Arlene Miller's Blog, page 9

Kangaroo Words: What Are They?

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

I had never heard of kangaroo words until recently, when a friend posted about them on social media. And they have nothing to do with Australia!

A kangaroo word carries within its spelling its own synonym, with the letters in the correct order, although not necessarily right in a row. For example: regulate  and rule or encourage and urge. They are difficult to think of, but more common than you might think.

They are called kangaroo words because they carry their smaller selves with them, as a kangaroo carries its joey, or baby, in its pouch. They are also called marsupial, swallow, or joey words. The term was popularized as a word game by Ben O’Dell in an article in The American Magazine in the 1950s, later reprinted in the Reader’s Digest.

Here are some more kangaroo words:

indolent – idlerambunctious – raucoussplotch – spotacrid – aridblossom – bloomchicken – henobserve – seeaction – actmasculine – male

And there are also twin kangaroo words. These words have two synonyms within them:

container – tin and candeteriorate – rot, die (and perhaps riot)diminutive – minute and minifeasted – ate and fed

And then there are grand kangaroo words. These carry two joeys, one inside the other

inflammable – flammable and flameaccustomed – used and usealone – lone and onechariot – cart and car

Yes, there are also anti-kangaroo words, which carry antonyms within them:

covert – overtanimosity – amitycourteous – curtfabrication – factfeast – fastshe – hethere – hereexacerbate – abate

You learn something new every day . . .

 

 

From Head to Toe (or Hat to Shoe)

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Ever think about how many idioms come from articles of clothing? Probably not, but you have likely used many of them.

At the drop of a hat – without delay or good reason

Feather in one’s cap – something someone can be proud of

That’s old hat – old fashioned; outdated

Take your hat off to someone – praise them for something

Put on your thinking cap – think seriously about something; use your brain

Hot under the collar – angry

Give someone the shirt off your back – give someone anything they need

Off the cuff – without preparation

Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve – clearly show emotions

Ride one’s coattails – to have one’s success dependent on that of someone else

Trick up one’s sleeve – a secret method to use when you need it

Roll up your sleeves – get to work

Lose one’s shirt – to lose all your money

To hit below the belt –  to say something unfair or uncalled for to someone

Tighten one’s belt – spend less money

Bursting at the seams – full to overflowing; very crowded

Fall apart at the seams – be in a state of decline

Buckle down – get serious; get to work

Line your own pockets – make money in a dishonest way

Money burns a hole in my pocket – I spend everything I have

Keep it zipped – keep quiet; don’t admit anything or tell anything

Caught with your pants down – something happens that someone isn’t prepared for that embarrasses them

Fly by the seat of your pants – use your instincts to tell you what to do in an unfamiliar situation

To wear the pants – to be the boss

To have ants in your pants –  to be restless or anxious

Fits like a glove – fits perfectly

Handle with kid gloves – be very careful with

Put a sock in it – tell someone to be quiet

Walk in someone else’s shoes – have someone else’s life and problems for a while

Birthday suit – nudity

Dirty laundry – embarrassing things in one’s life

Cut from the same cloth – alike

Wolf in sheep’s clothing – a person or thing that appears harmless, but is really hostile

If the shoe fits – something that is said or thought about someone is true, and they should accept it

Get along on a shoestring – get by with very little money

Quake in one’s boots – be very nervous or afraid

Knock one’s socks off – strongly impress someone

 

 

 

 

Read Anything Good Lately?

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

I have. And I have finally started to read two books (or even more) at a time. I never used to be able to handle reading more than one book at a time, since I can barely remember a book right after I have read it, or even in the middle when I come back to it.  To be fair, I read only one novel at a time, so I read one novel and one nonfiction. And most of my nonfiction lately has been a little out there. Due to what is going on in my life, I have been reading a lot of books about intention, manifestation, and the law of attraction — but also because the topic has intrigued me for a long time. (I am kind of out there!) Most of those books are free with Kindle Unlimited. I  won’t pay for them, and my local library doesn’t have a good selection.

I still like print books, but Kindle books are easier on my eyes. I also must admit I read some large print books. No audio books for me. I have nothing against them, but I think it isn’t really reading; it is listening, like one would listen to a podcast or to the radio.

I am currently reading the 6 Phase Meditation Method by Vishen Lakhiani. It seems like a good method of meditation that doesn’t require much time or repeating a mantra and clearing your mind. I am not a meditator, but I thought I would give it a try. The author is the founder of Mind Valley, which is one of those power-of-intention-be-a-success-and-have-love outfits. I recently attended an online two-day conference they had for $29. It was really good and definitely worth the money. I knew they would eventually get to the $6000 sell! No thanks.

