Food Idioms

Nutshell [nuht-shel]

The term in a nutshell refers to a short description, or a story told in no more words than can physically fit in the shell of a nut. But the origin of the term tests those limits with the most longwinded of tales. The ancient Roman encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder claimed that a copy of Homer's The Iliad existed that was small enough to fit inside a walnut shell. Almost 2000 years later in the early 1700s the Bishop of Avranches tested Pliny's theory by writing out the epic in tiny handwriting on a walnut-sized piece of paper and lo and behold, he did it!

For Example...

What's In A Name: Fast Food

Fast Food!

Food is an amazing multi-sensory experience. Taste is the obvious payoff, but we also talk about it with our friends and watch food shows on TV. Even listening to food (imagine the sound of bacon frying) can make your mouth water!

Fast food plays on these effects. They make their burger sound perfect on that radio ad, and before you know it, you're in the car and on the way for your favorite burger/taco/pizza etc. Fast food in the United States really began as a concept when the popularity of automobiles took off in the 1920s. With the highway infrastructure expanding, more Americans took to the roads, and restaurant chains realized they basically had captive (and hungry) audiences motoring along these long ribbons of concrete.

Latin Phrases

How to soften an order & be polite

How to soften an order?

Instead of using an imperative, you can use an introductory phrase. Here are some common ways of rephrasing an order.

Would you mind…?

This is the most polite form. Note that would you mind…? is followed by a noun or an –ing form.

Would you mind waiting for an hour?

Would you mind doing the dishes?

The Saddest Words

Back To School

Back to school are three words that most kids loathe and all parents love. While there’s no hard data to support that, if you random polled a group of kids and asked them if they’d rather be hanging out at the swimming pool with their friends or waiting at the cold bus stop at seven in the morning, it’s a pretty fair bet they’ll pick the pool.

Write Better Emails

Source: www.grammarcheck.net