Blog | Ontario

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loriannlivingston

Jan 16, 2019
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: omnishambles

Chiefly British Informal. A situation, especially in politics, in which poor judgment results in disorder or chaos with potentially...

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loriannlivingston

Jan 7, 2019
2 min

Snug as a bug in a bunny hug

I came across a set of linguistic maps on Facebook recently. They’re maps of Canada – there are 23 of them highlighting the regional...

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loriannlivingston

Jan 4, 2019
3 min

Resolving to read

I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions. I think they’re shortlived, sometimes counter-productive, and can lead to an awful lot of guilt....

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loriannlivingston

Dec 19, 2018
3 min

Wordie Wednesday: coddiwomple

Coddiwomple (v.) To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination Let’s coddiwomple over to the river or market. “Pack your...

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loriannlivingston

Dec 12, 2018
1 min

Wordie Wednesday: mar

Verb \ˈmär \ [WITH OBJECT] Definition: Impair the quality or appearance of; spoil. Origin: Old English merran ‘hinder, damage’, of...

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Shirts, collars and spending: what’s a laundry list?

loriannlivingston

Dec 11, 2018
2 min

Shirts, collars and spending: what’s a laundry list?

This morning I heard a politician talking about a “laundry list of spending.” It’s a funny term, laundry list. I make to-do lists and...

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loriannlivingston

Dec 5, 2018
2 min

Words of the Year

About this time every year, the Western world’s dictionaries decide what the Word of the Year is. Most notably, the Oxford Dictionary...

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loriannlivingston

Dec 5, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: lollygag

lol·ly·gag | \ˈlä-lē-ˌgag \ variants: or less commonly lallygag, lollygagged; lollygagging Definition: (intransitive verb): Fool...

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loriannlivingston

Dec 3, 2018
5 min

Kiss and McTell

One song made and nearly broke Ralph McTell. When he wrote Streets of London at the age of 23, he had no idea how much he would live in...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 28, 2018
2 min

Six tips for your website

Did you know, on the average web page, skimming and scanning text is common behaviour for most visitors? Users have time to read at most...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 28, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: vamoose

vamoose verb va·moose | \və-ˈmüs, va-\ vamoosed; vamoosing Definition of vamoose: intransitive verb : to depart quickly The night can...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 21, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: sippet

Definition of sippet A small piece of bread or the like for dipping in liquid food, as in gravy or milk; a small sop. A small bit;...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 20, 2018
1 min

Bad fences make better neighbours

That's the title of a personal essay I submitted to the Globe and Mail, and what do you know? They liked it. You can read the full essay...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 14, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: serendipity

ser·en·dip·i·ty | \ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē \ Definition of serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or...

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Fun with idioms, or we could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue

loriannlivingston

Nov 12, 2018
2 min

Fun with idioms, or we could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue

I found this great website that collects all the mixed idioms from news sources. An idiom is a way of speaking that is natural to native...

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loriannlivingston

Nov 7, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: cantankerous

From the Oxford English dictionary Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative. Mid 18th century: of unknown origin; perhaps a blend...

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Its vs. it’s: spotting misplaced apostrophes

loriannlivingston

Nov 2, 2018
1 min

Its vs. it’s: spotting misplaced apostrophes

I can spot a misplaced apostrophe in a single glance. It’s my superpower. It’s an easy mistake to make, and even the most seasoned...

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loriannlivingston

Oct 31, 2018
2 min

It’s Halloween

At first cock-crow the ghosts must go. Back to their quiet graves below. – Theodosia Garrison Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn...

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loriannlivingston

Oct 31, 2018
2 min

Wordie Wednesday: will-o'-the-wisp

noun \ˌwil-ə-t͟hə-ˈwisp \ Definition of will-o'-the-wisp Ignis fatuus: a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and...

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loriannlivingston

Oct 29, 2018
4 min

A journey of a thousand stories

Have you ever met someone, even briefly, whose story resonated with you, and even years after, you still remember what they said, or how...

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