Other than that, the other similar books I have been reading are pretty lightweight: Super Attractor, Just Ask the Universe, Feeling Is the Secret,  and the Audacity to Be Queen (which was actually pretty good).

Okay. Now onto the books you might actually want to read:

I am currently reading Identity by Nora Roberts. I am about 90% done, and I am really liking it. Suspense and romance. I haven’t read Roberts in a long time. Recommended.

I recently read Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller.  It is a nonfiction book about the three female singer/songwriters Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. To tell you the truth, it is a big book (about 500 pages), and I read only the parts about Carole King because I am obsessed with her. When I was in my preteens or so, I wanted to be a songwriter like her. I have recently started digging out those song lyrics I wrote way back in the 60s, and am scanning them into my computer and seeing which ones I might be able to update and make more mature. I didn’t read much about Joni Mitchell or Carly Simon, not that there is anything wrong with them! Recommended.

On Herring Cove: Mr. Rosen and His 43 Lb. Anxiety by Michael Kroft had been sitting on my Kindle for a long time before I finally got to it. It looked interesting, and I liked the title, so I got it from Kindle Unlimited. Turns out that it was a very good read, for any gender. The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. It was one of those non endings. Recommended.

I must have heard about End of Story, by A.J. Finn somewhere. It is a popular book with many great reviews, but some agreed with me. I read about 20% of it before I gave up. Boring. Clunky. I guess it is some type of mystery or suspense. 

Convenience Store Woman by  Sakaya Murata was really good with a very interesting main character. Unusual book. Recommended for any gender.

I have loved all the Kristin Hannah books that I have read, and her latest, The Women, does not disappoint. It is about a woman who, against her parents’ wishes, becomes a VietNam War nurse. Great book for anyone.  Highly recommended.

I heard about The Sound of Settling by Tara Dublin on a streaming political television show I watch. She was a guest. I had no idea who she was. She said she was an unemployed writer and she showed a book she had written and is trying to sell to Hollywood.  She said it was about being a super fan of Dave Grohl of  the Foo Fighters. The book, however, is a fiction book that takes off from that situation. Since I was about to embark on a similar book with a similar situation, I identified with her, even though my book will be nonfiction, probably followed by a novel, if I get to it. I thought it was a great love story, although fiction! Recommended.

I had heard a lot about The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by  James McBride. It is one of the big books of the year. It takes place in Pennsylvania in a little neighborhood settled by Jewish immigrants, where blacks are moving in from the South along with other European immigrants.  There are a ton of characters, some minor, and the book kind of rambles on, but even if you can’t remember who everyone is,  you can follow the plot just fine.  It is a lot, but it is a wonderful book. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

Please Don’t Say That!

Image by philm1310 from Pixabay

Well, I already got the “myself”-used-everywhere-incorrectly off my chest a few weeks ago…and the drug used-as-a-past- tense of drag. But there are more.

Less and fewer is still an issue, even with the people who get paid to talk on television, but sometimes they get it right. Even the express lanes in the grocery store are beginning to get it right.

But…..what’s with have went? I hear it everywhere — from friends to, once again, people who get paid to talk on television. I have went, I should have went.…NO please stop! Go is one of those irregular verbs that has three different forms: go, went, have gone. I go, I went, I have gone. 

Other irregular verbs also cause problems. I have ate is a common one. This is said by those who are very educated and make a lot more money than I do (even though I am very educated!). I have swam is a common one, and sometimes you can’t even convince people there is such a word as swum! Same with drink, drank, have drunk. It isn’t have drank.

Let’s see…are there more? When I was a kid, lots of people I knew said I seen instead of I saw. It drove me nuts, and I still hear it today.

And more…

I have drove? (driven)

I have rang? (rung)

I swang? (swung)

I have wrote? (written)

I have boughten? (bought)

I brang? (brought)

As I scream into the night……

 

 

Fear of Food????

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

There is a phobia for just about everything. Here are some that might help out your diet!

Acerophobia- Fear of sourness – no Sour Patch Kids for you!

Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens – I don’t know if this includes after they are cooked!

Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth – Eat with caution!

Carnophobia- Fear of meat

Cibophobia- Fear of food – That’s a tough one!

Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks – You can also use a fork.

Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations

Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking

Geumaphobia or Geumophobia- Fear of taste

Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood – I will have that well done please!

Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish

Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables – Probably pretty common! Especially broccoli, which I like, ut still cannot spell.

Leukophobia- Fear of the color white – So add cauliflower to that.

Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking – There’s always Door Dash!

Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms – I might have that one.

Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia- Fear of becoming ill – Watch where you eat!

Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight

Oenophobia- Fear of wines – Very weird. Red? White? Rose?

