CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="profile" href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11"> <link rel="pingback" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/xmlrpc.php"> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style>  <meta name="google-site-verification" content="SPmTcPb5b6kxs2QTu47s5XxrKN17DAapGtNVFMx7E9g" />  <title>Paul Heacock, Author at About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="profile" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Paul Heacock, Author at About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=500&d=identicon&r=g" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@CambridgeWords" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"ProfilePage","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/","url":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/","name":"Paul Heacock, Author at About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Archives for Paul Heacock"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#website","url":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/","name":"About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog","description":"Commenting on developments in the English language","publisher":{"@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#organization","name":"Cambridge Dictionary","url":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/og-image.png?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/og-image.png?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Cambridge Dictionary"},"image":{"@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/CUPCambridgeDictionary","https://x.com/CambridgeWords","https://www.instagram.com/cambridgewords/","https://www.youtube.com/c/cambridgedictionary"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#/schema/person/0f82c4dd654688e11048557ac97683df","name":"Paul Heacock","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Paul Heacock"},"description":"I manage dictionary publishing for Cambridge University Press, and have worked as a writer and editor of dictionaries and reference books for most of my career. I love words, music, and opportunities to experience other cultures.","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/"}}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//secure.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//stats.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts-api.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//widgets.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//jetpack.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//public-api.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//0.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//1.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//2.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='preconnect' href='//i0.wp.com' /> <link rel='preconnect' href='//c0.wp.com' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog » Feed" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog » Comments Feed" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/comments/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="About Words - Cambridge Dictionary blog » Posts by Paul Heacock Feed" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/feed/" /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-44274e4aa26046a15666d88545a3fb51' href='https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/_static/??-eJylU1tuwyAQvFAJSt/9qPoTKQfoASoMW7LJGhALdX374iSOEudlpX8MzMw+aYLQ3iVwSQbKFh1LmwusIFpZZSQjK/J6JQirqGIrObUEE8181xxLSbU+J2EjmkMiOk3ZAMslyxoMKiCoO+U+CEUOURBYpdtJje6qurzt433NMDXt13WwNMhpk5zo78T0JhX8Fi6jd3yTXDmsVSryc+rhILSvg3eFwZensIu669sMAjgDTmMBcz9TxrTys/PgrTepBJyGjmlR+lrG6n9AR/WdTscdsoRedJb/5vb1LCEFpVfyq9QjLTiIWCh8+njNpPYmd2VrFX1mIMkNhrJ1VXbmegpH6u2D6C/GGiQkMMIqIiif6gIaa0i4gjN7cTTFro+bZWxCWaqxIThXrCOGbmcHaLTFQkUw6/XrjujsqKGz16hIkLeeD0D/4z/q9+nLw/Tt/unx9fkPh+/cPQ==' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='wp-block-library-inline-css'> .has-text-align-justify{text-align:justify;} </style> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <style id='jetpack-sharing-buttons-style-inline-css'> .jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list{display:flex;flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0;list-style-type:none;margin:5px;padding:0}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-small-icon-size{font-size:12px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-normal-icon-size{font-size:16px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-large-icon-size{font-size:24px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-huge-icon-size{font-size:36px}@media print{.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list{display:none!important}}.editor-styles-wrapper .wp-block-jetpack-sharing-buttons{gap:0;padding-inline-start:0}ul.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-background{padding:1.25em 2.375em} </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--font-family--albert-sans: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--alegreya: Alegreya, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--arvo: Arvo, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--bodoni-moda: 'Bodoni Moda', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--bricolage-grotesque: 'Bricolage Grotesque', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--cabin: Cabin, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--chivo: Chivo, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--commissioner: Commissioner, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--cormorant: Cormorant, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--courier-prime: 'Courier Prime', monospace;--wp--preset--font-family--crimson-pro: 'Crimson Pro', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--dm-mono: 'DM Mono', monospace;--wp--preset--font-family--dm-sans: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--dm-serif-display: 'DM Serif Display', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--domine: Domine, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--eb-garamond: 'EB Garamond', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--epilogue: Epilogue, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--fahkwang: Fahkwang, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--figtree: Figtree, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--fira-sans: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--fjalla-one: 'Fjalla One', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--fraunces: Fraunces, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--gabarito: Gabarito, system-ui;--wp--preset--font-family--ibm-plex-mono: 'IBM Plex Mono', monospace;--wp--preset--font-family--ibm-plex-sans: 'IBM Plex Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--ibarra-real-nova: 'Ibarra Real Nova', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--instrument-serif: 'Instrument Serif', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--inter: Inter, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--josefin-sans: 'Josefin Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--jost: Jost, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--libre-baskerville: 'Libre Baskerville', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--libre-franklin: 'Libre Franklin', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--literata: Literata, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--lora: Lora, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--merriweather: Merriweather, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--montserrat: Montserrat, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--newsreader: Newsreader, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--noto-sans-mono: 'Noto Sans Mono', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--nunito: Nunito, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--open-sans: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--overpass: Overpass, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--pt-serif: 'PT Serif', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--petrona: Petrona, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--piazzolla: Piazzolla, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--playfair-display: 'Playfair Display', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--plus-jakarta-sans: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--poppins: Poppins, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--raleway: Raleway, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--roboto: Roboto, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--roboto-slab: 'Roboto Slab', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--rubik: