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Why Are Some Competitions “Heats”?

Why do we use the word heat to denote a preliminary qualifying race? Hundreds of years ago, a single instance of heating something such as a piece of metal over a fire for metalworking was called a heat. Later that term was applied to “a round...

Pronouncing Route

An ESL teacher puzzles over how to explain to his students the proper pronunciation of the word route. He asks whether the pronunciation “root” has been “routed” by “rowt.” This is part of a complete episode.

missional

missional  adj.— «Today’s missional Christians have expanded the mission of God to global warming, the environment, voting for the occasional democrat, serving the poor, building homes for Habitat for Humanity, giving away groceries to the...

trout pout

trout pout  n.— «[Leslie Ash, ] the new star of BBC1’s Merseybeat police drama admits fins haven’t been the same since surgery to plump up her lips left her with what she describes as “my trout pout.”» —“From Beauty To Old...

trout pout

trout pout  n.— «Actress Leslie Ash has warned women to beware the perils of cosmetic surgery after her lip enhancement procedure went disastrously wrong. The Merseybeat star said she had been through hell since implants left her with an...