Showing posts with label idioms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label idioms. Show all posts

in (one's) stride, at (a) pace

This post is inspired by a poll that Ellen Jovin, aka the Grammar Table, ran in September. Before I get into that, let me point out that there is a Kickstarter to support the documentary about her spreading grammatical joy across all 50 US states. It'd be lovely to be able to see that film in a (BrE)...
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fit for purpose / fit to purpose

 So I tweeted this recently... Difference of the Day: I seriously cannot believe that I've never done BrE 'fit for purpose'. Thanks for suggesting it @MHanson62. What to give for an AmE equivalent? Nothing so well used... #DotD pic.twitter.com/u2flTPlXZt— Lynne Murphy (@lynneguist) July 13, 2022...
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loose end

Thomas West was responsible for last week's post topic, and here he is again, having tweeted: Here’s another great example of BrE and AmE. Lloyd says “at a loose end” but in the US we say “at loose ends.” I wonder how differences like that happened. @lynneguist — Thomas West (@IntermarkLS) April...
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on the up and up

Thomas West recently asked: AmE/BrE difference of the day: "on the up and up" means "above board, not underhanded" in AmE but appears to mean "rising, on the rise, moving upward" in BrE. Is that right? @lynneguist — Thomas West (@IntermarkLS) April 16, 2020 I hadn't really noticed this before,...
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2019 UK-to-US Word of the Year: knock-on

It's the end of the year, and time to declare the Separated by a Common Language Words of the Year. As ever, I've got two categories: US-to-UK and UK-to-US. In other words: I'm interested in borrowings between these national dialects. To be a SbaCL WoTY, the word doesn't have to have been imported...
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(to) each (to) their own

Today's post, I'm happy to say, is a guest post by Maddy Argy, an A-level student who's doing (BrE) work experience with me at the University of Sussex. I've asked her to find American-British differences that she could research and have introduced her to some of the tools we linguists use. I'm happy...
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The book!

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Abbr.

AmE = American English
BrE = British English
OED = Oxford English Dictionary (online)