Posted by laurajane on Mar 16, 2018 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on 9 puzzling phrases and their meanings
9 puzzling phrases and their meanings
Fifty years from now, will people know what “wardrobe malfunction,” “mullet,” and “right-sizing” mean? As word connoisseurs, writers and editors are often fascinated with how language changes over time. Of particular interest are idioms and phrases that were once in common use but now puzzle us today. Here are some phrases that require some word sleuthing: (Expressions and definitions From Bees’ Knees and Barmy Armies: Origins of the Words and Phrases We Use Every Day by Harry Oliver ) 1. Bee’s knees — someone or something particularly good,...
How communicators can celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day — an annual celebration of the mathematical constant Pi — is observed on March 14. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter. For any size circle, divide the circumference by the diameter and you always get same number: 3.14 (with many subsequent digits). Pi day not only offers us a great excuse to eat pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also a way to combat one of the most annoying generalizations about PR professionals: PR pros (and writers and editors) are bad at math. I wouldn’t say word nerds are bad at math; maybe it’s that...
4 bad writing habits — and how to break ...
Neuroscientists and psychologists tell us the best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new, better habit. For example, if you drink too much diet soda, a good way to cut down is to establish a new habit of drinking 8 ounces of water before you reach for a diet soda. The same can apply to writing habits. Here are four bad writing habits, along with ways to replace them with better tendencies: 1. Bad habit: You ignore your audience. In the world of corporate communications, “writing for your audience” often takes a back seat to the whims and demands of...
24 phrases gaslighters use against you
If you’ve ever spent time around a gaslighter, you know what they’re capable of. Gaslighters engage in the manipulation technique of distorting known facts, memories, events and evidence to invalidate a person’s experience. The idea is to make those who disagree with the gaslighter question their ability, memory or sanity. (See it in action in the 1944 movie “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer.) Gaslighters use lies, false promises and personal attacks to make those around them doubt themselves. For example, at a meeting on Tuesday, your boss...
Fall in love with these words
On February 14, let these words draw you in and caress your mind. You’ll like the way they look. You’ll like the way they sound. Most of all, you’ll like them because they’re unusual, archaic and fun. (If we could only find a way to work them into our press releases.) What words are you in love with, PR Daily readers? Here are 14 fun ones: 1. Beslobber — to smear with spittle or anything running from the mouth. In this drunken and beslobbered state, Jacob returned to the hotel. 2. Denouement — the final outcome of a story, generally occurring after the climax...
7 tactics for motivating your personal w...
If you spend your working life crafting messages for your company, clients, leaders, co-workers, or employees, you have no doubt suffered from writing fatigue. Writing fatigue in our day jobs means that we may have little motivation to write for ourselves. The last thing you want to do at the end of an endless day is work on your memoirs. However, there are ways to motivate yourself. Below are a few recommendations, based on research and advice from other writers. 1. Challenge a fellow writer. Do you have a friend or colleague who can’t find time to write, either?...
