennell (Creative Commons)

MAKING ENDS MEET

“It’s becoming more and more difficult to make ends meet.”

 We’re hearing or reading this phrase a lot at the moment. Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), many people have lost their jobs, or their businesses have collapsed. Therefore, many people are struggling to pay their bills. To make ends meet is to earn just enough money to live on and pay necessary bills.

 More examples

 “Mangiafico calls it much needed comfort food for those now struggling to make ends meet.”

 “The service has been helping those in the local community – and beyond – who are struggling to make ends meet as a result of the coronavirus crisis.”

 “The consumer champion was back on our screens on Thursday, handing out useful advice for families up and down the country struggling to make ends meet.”



 Origin
 The ends mentioned in this idiom may have been the two ends of the year. The phrase probably referred to making one’s annual income stretch from the beginning to the end of the year. [1]


 Photo credit: Bob Bertsch (Creative Commons)

 [1] Cresswell, Julia. “end” in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULDN’T THROW STONES

This is a proverb rather than an idiom, but it’s regularly used. It means that people who have faults of their own shouldn’t criticise others.

 Examples

 “It added: ‘Ms Dinenage is reminded that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.’”

 “As the saying goes, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. And all our houses have parts made of glass.”


 This proverb is believed to originate from a line in Chaucer’s “Troilus & Criseyde”, which dates back to 1385. [1]


 [1] “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” in Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, edited by Speake, Jennifer. Oxford University Press, 2015.

 Photo credit: Julie (Creative Commons)

CLIMBING THE WALLS

To be climbing the walls is an idiom that means to be feeling frustrated, anxious and/or trapped, as many of us are at the moment, as we remain in our homes, worrying about COVID-19 and its associated problems!

 Examples

 “Do everything you can to get the help you need to keep yourself from climbing the walls.”

 “There’s probably only so much screen time you want them to have, so how do you stop them (and you) from climbing the walls until it’s safe to go outside again?”

 “Another admitted he was climbing the walls already.”


Photo credit: Barbara Barden (Creative Commons)

EMPTY-HANDED

This week, I visited my parents in West Yorkshire. Due to COVID-19 panic buying, after driving around for two hours hunting for liquid soap for them, I returned empty-handed.

 If you’re empty-handed, you failed to obtain what you wanted.

 Examples

 “Had it not been for Indian sportswomen, the nation would have returned empty-handed from the Rio Olympics - for the first time since the 1992 Olympics.”

 “He ran off empty-handed and was later caught by police.”

 “It has left supermarket shelves bare, and fears are growing for the elderly who are having to walk away empty-handed.”


 Photo credit: Tim Dennell (Creative Commons)

HISTORIC OR HISTORICAL?

The current situation with COVID-19 is unprecedented, meaning that it’s never been known before. While people have experienced far tougher times than this, never before have we had to isolate ourselves from everyone except close family to prevent transmission of a potentially life-threatening virus.

 This situation has been described as both historical and historic, and it will eventually be both these things, but what’s the difference?

 Something that is historical belongs to the past but is not necessarily significant, although it may be. While most of us are looking forward to COVID-19 being a thing of the past, it’s currently very much in the present and thus not yet historical.

 Examples

 “Scientists usually use historical data to predict how many extreme weather events are going to strike in the future.”

 “Again, given the circumstances and lack of historical parallels, investors apparently decided to sell everything until more information was available.”

 Something that is historic is important, or potentially important, in history. I believe that this current crisis can be described as historic.

 Examples

 “But we’re not meant to be bringing people together during a potentially historic pandemic.”

 “Between them, the six extraordinary historic buildings in our care have witnessed 1,000 years of history, from the Black Death to the Great Fire of London.”

Daniel Foster (Creative Commons)

TO MAKE YOUR HAIR CURL

Something that makes your hair curl shocks or horrifies you.

 Examples

 “The shocking pictures will make your hair curl, even more so when you discover that the City Guest House are currently charging £142 a night for a stay in what customers say is a bed bug-infested property.”

 “There are some monsters that will absolutely make your hair curl.”

 “Dyson straighteners’ cost will make your hair curl” (This title uses the idiom as a pun as straighteners can be used to curl hair, while the price of £399 might horrify potential buyers.)


 Photo credit: Jess Gibson (Creative Commons)

TO HOLD WATER

If something (such as an argument or theory) holds water, it appears to be reasonable or convincing.  This phrase is often used in its negative form.