Rubik, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--rufina: Rufina, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--sora: Sora, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--source-sans-3: 'Source Sans 3', sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--source-serif-4: 'Source Serif 4', serif;--wp--preset--font-family--space-mono: 'Space Mono', monospace;--wp--preset--font-family--syne: Syne, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--texturina: Texturina, serif;--wp--preset--font-family--urbanist: Urbanist, sans-serif;--wp--preset--font-family--work-sans: 'Work Sans', sans-serif;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;}.has-albert-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--albert-sans) !important;}.has-alegreya-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--alegreya) !important;}.has-arvo-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--arvo) !important;}.has-bodoni-moda-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--bodoni-moda) !important;}.has-bricolage-grotesque-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--bricolage-grotesque) !important;}.has-cabin-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--cabin) !important;}.has-chivo-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--chivo) !important;}.has-commissioner-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--commissioner) !important;}.has-cormorant-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--cormorant) !important;}.has-courier-prime-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--courier-prime) !important;}.has-crimson-pro-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--crimson-pro) !important;}.has-dm-mono-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--dm-mono) !important;}.has-dm-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--dm-sans) !important;}.has-dm-serif-display-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--dm-serif-display) !important;}.has-domine-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--domine) !important;}.has-eb-garamond-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--eb-garamond) !important;}.has-epilogue-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--epilogue) !important;}.has-fahkwang-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--fahkwang) !important;}.has-figtree-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--figtree) !important;}.has-fira-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--fira-sans) !important;}.has-fjalla-one-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--fjalla-one) !important;}.has-fraunces-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--fraunces) !important;}.has-gabarito-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--gabarito) !important;}.has-ibm-plex-mono-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--ibm-plex-mono) !important;}.has-ibm-plex-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--ibm-plex-sans) !important;}.has-ibarra-real-nova-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--ibarra-real-nova) !important;}.has-instrument-serif-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--instrument-serif) !important;}.has-inter-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--inter) !important;}.has-josefin-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--josefin-sans) !important;}.has-jost-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--jost) !important;}.has-libre-baskerville-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--libre-baskerville) !important;}.has-libre-franklin-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--libre-franklin) !important;}.has-literata-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--literata) !important;}.has-lora-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--lora) !important;}.has-merriweather-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--merriweather) !important;}.has-montserrat-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--montserrat) !important;}.has-newsreader-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--newsreader) !important;}.has-noto-sans-mono-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--noto-sans-mono) !important;}.has-nunito-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--nunito) !important;}.has-open-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--open-sans) !important;}.has-overpass-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--overpass) !important;}.has-pt-serif-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--pt-serif) !important;}.has-petrona-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--petrona) !important;}.has-piazzolla-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--piazzolla) !important;}.has-playfair-display-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--playfair-display) !important;}.has-plus-jakarta-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--plus-jakarta-sans) !important;}.has-poppins-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--poppins) !important;}.has-raleway-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--raleway) !important;}.has-roboto-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--roboto) !important;}.has-roboto-slab-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--roboto-slab) !important;}.has-rubik-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--rubik) !important;}.has-rufina-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--rufina) !important;}.has-sora-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--sora) !important;}.has-source-sans-3-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--source-sans-3) !important;}.has-source-serif-4-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--source-serif-4) !important;}.has-space-mono-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--space-mono) !important;}.has-syne-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--syne) !important;}.has-texturina-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--texturina) !important;}.has-urbanist-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--urbanist) !important;}.has-work-sans-font-family{font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--work-sans) !important;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dashicons-css' href='https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-includes/css/dashicons.min.css?ver=6.7.1' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='lovecraft-fonts-css' href='https://fonts-api.wp.com/css?family=Playfair+Display%3A400%2C700%2C400italic%7CLato%3A400%2C400italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext&ver=6.7.1' media='all' /> <style id='jetpack-global-styles-frontend-style-inline-css'> :root { --font-headings: unset; --font-base: unset; --font-headings-default: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif; --font-base-default: -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;} </style> <script type="text/javascript" id="jetpack-mu-wpcom-settings-js-before"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var JETPACK_MU_WPCOM_SETTINGS = {"assetsUrl":"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/wpcomsh\/vendor\/automattic\/jetpack-mu-wpcom\/src\/build\/"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1" id="jquery-core-js"></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?m=1686289764'></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-json/wp/v2/users/19732970" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <style>img#wpstats{display:none}</style> <style type="text/css"> .recentcomments a { display: inline !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } table.recentcommentsavatartop img.avatar, table.recentcommentsavatarend img.avatar { border: 0px; margin: 0; } table.recentcommentsavatartop a, table.recentcommentsavatarend a { border: 0px !important; background-color: transparent !important; } td.recentcommentsavatarend, td.recentcommentsavatartop { padding: 0px 0px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; } td.recentcommentstextend { border: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 2px 10px; } .rtl td.recentcommentstextend { padding: 0px 10px 2px 0px; } td.recentcommentstexttop { border: none; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; } .rtl td.recentcommentstexttop { padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; } </style> <style type="text/css"> .site-title, .site-description { position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); } </style> <link rel="icon" href="https://s0.wp.com/i/webclip.png" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://s0.wp.com/i/webclip.png" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://s0.wp.com/i/webclip.