Olfactophobia- Fear of smells – Bland food only?

Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish

Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten

Porphyrophobia- Fear of the color purple – Guess that eliminates eggplant! And some plums and grapes!

 

Thanks to phobialist.com

NEXT WEEK: One or two of those nasty mistakes I hear n TV all the time. STOP, people who are getting paid to talk!!

 

 

 

 

The Whole Enchilada!

Image by Jessica Vargas from Pixabay

Have you ever noticed how many idioms, sayings, and similes are about foods? I have gathered some here (not all of them for sure). I was trying to get some for each letter of the alphabet. Some I just couldn’t find. If you happen to come upon any that have foods beginning with letters I couldn’t find, please send them along in the comments!

A

apple of my eyebad appleshow do like them apples?

B

bun in the ovenspill the beansgo bananasbring home the baconbutter someone up

C

smart cookieit’s a piece of cakecool as a cucumber

D

hot diggety dog? Not very good. Got one????

E

the whole enchiladaput all your eggs in one basketegg someone onyou’re a rotten egg

F

the whole kettle of fishbigger fish to fry

G

your goose is cookedon the gravy trainthe rest is gravysour grapes

H

you’re a real hamsweet as honeysell like hotcakes

I

the icing on the cake

J

In a jam. Wrong kind of jam. Got one???????

K

Got one??????????

L

That car is a real lemonWhen life gives you lemons

M

don’t cry over spilt milkcan you cut the mustard?

N

that’s it in a nutshellyou are nutshard nut to crack

O

compare apples and oranges

P

you’re a real peachthe situation is a hot potatoplum joblike two peas in a podflat as a pancakein a real pickle

Q

??????????????????? Yeah! try that one! Quince? 

R

blow a raspberry (not great)

S

from soup to nutssalt of the earthsugarcoat somethingtake that with a grain of saltthose were the salad days (good old days)

T

not my cup of teaI am warm as toast

U

???????????????????

V

she is full of spit and vinegar (perkiness)

W

water under the bridge. Meh….got a better one?

X

????????????????????

Y

?????????????????????

Z

?????????????????????

 

“I” Before “Me” — U-su-ally

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I still hear it everywhere, and  I am sure you do too. Confusing I and me — still! It is mostly the I used instead of me that really gets me going. I am so used to people using me for a subject by now that it doesn’t have the impact it used to: “Me and Jimmy are going to the bar.” You wanna say it like that? Fine. Not my business. Well, actually it is my business…

But using I when it should be me because you think you sound so erudite — NO! 

1 Between you and I, I think they will break up.

2 He split the pizza with her and I.

3  She gave my sister and I some of her clothes.

All of those I’s should be me’s.

“Grammartologically” speaking, me is used for the object of a preposition, or the object of a verb. I is a subject.

“Non-grammartologically” speaking, because usually the subject goes at the beginning of the sentence and the objects come later, I will come before me:  a pronoun nearer the end of the sentence will usually be me, not I.

In example 1 above, it is the other way around. The first I should be me because it is the object of the preposition between.  The I after the comma is the subject. 

Example 2 is another example of the object of a preposition: the preposition with.

Example 3 shows indirect objects of gave. No one would say, “She gave we,” or “She gave I.” No different when there are two objects.

So now we all know.

 

 

“Myself”: Don’t Bother With It!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

“Rachel and myself agree on this topic.”

“I remember myself taking the stage.” 

“The conference speakers will be Joe and myself.”

“Myself and my whole family are taking the cruise.”

STOP! DON’T! ICK! WRONG! 

I hear myself used incorrectly everywhere, mostly on television by people whose job it is to speak. Myself is a pronoun. However, it is an unusual pronoun because it is not a subject, and it is not generally a direct object. Actually, the second example above is probably okay, but it sounds weird to me. It is a direct quote I heard. You could leave out the myself entirely there.

Here are some correct uses of myself:

“I am proud of myself for accomplishing that.”

“I myself ate the whole pizza.”

“I did the whole puzzle by myself.”

“I put myself to sleep reading this boring book.”

What do you notice? Yup. The subject of each sentence is I — because that is how myself is used. It either intensifies I (as in I myself), or it reflects back to I (I am proud of myself), which is why the self pronouns are called “reflexive” and/or “intensive.” Those are the only uses of self pronouns. 

So, the answer is YES. When you use yourself, the sentence subject is you, and so on.

“You must be proud of yourself.”

“She can now ride a bicycle all by herself.”

“They themselves proved their point in the debate.”

But the whole -self thing can generally be avoided by omitting or rewording. Then the chances of using those incorrectly are greatly reduced!

“You must be proud” is probably good enough.