 Examples

 “Yes, I understand proportionality and fairness, but I don’t think your argument holds water.”

 “Claims that uranium mining near the Grand Canyon is safe don’t hold water”

 “However, for many historians, this theory doesn’t hold water.”


 We also say that an argument that is unconvincing is full of holes (like a sieve); this may explain the origin of the phrase “doesn’t hold water.”

 e.g. “Needless to say, the theory is full of holes.”


 The phrase “hold water”can be used in a literal as well as an idiomatic sense.

 e.g. “Also, sphagnum moss is planted, which holds water and forms peat.”


 Photo credit: Tim Hoggarth (Creative Commons)

LEGLESS

This sounds a little like “doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” but its meaning is completely different.
 Someone who is legless is extremely drunk.

 Examples

 “Hospital medics are regularly abused and attacked by legless patients, while police officers are now a routine sight inside Accident and Emergency departments.”

 “The UK government wants to slap boozy and disruptive travellers with instant fines worth hundreds of pounds to deter the culture of getting legless before getting airborne.”

 “This category consists of 24 million adults over the age of 18, but before you place yourself in this category because you like to get legless every weekend, let’s have a look at just what those at the top are actually drinking.”


 This term can also be used in a literal sense to mean having no legs (like this earthworm).

 e.g. “High-speed camera reveals the secrets of a legless larva’s leap”


 Photo credit: Kenneth Cole Schneider (Creative Commons)

DOESN’T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON

We say that someone “doesn’t have a leg to stand on” if they have no facts or reasons that justify their argument or actions.

 Examples

 “John Buckby, a trade mark attorney and intellectual property lawyer at Gateley Legal in Leicester, stepped in to help Mr Foster, claiming the trust didn’t have a leg to stand on.”

 “The sad thing is, if you do get in trouble at work for a social media post, you probably don’t have a leg to stand on.”

 “He assures the Platts that Marion doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”


 Photo credit: Julie Falk (Creative Commons)

OVER THE TOP

We use the phrase “over the top” to describe something that’s excessive.

 Examples

 “The EU said proposing to place tariffs on $11bn worth of goods was over the top.”

 “Reactions to new beach building ‘over the top’”

 “Take a look at some of the most over-the-top homes below...”

 This phrase dates from the late 1900s [1].

 Photo credit: Nicolas Hoizey (Creative Commons)

 [1] “over the top” in The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, by Christine Ammer. 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2013.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

If you’re on top of the world, you’re extremely happy.

 Examples

 “I needed a hand and a bit of persuasion to drag myself up the final section, but my red-faced efforts were rewarded with fabulous views across the city and Firth of Forth, making me feel on top of the world.”

 “A Rosyth cyclist is feeling on top of the world after becoming a global champion in a two-wheel track competition.”

 “Music scholar Sherman is truly ‘on Top of the World’”


 The song “Top Of The World” was released by The Carpenters in 1972:

 Photo credit: Elias Rovielo (Creative Commons)

TO GO TO TOWN

You might go to town to work, shop, or socialise; however, the phrase “to go to town” is also used as an idiom meaning to do something extremely enthusiastically or thoroughly.

 Examples

 “Shops in Brighton go to town with festive window displays”

 “Usborne have gone to town with publicity for the book, sending out review copies wrapped in a fictionalised Edwardian map of Cambridge”

 “However, you can really go to town on the flavour combinations.”

 “Chloe started by painting the cupboards a dark green, then went to town on the potted plants.”


 Photo credit: Tom Magliery (Creative Commons)

TO BE TOAST

To be toast means likely to be defeated or destroyed.

 “Earth will be toast, but Pluto will be balmy and brimming with the same sorts of complex organic compounds that existed when life first evolved on our own planet.”

 “As the deadly predator constantly learns more about you to track you successfully, this game ensures that you always stay on the move and also be as inventive as possible while hiding or journeying through an area – because, if the Alien spots you, you’re toast!”

 “If it gets as high as they’re saying, these trailers are going to be toast”

 “Viewers, who adored the handsome character, have refused to accept he’s toast.”

 “Things need to happen in the next seven days or otherwise we, and other consultancies, will be toast.”