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://s0.wp.com/i/webclip.png" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" id="wp-custom-css" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/?custom-css=c4b7b886d8" />  <script async src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-0KGCN0J803'></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag() { dataLayer.push( arguments ); } gtag( 'js', new Date() ); gtag( 'config', "G-0KGCN0J803" ); </script>  </head> <body class="archive author author-pheacock author-19732970 wp-embed-responsive group-blog"> <div id="page" class="hfeed site"> <a class="skip-link screen-reader-text" href="#content">Skip to content</a> <header id="masthead" class="site-header" role="banner"> <div class="site-branding"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/" class="site-logo-link" rel="home" itemprop="url"></a> <h1 class="site-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/" rel="home">About Words – Cambridge Dictionary blog</a></h1> <p class="site-description">Commenting on developments in the English language</p> </div> <div class="toggles clear"> <button class="menu-toggle toggle" aria-controls="primary-menu" aria-expanded="false"> <div class="bar"></div> <div class="bar"></div> <div class="bar"></div> <span class="screen-reader-text">Menu</span> </button> <button class="search-toggle toggle"> <div class="genericon genericon-search" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search</span> </div> </button> </div> <nav id="site-navigation" class="main-navigation" role="navigation"> <div class="menu-cdo-container"><ul id="primary-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-7610" class="home menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-home menu-item-7610"><a href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org">Home</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7609" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7609"><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org">Cambridge</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7611" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7611"><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/">Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7612" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7612"><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/translate/">Translate</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7613" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7613"><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/">Grammar</a></li> <li id="menu-item-13516" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-13516"><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/">Thesaurus</a></li> <li id="menu-item-13449" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-13449"><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/plus/">+Plus</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7615" class="twitter menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7615"><a href="https://twitter.com/CambridgeWords">Twitter</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7616" class="facebook menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7616"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CUPCambridgeDictionary/">Facebook</a></li> <li id="menu-item-7617" class="follow menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-7617"><a href="#">Follow us</a></li> </ul></div> </nav> <div class="mobile-search"> <form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/"> <label> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span> <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s" title="Search for:" /> </label> <button type="submit" class="search-submit"> <span class="genericon genericon-search"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search</span> </span> </button> </form> </div> </header> <a class="header-image-wrapper" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/" rel="home"> <div class="header-image bg-image" style="background-image: url(https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cropped-About-Words-blog-header-2560x888-1.jpg)"> <img src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cropped-About-Words-blog-header-2560x888-1.jpg" width="1280" height="443" alt=""> </div> </a> <div id="content" class="site-content"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <header class="page-header"> <h1 class="page-title">Author: <span>Paul Heacock</span></h1><div class="taxonomy-description">I manage dictionary publishing for Cambridge University Press, and have worked as a writer and editor of dictionaries and reference books for most of my career. I love words, music, and opportunities to experience other cultures.</div> </header> <article id="post-2406" class="post-2406 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-the-english-language"> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/" rel="bookmark">A sad farewell</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2013-06-12T07:00:05+01:00">June 12, 2013</time><time class="updated" datetime="2016-06-22T22:26:38+01:00">June 22, 2016</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/">Paul Heacock</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/#comments">6 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hugh.jpg"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="2407" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/hugh/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hugh.jpg?fit=353%2C471&ssl=1" data-orig-size="353,471" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":""}" data-image-title="Hugh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hugh.jpg?fit=225%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hugh.jpg?fit=353%2C471&ssl=1" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-2407" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hugh.jpg?resize=224%2C300" alt="Hugh" width="224" height="300" /></a> Hugh Rawson, a regular contributor to the Cambridge Dictionaries Online blog for the first two and a half years of its existence, died unexpectedly on June 1st. He was 76.</p> <p>Hugh’s love of the English language was evident in his posts. All aspects of the language engaged him, and his enthusiasm came through in his writing. He also loved talking about words with others, as can be seen from the responses to readers he posted in the Comments. He loved puns and word play, and was fascinated by the ways words can be used to disguise or expose the truth. Hugh felt that people – especially politicians – are too easily tempted to <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/obfuscate?q=obfuscate">obfuscate</a> what they mean, and he was amused by linguistic efforts to disguise reality, especially with regard to bodily functions, behind “polite” terms. He understood the power that language can have, and the responsibility we all share to use language wisely, and well.</p> <p>His three books about language – <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rawsons-Dictionary-Euphemisms-Other-Doubletalk/dp/0785816933/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370961516&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Rawson’s Dictionary of Euphemisms & Other Doubletalk</a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wicked-Words-Put-downs-Unprintable-Anglo-Saxon/dp/0517590891/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1370961516&sr=8-8&keywords=hugh+rawson" target="_blank">Wicked Words</a></em> (which covers personal insults, ethnic slurs, political attacks, and the so-called four-letter words, among others), and <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devious-Derivations-Hugh-Rawson/dp/078581700X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370961516&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Devious Derivations</a></em> which explores folk etymologies) – are classics in the field. He also wrote <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Unwritten-Laws-Life-Unofficial/dp/0955655714/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1370961516&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Unwritten Laws: The Unofficial Rules of Life as Handed Down by Murphy and other Sages</a></em> and, with his wife, Margaret Miner, co-authored five dictionaries of quotations: <em>The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations</em>, <em>The New International Dictionary of Quotations</em>, <em>A Dictionary of Quotations from the Bible</em>, <em>A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare</em>, and the <em>American Heritage Dictionary of Quotations</em>.