Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay New Word #110 There are a lot of words to describe different patterns of color, shades, arrangement, style, and material. However I only collected a few. Whenever I want to describe certain pattern, I often feel that I am lost for words. For example, how to describe the fall foliage, … Continue reading New Word: Colored Patterns →

Image by Peter H from Pixabay New Word #109 A while ago, one of Wordle games is "foyer" and for some reason I didn't get it. I had only several alphabets left, but I didn't consider the possibility of "f" going with "y" even though I know what the word foyer means when I see … Continue reading New Word: Foyer →

New Word #108 ghosting: It is said more than 10% of the new hires are ghosting their employer, meaning they don't show up for work and do not give notifications. great resignation: It means that many people have volunteered to resign from jobs since the beginning of 2021. gift economy: This means people exchange household … Continue reading New Word: From The News →

Image by Jaesung An from Pixabay New Word #107 I thought about the word "green" a month ago when the spring was in full swing, and all the trees and bushes started to turn green, but I didn't get to compile the words until now. There aren't many words for the green color, not as … Continue reading New Word: Green →

new word #106 words with -stle or -stler Here I only chose the words that are often used. rustle and rustler rustle: make a sound like dry leaves scratching each other. It also means to round up livestock and to steal themrustler: people who steal other people's livestock hustle and hustler hustle: (North America) try … Continue reading New Word: -STLE and -STLER and -LSTER →

New Word #103 These are all words I encountered today while reading. Most are commonly used words, but several are not, like distonic, tropism, truckle. My interest in reading increases a lot when I skip and skim in portions I dislike. And always there are chunks that I don't like even in a book that … Continue reading New Word: Not Really Similar →

New Word #101 wile and rile I encountered these two words again last week in reading, and I had to look them up again. No matter how many times I tried to remember them, the two words refuse to stick to my mind. Also the two words look and sound similar and I can't distinguish … Continue reading New Word: Sometimes It’s Confusing →

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay New Word #100 It's the 100 post for the "New Word" series, but I don't have an exciting topic for it. So I choose to list some words for memory. One Remembers It reminiscence: A remembrance of the past occurrences. nostalgia: fond memory of the past déjà vu: It's … Continue reading New Word: Memory →

Image by Erin East from Pixabay New Word #99: Varying Degree Of Want cacoethes: the uncontrollable desire to do something not advisable. Usually people use indulge, pamper, pander, coddle, cater. appetency: a natural inclination or a desire covet: the yearning to have something desiderium: a strong feeling of desire or loss velleity: a desire which … Continue reading New Word: Varying Degree Of Want →

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Hike, Hiker, Hiking hike: It means a walk outside of the areas inhabited by humans. It can be a mountain, or a wild park. Usually in these places, there are hiking trails to accommodate hikers. Actually I went hiking several times, but I really didn't like … Continue reading New Word #94: H And K →

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay Tenure and Tenuous Despite their similarities, the two words have nothing to do with each other. tenure: It can be a noun or verb, meaning occupying a place or holding an office. "During his tenure in the office, he did ...." However this word is most often used in … Continue reading New Word #93: Ten →

Image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay I went to Trader Joe's today and grabbed its "Holiday Guide". The first sentence is like this: "What the heck is Jingle Jangle? It could be a reference to '70's-era Rankin-Bass cartoon characters or lyrics to a cowboy ditty referencing spurs." I have no idea what it is talking … Continue reading New Word #84: Sound Of Holiday →

Premiere, Premium, Premier, Prime These four words are used very often, but I will never understand their differences. In my often mistaken views, they are the same--meaning something good--but they are used in different occasions. premiere: the first performance of a musical or theatrical work or the first showing of a movie. The debut of … Continue reading New Word #83: Combine PR with M →

Image by Pexels from Pixabay cabal: a secret political clique or faction. "a cabal of dissidents"From Pooja's post here. I've never encountered this word before in my reading, but it looks like a very interesting word. I've seen words with similar meanings like clique, old boys' club, inner circle, junta. ruckus: a disturbance or commotion.From … Continue reading New Word #81: Recently Learned →

Photo by Providence Doucet on Unsplash I am a little surprised there are quite a lot of words about friendship. I think there are more, and let me know if I miss any. These are all regularly used words. buddy:a close friend. sorority: a women's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes and having a … Continue reading New Word #78: Friendship →

Image by Robert Davis from Pixabay Halloween is an occasion to learn scary words, watch scary movies, light pumpkin lamps. Here I only list a few scary words that I am quite familiar with. There are many more. Please leave me a comment and add words to this scary list. Scary Words uncanny: strange or … Continue reading New Word #77: Halloween →