 Evan Morris states in his blog, The Word Detective, that the first use of toast in this context was in the 1985 film Ghostbusters: as Bill Murray prepares to fire his anti-protoplasm gun, he shouts, “this chick is toast.”

Photo credit: Rob Allen (Creative Commons)

STEAL THE SHOW

This was prompted by a Facebook memory from nine years ago. I daren’t say more about that, because if I did I would be toast. (There’s a phrase for another post.)

 Someone who steals the show attracts the most attention and praise.

 Examples:

 “Snowdrops steal the show at Quarry Bank”

 “‘The top three bands were really close, and no-one really stole the show,’ adjudicator Paul Holland told the audience before the announcement of the prizes.”

 “Pasalic then stole the show in the 59th minute by curling a sensational strike into the top corner 19 seconds after coming on as a substitute.”


 This phrase originated in the theatre but is now also used in other contexts [1].


 Photo credit: Amadej Trnkoczy (Creative Commons)

 [1] “Steal” in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by Susie Dent. 19th ed. Chambers Harrap, 2012.

THE LION’S SHARE

The lion’s share is the largest share or portion of something.

 Examples

 “The county council takes the lion’s share of the total council tax bill at around 80 per cent.”

 “No candidate declared outright victory in Iowa, although a few strongly implied, with unofficial tallies, that they had won the lion’s share of delegates.”

 “When you invest in a career working for someone else, the lion’s share of the value you create goes to your employer.”


 While the above examples are taken from news items, my inspiration for this post came from Tan Twan Eng’s novel, The Garden of Evening Mists [1]:
 “The Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere was now in place – with Japan enjoying the lion’s share of the prosperity.”
 Set in Malaysia, this was recently made into a film. I learned much history from this book, and I was awed by the author’s striking use of language.


 What is the origin of this phrase? My first thought – that no one would want to argue with a lion – was confirmed by an entry in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, which states that it originates from Aesop’s Fables [2]. In the version I have, the title of the story is “The Lion’s Share.”

 “The Lion went once a-hunting along with the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf. They hunted and they hunted till at last they surprised a Stag, and soon took its life. Then came the question how the spoil should be divided. ‘Quarter me this Stag,’ roared the Lion; so the other animals skinned it and cut it into four parts. Then the Lion took his stand in front of the carcass and pronounced judgment: ‘The first quarter is for me in my capacity as King of Beasts; the second is mine as arbiter; another share comes to me for my part in the chase; and as for the fourth quarter, well, as for that, I should like to see which of you will dare to lay a paw upon it.’ ‘Humph,’ grumbled the Fox as he walked away with his tail between his legs; but he spoke in a low growl .‘You may share the labours of the great, but you will not share the spoil.’” [3]


Photo credit: Mathias Appel (Creative Commons)

[1] Eng, Tan Twan. The Garden of Evening Mists (p. 262). Canongate Books. Kindle Edition.
[2] “Lion” In Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by Susie Dent. 19th ed. Chambers Harrap, 2012.
[3] Aesop. Aesop’s Fables (Kindle Locations 37–43). Kindle Edition.

SINGLE-HANDED

The term “single-handed” (or “singlehanded”) can be used in two ways.

 (1) It can mean used or intended to be used with one hand.

 Examples

“The dial system is designed for single-handed use, so you don’t need to stop your bike every time you need to adjust the fit.”

 “That aside, both browsers can be easily used single-handed.”

 “KeyBlock is easy to use single-handed, leaving your other hand free to carry the shopping, open the door for your partner or keep your child close.”

 (2) Alternatively, it can mean done alone, without help from anyone else.

 Examples

 “However, he always puts in maximum effort and is capable of taking on a team single-handed.”

 “The Next Generation was the series that gave us shipboard counselling (a questionable idea), a crew that liked each other (a catastrophically mistaken idea) and Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, who held the entire farrago together, pretty much single-handed, for seven seasons.

 “As penance for my reservations, I am now planning to row, single-handed, from the mouth of Loch Sunart across the Sound of Mull to Tobermory.”


 Photo credit: Moss (Creative Commons)

IN A NUTSHELL

To say something “in a nutshell” is to say it briefly, using as few words as possible.

 Examples:

 “And there, in a nutshell, is the story of the Italian cafes in Wales.”

 “In a nutshell, extracurriculars are ‘where parents network with each other,’ Dr. Calarco said.”

 “In a nutshell, she says, the course helped her understand how to view life through a positive rather than a negative lens.”