</p> <p>Earlier in his career, Hugh worked as an editor at various New York publishing houses. I was lucky enough to land a job as his assistant when I started to work in publishing, and learned a great deal from him not just about how to deal with the text on a page (or, later, on a screen) but about how to deal with the people whose work is being published and the colleagues who are also involved in that effort. His warmth, intelligence, and decency touched everyone who came into contact with him and served as an example. It was an honor, all these years after he first took me under his wing, to be able to publish his posts and bring his insights to a new audience.</p> <p>All of us at Cambridge Dictionaries Online who worked with Hugh were touched by his humanity. We will miss him, and we suspect a lot of you will miss him too. He was, to use a term from one of his last <a title="Speaking of Yiddish" href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/04/22/speaking-of-yiddish-2/">posts</a>, a real <em>mensch</em>.</p> <p style="text-align:right;">by <a title="Paul Heacock" href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/paul-heacock/">Paul Heacock</a></p> <div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing"><h3 class="sd-title">Share this:</h3><div class="sd-content"><ul><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-facebook-2406" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=facebook" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Facebook" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-twitter-2406" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=twitter" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Twitter" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-reddit"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-reddit sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=reddit" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Reddit" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-email sd-button share-icon no-text" href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20A%20sad%20farewell&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2013%2F06%2F12%2Fasadfarewell%2F&share=email" target="_blank" title="Click to email a link to a friend" data-email-share-error-title="Do you have email set up?" data-email-share-error-text="If you're having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. You may need to create a new email yourself." data-email-share-nonce="e9e38475bb" data-email-share-track-url="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=email"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-print"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-print sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/" target="_blank" title="Click to print" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to print (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-linkedin"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-linkedin-2406" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=linkedin" target="_blank" title="Click to share on LinkedIn" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-pinterest"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-pinterest-2406" class="share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/?share=pinterest" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Pinterest" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul></div></div></div><div class='sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-post-wrapper-18458032-2406-674314c55f1c2' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.1-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=2406&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-2406-674314c55f1c2&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-2406-674314c55f1c2' data-title='Like or Reblog'><h3 class="sd-title">Like this:</h3><div class='likes-widget-placeholder post-likes-widget-placeholder' style='height: 55px;'><span class='button'><span>Like</span></span> <span class="loading">Loading...</span></div><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> </article> <article id="post-2064" class="post-2064 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-the-english-language tag-finance tag-hurricane-sandy tag-neologisms tag-politics tag-the-english-language tag-the-olympic-games tag-words-of-the-year"> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/" rel="bookmark">The words of 2012</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2012-12-18T09:00:39+00:00">December 18, 2012</time><time class="updated" datetime="2013-01-18T12:27:23+00:00">January 18, 2013</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/">Paul Heacock</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/#comments">7 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p>by <a href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/paul-heacock/">Paul Heacock</a></p> <p>As the year winds to a close, it is once again time for the staff and contributors to Cambridge Dictionaries Online and its blog, About Words, to sort through the year gone by and highlight the words and phrases that rose to <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/prominence?q=prominence" target="_blank">prominence</a>. In one way or another, all of these strike us as <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/emblematic?q=emblematic" target="_blank">emblematic</a> of 2012.</p> <p>The new year brought some typical words <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fore_1?q=fore" target="_blank">to the fore</a>, with <b>resolution</b> and <b>prosperous</b> making <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/meteoric_2" target="_blank">meteoric</a> jumps in the number of searches for each. But many of our visitors must have had a romantic start to the year, because <b>cuddle</b> also became a very popular word to look up.</p> <p>The second month of 2012 brought a more sober frame of mind, with words like <b>bailout, hostile, grim</b> and <b>fail</b> all getting huge <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/uptick?q=uptick" target="_blank">upticks</a> in searches on CDO.</p> <p>In April, the phrasal verb <b>give up</b> made a sudden appearance at the top of our most-searched-for list. It was the only top 50 appearance for the term all year, and seems odd coming in springtime. Perhaps the searches were in reference to the financial turmoil, or to the tradition of giving up something for <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/lent_2" target="_blank">Lent</a>, or to news reports in the US that month showing what people were willing to give up in order to have access to the Internet. <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/#more-2064" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“The words of 2012”</span> <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a></p> <div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing"><h3 class="sd-title">Share this:</h3><div class="sd-content"><ul><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-facebook-2064" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=facebook" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Facebook" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-twitter-2064" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=twitter" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Twitter" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-reddit"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-reddit sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=reddit" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Reddit" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-email sd-button share-icon no-text" href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20The%20words%20of%202012&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2012%2F12%2F18%2Fthe-words-of-2012%2F&share=email" target="_blank" title="Click to email a link to a friend" data-email-share-error-title="Do you have email set up?" data-email-share-error-text="If you're having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. You may need to create a new email yourself." data-email-share-nonce="e099f737d0" data-email-share-track-url="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=email"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-print"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-print sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/" target="_blank" title="Click to print" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to print (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-linkedin"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-linkedin-2064" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=linkedin" target="_blank" title="Click to share on LinkedIn" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-pinterest"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-pinterest-2064" class="share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/?share=pinterest" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Pinterest" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul></div></div></div><div class='sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-post-wrapper-18458032-2064-674314c56099f' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.1-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=2064&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-2064-674314c56099f&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-2064-674314c56099f' data-title='Like or Reblog'><h3 class="sd-title">Like this:</h3><div class='likes-widget-placeholder post-likes-widget-placeholder' style='height: 55px;'><span class='button'><span>Like</span></span> <span class="loading">Loading...