With Hands hand in hand: (of two people) with hands joined, especially as a mark of affection. wring one's hands: clasp and twist one's hands together as a gesture of great distress, especially when one is powerless to change the situation. "she was wringing her hands in agitation" tightfisted: not willing to spend or give … Continue reading New Word #76: Common Gestures →

Image by Digital Photo and Design DigiPD.com from Pixabay Expressions grin: smile broadly, especially in an unrestrained manner and with the mouth open. grimace: an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement. frown: form an expression of disapproval, displeasure, or concentration, typically by turning down the corners of … Continue reading New Word #75: Facial Expressions →

Image by freestocks-photos from Pixabay loll: sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way."the two girls lolled in their chairs"lollygag: spend time aimlessly; idle. "he sends her to Arizona every January to lollygag in the sun"Loll is easily confused with lull, which means "calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements."From … Continue reading New Word #74: Recently Learned →

Image by ktphotography from Pixabay Parties My Friends Enjoy There's no such phrase like "harvest party" or "fruit party". I invented them just to describe the activities my friends enjoy. Since almost everybody is burdened by mortgages (house, car etc.) and his or her kid's education costs, people want inexpensive parties. harvest party: Backyard harvest … Continue reading New Word #73: Partying →

Image by Bessi from Pixabay Lion I had thought lions only exist in Africa until I watched a video showing that lions also exist around Gir Forest National Park in India. This is life. Whenever we think something is set in stone, an exception comes in to surprise us. Tiger I heard of Siberian tiger, … Continue reading New Word #72: I Love Cats →

Image by hudsoncrafted from Pixabay The Differences There are many words to describe the differences between two things, each being a little different from others, each being used in certain circumstances. dichotomy: A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. "a rigid dichotomy between science … Continue reading New Word #71: Between Two Things →

Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay Commonly Used scrap: a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used. It's often used in "a scrap of paper", "scrap metal", "wood scraps". scrappy: 1. consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts. 2. (informal•North American) determined, argumentative, or … Continue reading New Word #70: C And P →

piranhas: A deep-bodied South American freshwater fish that typically lives in schools and has very sharp teeth that are used to tear flesh from prey. It has a reputation as a fearsome predator.From Boblorentson's blog here. sashay: Walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated movements of the hips and shoulders.biscotti: Small, crisp … Continue reading New Word #69: Recently Learned →

deliver vs. deliverance For the longest time, I thought deliverance is the noun form for deliver until one day I realized that it's a mistake. Deliver's noun form is delivery, not deliverance. The two words share similar bodies, but with different tails. Deliverance is not used very often thankfully, which explains why I didn't realize … Continue reading New Word #68: Confusing Pairs →

The High Point in Height elevation: same as altitude, which means the height above a given level, especially sea level. For example, Edison Township of New Jersey has an elevation of 39 feet, which is equivalent to 12 meters. Since it is so close to the seaside (but no beach unless you travel two hours … Continue reading New Word #67: High And Low →

Photo by Yan Ming on Unsplash Many Words For "Four" quad: a quadrangle. In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. For example, several universities in the U.S. have quad like yard and architecture, … Continue reading New Word #66: Number 4 →

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay charade: an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance."talk of unity was nothing more than a charade"From Terveen Gill's blog here. jaggery: a coarse dark brown sugar made in India by evaporation of the sap of palm trees.From Terveen Gill's blog here. codicil: addition or supplement … Continue reading New Word #64: Recently Learned →

Image by Roland Mey from Pixabay Years ago, I was baffled by the phrases the native speakers often use that I had never learned at all from textbooks or classes or any of my readings. When it is a cold weather, people often say "nippy"; when something is not affordable, people don't say expensive but … Continue reading New Word #63: Commonly Used S&P →

Photo by Yan Ming on Unsplash Related with Three (Commonly Used) triad: a group or set of three connected people or things.trilogy: a group of three related novels, plays, films, operas, or albums.triple: consisting of or involving three parts, things, or peopletriplet: one of three children or animals born at the same birth.trinity: the state … Continue reading New Word #62: All About “Three” →

Image by Darkmoon_Art from Pixabay There are a lot of words to represent two in English. Here I will not list pair, double, couple, or twin since these are too often used and are well known. Other languages also have more than one word for two, but probably not as many as those in English. … Continue reading New Word #61: All About “Two” →

From WordPress Blogs gasconade: extravagant boasting.From Pooja's post here. unruly: disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control.From Terveen's post here. rehash: Put (old ideas or material) into a new form without significant change or improvement.expound: present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail.From Heterodox Buddhist's post here. continuum: a … Continue reading New Word #60: Recently Learned →

