Feb 19, 2026 Advanced language and culture, Chunk of the day, Chunks Metaphors we live by: a company is like a ship In their seminal 1980 book, ‘Metaphors We Live By‘, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson suggested that metaphors are a tool that allow us to use what we know about our physical and social environment to understand more – and to talk abut – abstract things like time, emotions, work and mental activity. They also looked […]
Jun 23, 2025 Chunk of the day, Chunks, Lexis More sailing idioms This is the second in a short series of posts looking at sailing idioms and idioms connected to the UK’s long history as a maritime nation. It’s a reflection of the way in which our 8000-mile coastline has shaped the language and the way we process the world – and by the way, you can […]
Jan 6, 2025 Chunk of the day, Chunks, Lexis Boat Idioms There are a lot of boat idioms in English perhaps as a result of the history and geography of UK itself. The United Kingdom has almost 8000 miles of coastline and a long history as a seafaring nation, so it’s no surprise that many words and phrases that were originally used on boats and at […]
Dec 20, 2023 Chunk of the day, Chunks More fictional characters who appear in everyday English After the positive reception that my last post on literary figures in everyday speech got, I figured it made sense to write a follow-up exploring the way the names of some more fictional characters are used in daily conversation. Today, we’ll look at five famous characters and consider how they’ve passed into the language. First […]
Dec 5, 2023 Chunk of the day, Chunks From a trickle to a flood: water metaphors and their emotional pull One of the most depressing things about British politics right now – and trust me, there are plenty of things to get depressed about – is the fact that there aren’t really any mainstream politicians who’re willing to be honest about the fact that the country needs immigrants . . . and that without significant […]