</span></div><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> </article> <article id="post-1113" class="post-1113 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-the-english-language tag-euphemism tag-finance tag-internet tag-politics tag-revolutions tag-silly-words tag-words-of-the-year"> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/" rel="bookmark">The words of 2011</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2011-12-27T05:00:08+00:00">December 27, 2011</time><time class="updated" datetime="2012-01-12T21:53:18+00:00">January 12, 2012</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/">Paul Heacock</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/#comments">8 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p>by <a href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/paul-heacock/">Paul Heacock</a></p> <p>As the year draws to an end, we make lists: Best Movies of the Year, Favorite Sports Moments and Key Political Events appear in national and international publications; Top Sales Reps or Most-Viewed Intranet Stories show up on corporate websites and in newsletters; many people even send out letters to friends and family detailing their personal “top events” of the year. Lexicographers, too, like to sift through the year’s work, and usually proclaim a Word of the Year. But we felt that a single Word of the Year was too limited. <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/#more-1113" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“The words of 2011”</span> <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a></p> <div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing"><h3 class="sd-title">Share this:</h3><div class="sd-content"><ul><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-facebook-1113" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=facebook" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Facebook" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-twitter-1113" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=twitter" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Twitter" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-reddit"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-reddit sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=reddit" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Reddit" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-email sd-button share-icon no-text" href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20The%20words%20of%202011&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2011%2F12%2F27%2Fthe-words-of-2011%2F&share=email" target="_blank" title="Click to email a link to a friend" data-email-share-error-title="Do you have email set up?" data-email-share-error-text="If you're having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. You may need to create a new email yourself." data-email-share-nonce="662b22dc0c" data-email-share-track-url="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=email"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-print"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-print sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/" target="_blank" title="Click to print" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to print (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-linkedin"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-linkedin-1113" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=linkedin" target="_blank" title="Click to share on LinkedIn" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-pinterest"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-pinterest-1113" class="share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/27/the-words-of-2011/?share=pinterest" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Pinterest" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul></div></div></div><div class='sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-post-wrapper-18458032-1113-674314c561d23' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.1-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=1113&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-1113-674314c561d23&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-1113-674314c561d23' data-title='Like or Reblog'><h3 class="sd-title">Like this:</h3><div class='likes-widget-placeholder post-likes-widget-placeholder' style='height: 55px;'><span class='button'><span>Like</span></span> <span class="loading">Loading...</span></div><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> </article> </main> </div> <div id="secondary" class="widget-area" role="complementary"> <aside id="media_image-3" class="widget widget_media_image"><style>.widget.widget_media_image { overflow: hidden; }.widget.widget_media_image img { height: auto; max-width: 100%; }</style><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org"><img width="1600" height="724" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C724&ssl=1" class="image wp-image-19286 alignleft attachment-full size-full" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=300%2C136&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C463&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=768%2C348&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C695&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C543&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=900%2C407&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?resize=1280%2C579&ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" data-attachment-id="19286" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/about-words-blog-sidebar-800x362/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C724&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1600,724" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="About Words blog sidebar 800×362" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?fit=300%2C136&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/About-Words-blog-sidebar-800x362-1.jpg?fit=640%2C289&ssl=1" /></a></aside><aside id="search-2" class="widget widget_search"><form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/"> <label> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span> <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s" title="Search for:" /> </label> <button type="submit" class="search-submit"> <span class="genericon genericon-search"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search</span> </span> </button> </form></aside><aside id="top-posts-3" class="widget widget_top-posts"><h1 class="widget-title">Top posts</h1><div class='widgets-grid-layout no-grav'> <div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/20/cambridge-dictionary-word-of-the-year-2024/" title="Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year 2024" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/About-Words-blog-image-4050-x-2700-px.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year 2024" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/18/new-words-18-november-2024/" title="New words – 18 November 2024" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/dadcast.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="New words – 18 November 2024" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/13/a-safe-pair-of-hands-newspaper-idioms/" title="A safe pair of hands (Newspaper idioms)" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Safe-pair-of-hands_2163791452-e1728309439260.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="A safe pair of hands (Newspaper idioms)" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2018/11/29/the-peoples-word-of-2018/" title="The People's Word of 2018" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cambridge-word-of-the-year-image-file-v2.png?