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay There are so many words and phrases related with time that I don't know where to start. Here I only listed a few that I consider the most commonly and regularly used. If you have any words or phrases you'd like to add, please leave me a comment. Time … Continue reading New Word #59: Related With Time →

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay callow: (of a young person) inexperienced and immature.This is from Pooja's post here. ossify: become rigid or fixed in attitude or position; cease developing.This is from Pooja's post here. nefarious: (typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.flounce: (verb) go or move in an exaggeratedly impatient or angry manner; … Continue reading New Word #55: Recently Learned →

Image by Дарья Яковлева from Pixabay The word gastronomy means the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. The first time I saw this word, I thought it's something related with astronomy, but to my surprise, it has nothing to do with the sky or celestial bodies. People Who Enjoy Food gourmet: … Continue reading New Word #54: Gastronomy →

Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels bibliophile and logophile: bibliophile: a person who collects or has a great love of books. logophile: a lover of words. wordy and verbose and prolix and verbiage wordy: using or expressed in too many words. verbose: using or expressed in more words than are needed. verbiage: speech or writing … Continue reading New Words #53: Related With Books Or Words →

Photo by Anthony Shkraba from Pexels These are all commonly used phrases and I have encountered one or another in different time in my reading or in conversations. I have to say I haven't used much of these in my own writing for the simple reason that I am not dead certain of the suitability. … Continue reading New Word #52: Life And Death →

Image by Laci Döme from Pixabay rictus: a fixed grimace or grin.From DeRicki's post here. cryonic: The practice or technique of deep-freezing the bodies of people who have just died, in the hope that scientific advances may allow them to be revived in the future. I have often wondered if any of the cryonic bodies … Continue reading New Word #51: Recently Learned →

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay These are phrases commonly used. I think I didn't include phrases with "ears" since I can't think of any other than "I'm all ears" to indicate I'm interested in listening. If you have any phrases you want to add, please leave me a comment. Face facelift: a procedure carried … Continue reading New Word #49: Related With Body →

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay There are many lively phrases and idioms with animals in them. Here I have compiled a list of phrases that are commonly used. There are a lot more out there that I haven't heard of. And please let me know if you have encountered any. Cats curiosity killed the cat: … Continue reading New Word #48 : Cats And Dogs →

Shibboleth: a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important.From Pooja's post here. maudlin: self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.From mjcd2017's post here. traction: the action of drawing or pulling something over a surface, especially a road or track. … Continue reading New Word #47: Recently Learned →

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay Someone sent me a message with "raison d'être" in it. Show off. I actually wondered how he finds "ê" on the keyboard. This is life, isn't it? Once one can handle English, one realizes that the goal post is moving to a French location. I used to be annoyed by … Continue reading New Word #46: That Doesn’t Sound Like English →

Image by Andrey Muzychuk from Pixaba This is only a list of rice dishes I've encountered in New Jersey so far. I feel rather embarrassed when I can't pronounce a dish's name when ordering it. Living in a multicultural environment but not being able to at least learn an entree's name that I want to … Continue reading New Word #44 : Rice Dishes →

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay grill vs barbecue I never know what's the difference between grill and barbecue. Some people told me barbecue is the sauce while grill is the method; some say grilled meat has less fat than barbecued meat. Still I don't know the difference. Or probably they are the same. grill: cook … Continue reading New Word #43: Cooking Methods →

I've always been fascinated with words ending with "k" and "ky". There are a lot of them and each is sonorous, spontaneous, slang like, and vivid in the description of what it is supposed to describe. And it is no surprise that I can remember each one of them after just one encounter and never … Continue reading New Word #45: The Fascinating “K” And “KY” →

Image by Kristine Lejniece from Pixabay bubba: used as an affectionate form of address to a brother. (North America)From annzimmerman's post here.This is the first time I encounter this word--it is so endearing. cassowary: a very large flightless bird related to the emuFrom Iseult Murphy's post here. Love large flightless bird. They look so eccentric … Continue reading New Word #44: Recently Learned →

Image by Chingiz Khalafov from Pixabay A Temporary Stay I learned the word peripatetic from mjcd2017 here. peripatetic: traveling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods. This word has a temporary feel to it. sojourn: a temporary stay. tarry: to remain or stay, as in a … Continue reading New Word #43: Peripatetic →

Image by John Hain from Pixabay I learned many new words through the American Revolutionary War. One of the most interesting words is "dragoons"--they dismount their horses first before fighting on foot, unlike the cavalry who will fight while mounted. I just wonder where they would keep their horses while fighting? I mean on a … Continue reading New Word #42: The Revolutionary War →