‘Presume’ and ‘assume’

September 30, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah 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.

‘Bizarre’ or ‘bazaar’?

September 28, 2015October 19, 2015Hannah McCall 2 Comments

Bizarre: odd, strange or unusual (usually in an interesting or amusing way).

Bazaar: a sale (especially in aid of a charity) or a market area (often a street of small stalls).

Fiddle-faddle

September 25, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah 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!

September 24, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah 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 goods
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.

‘Fourth’ and ‘forth’

September 23, 2015September 24, 2015Hannah McCall 1 Comment

These two are homophones, and we all know what that means.

Fourth: number four in a sequence. Sometimes a fourth is used to mean a quarter (usually North American usage). There are also some applications in regards to musical notes.

Forth: onward/forward in time or place, or out from a starting point and forward/into view.

‘Current’ or ‘currant’?

September 21, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

Currant

A small dried fruit made from a seedless grape*
A small round acid berry
A family of shrubs that produce berries (including redcurrants and blackcurrants)

Current

Of the immediate present – happening or being done/used now
Most recent or up-to-date
Commonly accepted or in common use
A flow of air or water in a definite direction, particularly through a body of air or water that has less movement
A flow of electricity or the rate of flow of electric charge
A general trend or drift (thoughts, opinions and events)

* Only acceptable in foodstuffs if it has first been soaked in copious amounts of brandy, rum or similar (as far as I am concerned).

Major-domo

September 18, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 2 Comments

The chief steward or butler of a large household, the person who runs an organization or project, or a person who speaks or makes arrangements for another person.

The plural is major-domos.

The word’s origins are 16th century, stemming from Spanish and Italian variants of the medieval Latin major domus meaning ‘highest official of the household’ (Oxford Dictionaries).

‘I.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ are not interchangeable

September 16, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 16 Comments

When I proofread essays, I often find that these two abbreviations are used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.

I.e. is the abbreviation for id est. This means ‘that is (to say)’. Use i.e. when you want to introduce another way of putting what you have already written.

E.g. is the abbreviation for exempli gratia. This means ‘for example’. Use e.g. when you want to introduce an illustrative example.

‘Cease’ and ‘seize’

September 14, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 8 Comments

I spotted this for the first time only recently.

There seems to be particular confusion over phrases such as ‘never ceases to amaze me’ or ‘seize the moment’. ‘Cease the moment’ is wrong, and here is why:

Cease

To bring or come to an end

Seize

To take hold of forcibly, suddenly or quickly; to grab
To take by force or capture
To take possession (of something) by warrant or legal right
To take immediate advantage of (usually an opportunity)
To take (an opportunity) in an eager and decisive manner
To affect or fill the mind (of someone) suddenly
To understand (something) clearly or quickly
To become jammed, usually through overheating (mechanical parts). Often used as seize(d) up
To stop being able to work or move normally (usage is often as seize up)

Jack-in-office

September 11, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 6 Comments

Jack-in-office is a term primarily used in British English.

A jack-in-office is a self-important, rude, and/or petty minor official (or other person holding some authority). The plural is jacks-in-office.

You may recognise the word from the well-known painting by Edwin Landseer called A Jack in Office, and a character in Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story The Adventure of the Speckled Band calls Sherlock Holmes ‘the Scotland Yard Jack-in-office’.