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="The People's Word of 2018" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2015/12/09/the-peoples-words-of-2015/" title="The People's Words of 2015" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/screen-shot-2015-12-09-at-12-32-01.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/screen-shot-2015-12-09-at-12-32-01.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/screen-shot-2015-12-09-at-12-32-01.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/screen-shot-2015-12-09-at-12-32-01.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x" alt="The People's Words of 2015" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/" title="Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2019/11/04/cambridge-dictionarys-word-of-the-year-2019/" title="Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year 2019" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/upcycling_woty.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year 2019" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2020/07/08/are-idioms-that-use-black-and-white-offensive/" title="Are idioms that use ‘black’ and ‘white’ offensive?" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/black-and-white-1.png?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Are idioms that use ‘black’ and ‘white’ offensive?" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div></div> </aside><aside id="authors-2" class="widget widget_authors"><h1 class="widget-title">Authors</h1><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/aezrac/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/26f314c4585b5bdb9d749f149ee7f10b?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/26f314c4585b5bdb9d749f149ee7f10b?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Ron Carter</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/14/a-few-words-on-corpus-linguistics-part-2/" title="A few words on corpus linguistics part 2">A few words on corpus linguistics part 2</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/12/a-few-words-on-corpus-linguistics/" title="A few words on corpus linguistics">A few words on corpus linguistics</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/cambridgewords/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aef1e4cb2fd31e8f50444ca18ada3b49?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aef1e4cb2fd31e8f50444ca18ada3b49?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Cambridge Words</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/20/cambridge-dictionary-word-of-the-year-2024/" title="Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2024">Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2024</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/18/new-words-18-november-2024/" title="New words – 18 November 2024">New words – 18 November 2024</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/colinjmcintosh/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50053df1e6dad3114823d445b2ffaa08?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50053df1e6dad3114823d445b2ffaa08?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>colinjmcintosh</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2016/08/02/a-life-beyond-fiction/" title="A life beyond fiction">A life beyond fiction</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2016/07/26/whats-in-a-name/" title="What’s in a name?">What’s in a name?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/domcambridge/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0f327ac6616afccb2cad6596b5597928?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0f327ac6616afccb2cad6596b5597928?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Dom Glennon</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/11/26/countability-grammar-codes/" title="Countability – grammar codes">Countability – grammar codes</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/06/04/hairdryers-and-squeaky-bums-the-colourful-world-of-football-words/" title="Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words">Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/drheikek/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ca0ebdcb2fdc28a6eeaf6b28ca63a6cb?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ca0ebdcb2fdc28a6eeaf6b28ca63a6cb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Dr Heike Krüsemann</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2020/08/21/how-to-stay-motivated-during-the-pandemic-what-you-told-us-and-why-it-matters/" title="How to stay motivated during the pandemic: What you told us, and why it matters">How to stay motivated during the pandemic: What you told us, and why it matters</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/hughrawson/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b0b0435c3c567be5d0f6979e5d464be5?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b0b0435c3c567be5d0f6979e5d464be5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>hughrawson</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/07/01/janus-words-two-faced-english/" title="Janus Words – Two-faced English">Janus Words – Two-faced English</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/24/yet-more-yiddish/" title="Yet More Yiddish">Yet More Yiddish</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/katewoodford/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bac5c241ed0266a1b470307bc436f58f?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bac5c241ed0266a1b470307bc436f58f?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Kate Woodford</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/13/a-safe-pair-of-hands-newspaper-idioms/" title="A safe pair of hands (Newspaper idioms)">A safe pair of hands (Newspaper idioms)</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/30/making-the-most-of-it-how-we-talk-about-using-opportunities/" title="Making the most of it (How we talk about using opportunities)">Making the most of it (How we talk about using opportunities)</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Liz Walter</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/" title="Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance">Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/" title="Wise, brainy, or astute: words for describing intelligent people">Wise, brainy, or astute: words for describing intelligent people</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/patriciaferraz/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6cc62e6d9d2486f6f3e1d23e8ed1954c?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6cc62e6d9d2486f6f3e1d23e8ed1954c?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Patricia Ferraz</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/07/24/idioms-in-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society/" title="Putting a spanner in the works – Idioms in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society">Putting a spanner in the works – Idioms in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/07/17/idioms-in-the-thursday-murder-club/" title="In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club">In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Paul Heacock</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/" title="A sad farewell">A sad farewell</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/" title="The words of 2012">The words of 2012</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/racheledf/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/13391686972a7e5cb25e9c3e7c977088?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/13391686972a7e5cb25e9c3e7c977088?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>racheledf</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/01/13/what-can-we-learn-from-emails/" title="What can we learn from emails?">What can we learn from emails?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/trevorbryden/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1bae3f8b5386d3c4e41bef30ba924e8?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1bae3f8b5386d3c4e41bef30ba924e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Trevor Bryden</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/04/17/mind-your-ps-and-qs/" title="Mind your p’s and q’s">Mind your p’s and q’s</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/02/27/what-makes-a-litter/" title="What makes a litter?">What makes a litter?