 A nutshell has been used to symbolize compactness since the late 16th century and is mentioned in this context in Shakespeare’s Hamlet [1].

Photo credit: Sylvie Fee Matter (Creative Commons)

[1] Cresswell, Julia. “nut” in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.

CHALK AND CHEESE

If we say that two people, or things, are like chalk and cheese, we mean that they are completely different from each other.

 Examples:

 “Airbnb and Uber are chalk and cheese”

 “Me and my brother are autistic, and - as my mother would say - we are chalk and cheese.”

 “‘Even though they are half-brothers, they are chalk and cheese,’ she says of the two horses. ‘This one needs a lot of motivation, a bit like a labrador.’”


 Why chalk and cheese?
 Although chalk and cheese may appear similar, they have completely different properties [1]; hence, this idiom is often used to refer to two people or things of the same type that have different characteristics, as in the above examples.


 Photo credit: poppet with a camera (Creative Commons)

 [1] “chalk” in Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, edited by Ayto, John. Oxford University Press, 2009.

CLAPTRAP

The noun “claptrap” means talk or ideas that are nonsensical.

 Examples:

 “Moreover, they should endeavour to distinguish the evidence from the claptrap around the pseudo-syndrome of popular myth . . .”

 “Civil service correspondence from 1979 — which has been placed in the National Archives at Kew — shows there were calls for ministers to launch an unequivocal public attack on ‘flying saucer claptrap’.”

 “Social media has been a godsend for anti-vaxxers and those pushing pseudoscientific claptrap, researchers say.”


 The term originates from an 18th century theatrical device for eliciting applause and was first used in its current context in “Don Juan” by George Byron [1].

 “Besides, I hate all mystery, and that air
Of clap-trap which your recent poets prize” [2]

 [1] Knowles, Elizabeth. “claptrap” in The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press, 2005.

 [2] Byron, George Gordon. Don Juan (p. 120). Kindle Edition.

 Photo credit: Jase Hill (Creative Commons)

THE LAST . . .

The phrase “the last” can be used to refer to something that is extremely undesirable or unlikely.

 Examples:

 “You want to push yourself, learn new tricks and progress your riding, but the last thing you want is to get injured and miss out altogether.”

 “They’re not known for their speed but if frightened they can gallop at up to 25 miles an hour – and the last thing you want is to get in the way of a speeding badger!”

 “In fact, she was probably the last person I’d expect to become a vegan.”

 “The last person you’d have expected to find out there among the seals, blizzards, bears and ice storms was a woman hailing from privileged, upper-class European society used to a world of servants and balls where every possible convenience was effortlessly available.”


 Photo credit: Edwyn Anderton (Creative Commons)

SHILLY-SHALLYING

In “Goodnight Mister Tom” (Michelle Magorian), Mister Tom loses his patience with a maddening doctor and tells him to “stop shilly-shallying and tell me about the boy.”

 (First published in 1981, the story of the elderly Mister Tom and Willie, the evacuee who came to stay with him, won many awards and was made into a play, a musical and a TV drama.)


 The term “shilly-shallying” means to act indecisively. It’s believed to originate from a tendency for indecisive people to repeatedly ask “shall I?” when trying to make a decision [1].

 Examples:

 “The second terminal in Montijo is ‘very important for the country’, and shilly-shallying is delaying progress . . .”

 “Still, that’s not to say that a loo seat will beat time-wasting, shilly-shallying and general unnecessary lingering.”

 “But the shilly-shallying over HS2 has even bigger implications, both for the Midlands and the north, as well as for international confidence in a post-Brexit Britain.”


 Photo credit: Gustavo H. Braga (Creative Commons)

 [1] Cresswell, Julia. “shilly-shally” in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.

GO OVERBOARD

To “go overboard” is an idiom meaning to do something to excess.

 Examples:

 “You don’t have to go overboard and blow your budget on overpriced roses.”

 “A midnight snack is one of life’s great joys, but don’t go overboard.”

 “Don’t go overboard with your posts and include too much irrelevant information.”


 As well as being used as an idiom, this phrase can be used literally to mean that something or someone has fallen off a ship into the water.

 “The World Shipping Council estimates that of the 218 million containers transported annually, just over 1,000 go overboard.”


