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50th post!

Hannah McCall 16 Comments

This is my 50th post on proofreaderhannah.com!

https://pixabay.com/en/background-card-thanks-paper-957477/

Thank you for following my blog. Thank you for your kind and interesting comments. Thank you for liking my posts. Thank you for your emails and tweets.

I hope that my posts have been helpful and at least a little bit interesting; I have certainly enjoyed reading your blogs.

If you have any content or topics you would like to suggest for future posts, please let me know.

To show my appreciation, I would like to offer all of my followers 20% off the total fee for the first project I work on with them. All you have to do is follow me on WordPress, follow me on Twitter, or like my page on Facebook. Please tell me that you follow me when you request a project quote.

You can follow me on twitter here:

You can like my page on Facebook here: Hannah McCall – Proofreader

Once again, thank you. You are all wonderful.

Sesquipedalian

Hannah McCall 12 Comments

Here’s a new type of interesting word for this blog – a word that is autological. Autological words are members of or have features of the category they describe. They have or represent the property they denote.

Sesquipedalian means ‘having many syllables’. It can also be used to describe something as given to using long words or being long-winded.

Its origin is mid 17th century, from the Latin sesquipedalis meaning ‘a foot and a half long’.

Are you on tenderhooks?

Hannah McCall 5 Comments

No, but you might be on tenterhooks.

If you are on tenterhooks, you are in a state of suspense or agitation because of uncertainty about an event in the future.

Tenterhooks were hooks that held cloth firmly in place on tenters. Tenters were wooden frames used to stretch cloth after it had been milled. They were used so that cloth dried evenly and didn’t shrink.

The first usage of tenterhooks in the sense of suspense can be found in Tobias Smollett’s novel The Adventures of Roderick Random, published in 1748: “I made no reply, but left him upon the tenter-hooks of impatient uncertainty.”

Alley-oop

Hannah McCall Leave a comment

This term will probably be familiar to basketball fans.

The word alley-oop was first used in the early 20th century, and it is suggested that it originates from the French allez! (meaning ‘go on’ said in an encouraging way) and an alteration of up.

https://pixabay.com/en/basket-hoop-basketball-game-net-821529/An alley-oop or alley-oop pass is a high pass caught above the basket by a leaping player who tries to dunk the ball before landing.

Alley-oop can also be used as an exclamation. It encourages or draws attention to the performance of a physical feat (often acrobatic).

There is a song by the Hollywood Argyles titled Alley Oop; it was inspired by a comic strip of the same name. I prefer the version that the Beach Boys released. Here it is:

You’re welcome.

‘Presume’ and ‘assume’

Hannah McCall 2 Comments

Presume and assume can both mean ‘suppose’ and are often used as if they are interchangeable. However, there is a difference:

  • Presume: to suppose something is the case on the basis of probability.
  • Assume: to suppose something is the case without proof.

Usage of assume that is more common than presume that, so assume may feel more natural to use in conversation.

Both assume and presume can also mean ‘to take on oneself’. The usages are usually as follows:

  • Assume: to take on a role.
  • Presume: to take on an attitude.

Fiddle-faddle

Hannah McCall Leave a comment

Fiddle-faddle is an old-fashioned word; its origin is late 16th century, and it is a reduplication of fiddle.

It means trivial matters or nonsense. In this sense, it can be used as a noun or an exclamation/interjection.

It can also be used as a verb meaning to bother over trifles*, fuss or waste time. You can be a fiddle-faddler.

I understand that Fiddle Faddle is an American popcorn product, which is interesting. It is also the name of a musical composition by Leroy Anderson – I’ve listened to it; it’s quite nice. If you use Spotify, here it is:

*Not the desserts, but something of little value or importance.

More nautical words!

Hannah McCall 1 Comment

It’s World Maritime Day. Here are some nautical terms you might find interesting:

  • Affreightment: a contract hiring a vessel to carry goodshttps://pixabay.com/en/sunset-boat-sea-ship-675847/
  • Bitts: a pair of posts mounted on a ship for fastening ropes or cables
  • Bream: to clean a ship (or its bottom) of weeds and other matter by burning or scraping it
  • Bumpkin (or bumkin or boomkin): a short boom projecting from the deck of a ship
  • Cabotage: sailing between points in the same country
  • Cocket: an official form issued by a customs officer or an official seal from a customs house
  • Scuttlebutt: a water butt or cask containing drinking water on board a ship; rumour or idle gossip (because sailors would trade gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink)
  • Walty: insecure or wobbly; inclined to tip over, lean or list

You can find more information on World Maritime Day here.