</a></li></ul></li></ul></aside><aside id="twitter_timeline-3" class="widget widget_twitter_timeline"><h1 class="widget-title">Latest tweets</h1><a class="twitter-timeline" data-width="220" data-height="400" data-theme="light" data-border-color="#e8e8e8" data-lang="EN" data-partner="jetpack" data-chrome="noheader nofooter noborders transparent" href="https://twitter.com/@CambridgeWords" href="https://twitter.com/@CambridgeWords">My Tweets</a></aside><aside id="wpcom_social_media_icons_widget-2" class="widget widget_wpcom_social_media_icons_widget"><h1 class="widget-title">Follow us</h1><ul><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CUPCambridgeDictionary/" class="genericon genericon-facebook" target="_blank"><span class="screen-reader-text">View CUPCambridgeDictionary’s profile on Facebook</span></a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/cambridgewords/" class="genericon genericon-twitter" target="_blank"><span class="screen-reader-text">View cambridgewords’s profile on Twitter</span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cambridgewords/" class="genericon genericon-instagram" target="_blank"><span class="screen-reader-text">View cambridgewords’s profile on Instagram</span></a></li></ul></aside></div> </div> <div class="footer-widgets clear"> <div class="widget-areas"> <div class="widget-area"> <aside id="blog_subscription-5" class="widget widget_blog_subscription jetpack_subscription_widget"><h1 class="widget-title">Subscribe via email</h1> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-subscriptions__container"> <form action="#" method="post" accept-charset="utf-8" id="subscribe-blog-blog_subscription-5" data-blog="18458032" data-post_access_level="everybody" > <div id="subscribe-text"><p>Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.</p> </div> <p id="subscribe-email"> <label id="jetpack-subscribe-label" class="screen-reader-text" for="subscribe-field-blog_subscription-5"> Email Address </label> <input type="email" name="email" required="required" value="" id="subscribe-field-blog_subscription-5" placeholder="Email Address" /> </p> <p id="subscribe-submit" > <input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe"/> <input type="hidden" name="source" value="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/"/> <input type="hidden" name="sub-type" value="widget"/> <input type="hidden" name="redirect_fragment" value="subscribe-blog-blog_subscription-5"/> <input type="hidden" id="_wpnonce" name="_wpnonce" value="8aca3bd1f7" /><input type="hidden" name="_wp_http_referer" value="/author/pheacock/" /> <button type="submit" class="wp-block-button__link" name="jetpack_subscriptions_widget" > Subscribe </button> </p> </form> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-subscriptions__subscount"> Join 15K other subscribers </div> </div> </aside> </div> <div class="widget-area"> <aside id="media_image-5" class="widget widget_media_image"><style>.widget.widget_media_image { overflow: hidden; }.widget.widget_media_image img { height: auto; max-width: 100%; }</style><figure style="width: 208px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img width="208" height="42" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cup-footer-logo.png?fit=208%2C42&ssl=1" class="image wp-image-7600 alignnone attachment-full size-full" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7600" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/cup-footer-logo/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cup-footer-logo.png?fit=208%2C42&ssl=1" data-orig-size="208,42" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="cup-footer-logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cup-footer-logo.png?fit=208%2C42&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cup-footer-logo.png?fit=208%2C42&ssl=1" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">All material © Cambridge University Press, except where otherwise noted</figcaption></figure></aside> </div> </div> </div> <footer id="colophon" class="site-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="site-info"> <a href="https://wordpress.com/?ref=footer_custom_powered">Powered by WordPress.com</a>. Theme: lovecraft by <a href="http://andersnoren.se" rel="designer">Anders Noren</a>. </div> </footer> </div>  <script defer id="bilmur" data-customproperties="{"woo_active":"0"}" data-provider="wordpress.com" data-service="atomic" src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/js/bilmur.min.js?m=202447"></script> <div id="jp-carousel-loading-overlay"> <div id="jp-carousel-loading-wrapper"> <span id="jp-carousel-library-loading"> </span> </div> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-overlay" style="display: none;"> <div class="jp-carousel-container">  <div class="jp-carousel-wrap swiper-container jp-carousel-swiper-container jp-carousel-transitions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageGallery"> <div class="jp-carousel swiper-wrapper"></div> <div class="jp-swiper-button-prev swiper-button-prev"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="maskPrev" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="8" y="6" width="9" height="12"> <path d="M16.2072 16.59L11.6496 12L16.2072 7.41L14.8041 6L8.8335 12L14.8041 18L16.2072 16.59Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#maskPrev)"> <rect x="0.579102" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> </div> <div class="jp-swiper-button-next swiper-button-next"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="maskNext" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="8" y="6" width="8" height="12"> <path d="M8.59814 16.59L13.1557 12L8.59814 7.41L10.0012 6L15.9718 12L10.0012 18L8.59814 16.59Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#maskNext)"> <rect x="0.34375" width="23.8822" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> </div> </div>  <div class="jp-carousel-close-hint"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="maskClose" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="5" y="5" width="15" height="14"> <path d="M19.3166 6.41L17.9135 5L12.3509 10.59L6.78834 5L5.38525 6.41L10.9478 12L5.38525 17.59L6.78834 19L12.3509 13.41L17.9135 19L19.3166 17.59L13.754 12L19.3166 6.41Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#maskClose)"> <rect x="0.409668" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> </div>  <div class="jp-carousel-info"> <div class="jp-carousel-info-footer"> <div class="jp-carousel-pagination-container"> <div class="jp-swiper-pagination swiper-pagination"></div> <div class="jp-carousel-pagination"></div> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-photo-title-container"> <h2 class="jp-carousel-photo-caption"></h2> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-photo-icons-container"> <a href="#" class="jp-carousel-icon-btn jp-carousel-icon-info" aria-label="Toggle photo metadata visibility"> <span class="jp-carousel-icon"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="maskInfo" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="2" y="2" width="21" height="20"> <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M12.7537 2C7.26076 2 2.80273 6.48 2.80273 12C2.80273 17.52 7.26076 22 12.7537 22C18.2466 22 22.7046 17.52 22.7046 12C22.7046 6.48 18.2466 2 12.7537 2ZM11.7586 7V9H13.7488V7H11.7586ZM11.7586 11V17H13.7488V11H11.7586ZM4.79292 12C4.79292 16.41 8.36531 20 12.7537 20C17.142 20 20.7144 16.41 20.7144 12C20.7144 7.59 17.142 4 12.7537 4C8.36531 4 4.79292 7.59 4.79292 12Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#maskInfo)"> <rect x="0.8125" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> </span> </a> <a href="#" class="jp-carousel-icon-btn jp-carousel-icon-comments" aria-label="Toggle photo comments visibility"> <span class="jp-carousel-icon"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="maskComments" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="2" y="2" width="21" height="20"> <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M4.3271 2H20.2486C21.3432 2 22.2388 2.9 22.2388 4V16C22.2388 17.1 21.3432 18 20.2486 18H6.31729L2.33691 22V4C2.33691 2.9 3.2325 2 4.3271 2ZM6.31729 16H20.2486V4H4.3271V18L6.31729 16Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#maskComments)"> <rect x="0.34668" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> <span class="jp-carousel-has-comments-indicator" aria-label="This image has comments."></span> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-info-extra"> <div class="jp-carousel-info-content-wrapper"> <div class="jp-carousel-photo-title-container"> <h2 class="jp-carousel-photo-title"></h2> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-comments-wrapper"> <div id="jp-carousel-comments-loading"> <span>Loading Comments...</span> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-comments"></div> <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-container"> <span id="jp-carousel-comment-form-spinner"> </span> <div id="jp-carousel-comment-post-results"></div> <form id="jp-carousel-comment-form"> <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" class="screen-reader-text">Write a Comment...