 Photo credit: Gordon McKinlay (Creative Commons)

SHAM

A “sham” is something that is not what it is claimed to be. This word is normally used to convey disapproval.

 Examples:

 “An Ontario couple discovered their $3,000 vacation was a sham the day before they were supposed to fly out - and they’re blaming the airline company for not alerting them sooner.”

 “The two are accused of enrolling hundreds of people to their sham digital crypto currency scheme.”

 “These sham holiday lets are depriving Londoners of homes and worsening the housing crisis.”


 Photo credit: Valtor (Creative Commons)

ANY OLD HOW

I found this phrase in an Open University OpenLearn course. (These are free courses that are available in a wide range of subjects – highly recommended.) It means in a disordered manner.

 Examples:

 “Many of the Maigret novels sprint to a ragged close, the loose ends tied up any old how.”

 “Buy stems in tight bud and don’t just shove them into the car any old how.”

 “Then there’s the less dangerous but still annoying hazards – vehicles parked any old how all over the pavement, cluttered street furniture and the ubiquitous dog poo.”

 Photo credit: rattyfied (Creative Commons)

TODAY’S NEW WORD – FACTOID

The word “fact” is commonly used, but what is a factoid?

 I discovered this one in Margaret Atwood’s novel, “The Penelopiad,” [1] which tells the story of Odysseus from the viewpoint of his (dead) wife, Penelope.

“I know only a few factoids that I didn’t know before.”

 This was a new word for me. The Oxford Dictionary defines a “factoid” as “an item of unreliable information that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact” as well as (North American) “a brief or trivial item of news or information.” According to the first definition, a factoid may or may not be true, while the second definition indicates something that is unimportant but true.


 Examples:

 “But this factoid is designed to deceive – starting with the inescapable reality that the 310,000, mostly white middle-aged men from London, who make up that top 1% of UK earners, take home 14% of the national income.”

 “And an interesting factoid is that the CX-30 is expected to hold up to 60 percent of its residual value after three years.”

 “But ask someone what’s so great about Finland’s schools, and you’ll typically be supplied with a factoid or three.”


 Photo credit: Art Gallery ErgsArt - by ErgSap (Creative Commons)

 [1] Atwood, Margaret. The Penelopiad (Canongate Myths series) Canongate Books. Kindle Edition.

BOLD AS BRASS

Terry Pratchett’s “Moving Pictures” reminded me of this phrase.

 Someone who is “bold as brass” or “as bold as brass” is extremely confident (or bold) and generally lacking respect for others, not caring that their behaviour might shock or annoy them.

 Examples:

 “Bold as brass thieves caught on CCTV stealing elevator weights from Edinburgh lift company TWICE in one night”

 “A woman in the southwestern German city of Kaiserslautern walked into a car dealership and, bold as brass, handed over 15,000 euros of counterfeit cash.”


 This phrase was first recorded in the 1780s [1]. It is not clear why brass is linked with boldness here, but this connection occurs in several other English idioms. (I did wonder whether it might be something to do with the loud sounds produced by brass instruments.)


 The word “brazen” is an archaic (old) word meaning “made of brass,” but it is also used to describe someone who is bold, without shame.

  e.g. “Infuriating footage shows brazen Audi driver speed down bus lane and intimidate cyclist in Dublin”


 Someone who behaves in this way may also be described as having “brass neck.”

 e.g. “I have zero tolerance for people who have the brass neck to ask me to work for free with the lamest of excuses for not paying me.”

 Photo credit: Markus (Creative Commons)

 [1] “As” In Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by Susie Dent. 19th ed. Chambers Harrap, 2012.

A BLUE MONDAY

We say that someone is feeling blue if they are feeling sad or depressed.

 e.g. “I’m feeling blue because I don’t have that big, milestone race ahead of me.”

 A blue Monday is one on which someone feels blue, often because they must go back to work after the weekend.

 e.g. “Facial recognition software can potentially recognise a ‘Blue Monday’ simply by scanning employee expressions”

 Blue Monday is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as typically the third Monday In January.

 e.g. “To mark Blue Monday (the third Monday in January), the city aquarium is offering a discount to try to lift people’s moods.”

 This date was first identified by Dr Cliff Arnall in 2005; however, he stated in 2018 that the phrase was intended to inspire people to “take action and make bold life decisions” rather than emphasise misery.

 Photo credit: Marcus Rahm (Creative Commons)