The English language—gotta love it. Even native speakers get things mixed up. There are so many words that sound the same and yet have different meanings and different spelling. I thought I’d take a look at some more. You may remember awhile back, my blog about to, too, and two. This week is about your, you’re and yore. Your is an adjective. It shows possession. Is this your coat? It can also refer to people in general. The room is air-conditioned for your comfort. Your can r

At last, we come to the letters Y and Z from The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th Edition (Facts on File Writer's Library) by Robert Hendrickson (published in 2008). As I said before, it’s a fascinating and enjoyable book. I recommend reading it. Yggdrasil In Scandinavian mythology the yggdrasil is the world tree, an ash whose roots and branches bind together in heaven, hell, and earth. Sitting in this fabulous tree from which honey drips, are an eag

It’s V, W, and X from The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th Edition (Facts on File Writer's Library) by Robert Hendrickson (published in 2008). Vampire Vampire is one of the few English words of Hungarian origin. It comes from the Magyar vampir and is infrequently spelled that way, although its ultimate source may be the Turkish uber, “witch.” This word for a creature of the living dead, “a reanimated corpse” that spends its nights searching for human

This week it’s S, T, and U from The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th Edition (Facts on File Writer's Library) by Robert Hendrickson (published in 2008). Sail too close to the wind An old nautical saying with metaphoric extension, in this case meaning “to be reckless, take too many chances, risk losing everything.” Skinflint A cheap, mean penny-pincher, a Scrooge. The term first recorded in 1690, is said to derive from the medieval saying to skin a fl