“She can now ride a bicycle” is probably good enough.

“They proved their point in the debate” is probably good enough.

“I am proud of accomplishing that” is probably good enough.

“I ate the whole pizza” is probably good enough.

“I did the whole puzzle” is probably good enough.

“I fell asleep reading this boring book” is probably better.

You want to use myself? Fine. Just don’t use it as a subject, and don’t use it anywhere in the sentence (of course, I am sure there are exceptions) unless the subject matches the pronoun.

Drag, Drug, and Such….

Image by Mike from Pixabay

This past week, I twice heard drug used as the past tense of drag by those who should know better – a TV host and a politician. (Yeah, I know, but we should have well-spoken politicians!) The exact words in one of these cases:  “My mother drug me around the store.”

Drag is a verb, and the past tense is dragged. It is a regular old verb that adds -ed  to make it a past tense —  although some people in some regions still use drug.

Drug can be its own present tense verb. You can drug someone, in which case the past tense is drugged. Another regular verb that adds -ed on the end for the past tense. Oh, and of course drug is often a noun.

You can dress in drag. I guess that usage would be a noun, so no past tense to worry about. 

Drag can also be an adjective: drag race, drag queen. 

Oh, and then something or someone can be a real drag: a noun again, so we don’t have to worry about verb forms. 

Phrasal verbs:  You can drag something out — or extend the time of. So in the past tense, you dragged it out.  

You can drag someone down (figuratively). If you did it yesterday, you dragged them down.

Something can drag on – to last seemingly forever. Or dragged on if it already happened.

Hmmm. You can also take a drag on a cigarette. That is a noun. 

I could probably drag this on and on, but I wouldn’t…..so you wouldn’t be able to say the blog post just drug on and on.

 

 

Lady Mondegreen

Image by Esa Riutta from Pixabay

Since yesterday (February 9) was the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, it seems appropriate to talk about song lyrics today.

The word mondegreen, meaning a mishearing of a popular phrase or song lyric, was coined by the writer Sylvia Wright.

As a child, she heard the Scottish ballad The Bonny Earl of Murray and though that one verse went like this:

Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands
Oh where hae you been?
They hae slay the Earl of Murray,
And Lady Mondegreen.

Poor Lady Mondegreen, thought Sylvia Wright.  Years later, she discovered that what they had actually done was slay the Earl of Murray and lay him on the green. Wright then memorialized her Lady Mondegreen with the new word.

Here are just some of the popular mondegreens:

ELTON JOHN – Rocket Man

Lyrics: Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone  Mondegreen: Rocket man, burning all the trees off every lawn

JOHN COUGAR – Jack and Diane

Lyrics: Changes come around real soon, make us women and men Mondegreen: Changes come around real soon; naked swimming in bed

ROBERT PALMER – Loving You

Lyrics: I’ve got a bad case of loving you Mondegreen: I’ve got a backache from loving you

ZZ TOP – Sharp-Dressed Man

Lyrics: Everybody’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man Mondegreen: Everybody’s crazy ’bout a shot glass man

U2 -Bullet the Blue Sky

Lyrics: I can see those fighter planes Mondegreen:I can see those spider veins

QUEEN – We Will Rock You

Lyrics: You’ve got mud on your face, a big disgrace Mondegreen: You’ve got mud on your face, front disc brakes

ELVIS PRESLEY – Jailhouse Rock

Lyrics: Everybody in the whole cell block Mondegreen: Everybody in a wholesale frock

THE POLICE – Message in a Bottle

Lyrics: A year has passed since I wrote my note Mondegreen: A year has passed since I broke my nose

MICHAEL JACKSON – Billie Jean

Lyrics: Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one Mondegreen:Her heavy head turned to ice cream, being the one

ROBERTA FLACK – Killing Me Softly

Lyrics: Strumming my fate with his fingers Mondegreen: Stuffing my face with his fingers

ERIC CLAPTON – Forever Man

Lyrics: Won’t you be my forever woman? I want to be your forever man Mondegreen:Won’t you be my bald-headed woman? I want to be your bald-headed man

PAT BENATAR – Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Lyrics: Hit me with your best shot Mondegreen:Hit me with your pet shark

BEATLES – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Lyrics:The girl with kaleidoscope eyes Mondegreen: The girl with colitis goes by

DEEP PURPLE – Smoke on the Water

Lyrics: Smoke on the water, fire in the sky Mondegreen: Slow walking Walter, the fire engine guy

and this oldie but goodie!

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER – Bad Moon Rising

Lyrics: There’s a bad moon on the rise Mondegreen: There’s a bathroom on the right 

 

Thank you for the mondegreens! Here are some more.