</label> <textarea name="comment" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-textarea" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" placeholder="Write a Comment..." ></textarea> <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-submit-and-info-wrapper"> <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-commenting-as"> <fieldset> <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">Email (Required)</label> <input type="text" name="email" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field" /> </fieldset> <fieldset> <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">Name (Required)</label> <input type="text" name="author" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field" /> </fieldset> <fieldset> <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">Website</label> <input type="text" name="url" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field" /> </fieldset> </div> <input type="submit" name="submit" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-button" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit" value="Post Comment" /> </div> </form> </div> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-image-meta"> <div class="jp-carousel-title-and-caption"> <div class="jp-carousel-photo-info"> <h3 class="jp-carousel-caption" itemprop="caption description"></h3> </div> <div class="jp-carousel-photo-description"></div> </div> <ul class="jp-carousel-image-exif" style="display: none;"></ul> <a class="jp-carousel-image-download" href="#" target="_blank" style="display: none;"> <svg width="25" height="24" viewBox="0 0 25 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <mask id="mask0" mask-type="alpha" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x="3" y="3" width="19" height="18"> <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M5.84615 5V19H19.7775V12H21.7677V19C21.7677 20.1 20.8721 21 19.7775 21H5.84615C4.74159 21 3.85596 20.1 3.85596 19V5C3.85596 3.9 4.74159 3 5.84615 3H12.8118V5H5.84615ZM14.802 5V3H21.7677V10H19.7775V6.41L9.99569 16.24L8.59261 14.83L18.3744 5H14.802Z" fill="white"/> </mask> <g mask="url(#mask0)"> <rect x="0.870605" width="23.8823" height="24" fill="#FFFFFF"/> </g> </svg> <span class="jp-carousel-download-text"></span> </a> <div class="jp-carousel-image-map" style="display: none;"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> window.WPCOM_sharing_counts = {"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/2013\/06\/12\/asadfarewell\/":2406,"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/2012\/12\/18\/the-words-of-2012\/":2064,"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/2011\/12\/27\/the-words-of-2011\/":1113}; </script> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-37b85af9f687e9138843744e6580bbc3' href='https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/_static/??-eJydzE0OAiEMQOELiRUn/mwmnoVAg1WgzbSEePth6dK4e5vvDXGRm2EzkNIzNYUXmoT4hsqpF1QYlDKagrE4YZ2l9il4jKqH8TsP3Z68/YmVI4XiKiYKjqb6+jzq6q/+5s/L5X7aASBFTuM=' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" id="coblocks-tinyswiper-initializer-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var coblocksTinyswiper = {"carouselPrevButtonAriaLabel":"Previous","carouselNextButtonAriaLabel":"Next","sliderImageAriaLabel":"Image"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" id="jetpack-carousel-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var jetpackSwiperLibraryPath = {"url":"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/jetpack\/_inc\/build\/carousel\/swiper-bundle.min.js"}; var jetpackCarouselStrings = {"widths":[370,700,1000,1200,1400,2000],"is_logged_in":"","lang":"en","ajaxurl":"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","nonce":"8dcdde4dc1","display_exif":"1","display_comments":"1","single_image_gallery":"1","single_image_gallery_media_file":"","background_color":"black","comment":"Comment","post_comment":"Post Comment","write_comment":"Write a Comment...","loading_comments":"Loading Comments...","image_label":"Open image in full-screen.","download_original":"View full size <span class=\"photo-size\">{0}<span class=\"photo-size-times\">\u00d7<\/span>{1}<\/span>","no_comment_text":"Please be sure to submit some text with your comment.","no_comment_email":"Please provide an email address to comment.","no_comment_author":"Please provide your name to comment.","comment_post_error":"Sorry, but there was an error posting your comment. Please try again later.","comment_approved":"Your comment was approved.","comment_unapproved":"Your comment is in moderation.","camera":"Camera","aperture":"Aperture","shutter_speed":"Shutter Speed","focal_length":"Focal Length","copyright":"Copyright","comment_registration":"0","require_name_email":"1","login_url":"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2013%2F06%2F12%2Fasadfarewell%2F","blog_id":"1","meta_data":["camera","aperture","shutter_speed","focal_length","copyright"]}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/_static/??-eJyVkNtSwzAMRH8I1+H+xPApjGMr6SaKnNpyQvl6wqXwQMqkj5L2rKSdR+OjKInakUsLydbHmqPvsw3IarvfhnGCwSmi7Lp8NW8gJ5IQU7YKOZo8Y6S0Ff1Z+sF+oQYChWO8/bHRPQ2ULceJfHLNp4O4Ce3auWvilmPteIMw9xgNQ3rTRF+yafB65qWOdHS+ty8Qb+sCDta7FEsmPs3MqbEbcC7UFRsFUzCtY6Z0/K+60HaG6hKzYqDlQ7qMZvRLVodChfZOwrL+m38enq4fb6ub6uH+rnoHgEztlQ=='></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://stats.wp.com/e-202447.js" id="jetpack-stats-js" data-wp-strategy="defer"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="jetpack-stats-js-after"> /* <![CDATA[ */ _stq = window._stq || []; _stq.push([ "view", JSON.parse("{\"v\":\"ext\",\"blog\":\"18458032\",\"post\":\"0\",\"tz\":\"0\",\"srv\":\"dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\",\"hp\":\"atomic\",\"ac\":\"2\",\"amp\":\"0\",\"j\":\"1:14.1-a.3\"}") ]); _stq.push([ "clickTrackerInit", "18458032", "0" ]); /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" id="sharing-js-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var sharing_js_options = {"lang":"en","counts":"1","is_stats_active":"1"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/plugins/jetpack/_inc/build/sharedaddy/sharing.min.js?ver=14.1-a.3" id="sharing-js-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="sharing-js-js-after"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var windowOpen; ( function () { function matches( el, sel ) { return !! ( el.matches && el.matches( sel ) || el.msMatchesSelector && el.msMatchesSelector( sel ) ); } document.body.addEventListener( 'click', function ( event ) { if ( ! event.target ) { return; } var el; if ( matches( event.target, 'a.share-facebook' ) ) { el = event.target; } else if ( event.target.parentNode && matches( event.target.parentNode, 'a.share-facebook' ) ) { el = event.target.parentNode; } if ( el ) { event.preventDefault(); // If there's another sharing window open, close it. if ( typeof windowOpen !== 'undefined' ) { windowOpen.close(); } windowOpen = window.open( el.getAttribute( 'href' ), 'wpcomfacebook', 'menubar=1,resizable=1,width=600,height=400' ); return false; } } ); } )(); var windowOpen; ( function () { function matches( el, sel ) { return !! ( el.matches && el.matches( sel ) || el.msMatchesSelector && el.msMatchesSelector( sel ) ); } document.body.addEventListener( 'click', function ( event ) { if ( ! event.target ) { return; } var el; if ( matches( event.target, 'a.share-twitter' ) ) { el = event.target; } else if ( event.target.parentNode && matches( event.target.parentNode, 'a.share-twitter' ) ) { el = event.target.parentNode; } if ( el ) { event.preventDefault(); // If there's another sharing window open, close it. if ( typeof windowOpen !== 'undefined' ) { windowOpen.close(); } windowOpen = window.open( el.getAttribute( 'href' ), 'wpcomtwitter', 'menubar=1,resizable=1,width=600,height=350' ); return false; } } ); } )(); var windowOpen; ( function () { function matches( el, sel ) { return !! ( el.matches && el.matches( sel ) || el.msMatchesSelector && el.msMatchesSelector( sel ) ); } document.body.addEventListener( 'click', function ( event ) { if ( ! event.target ) { return; } var el; if ( matches( event.target, 'a.share-linkedin' ) ) { el = event.target; } else if ( event.target.parentNode && matches( event.target.parentNode, 'a.share-linkedin' ) ) { el = event.target.parentNode; } if ( el ) { event.preventDefault(); // If there's another sharing window open, close it. if ( typeof windowOpen !== 'undefined' ) { windowOpen.close(); } windowOpen = window.open( el.getAttribute( 'href' ), 'wpcomlinkedin', 'menubar=1,resizable=1,width=580,height=450' ); return false; } } ); } )(); /* ]]> */ </script> <iframe src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/master.html?ver=20241124#ver=20241124&n=1' scrolling='no' id='likes-master' name='likes-master' style='display:none;'></iframe> <div id='likes-other-gravatars' class='wpl-new-layout' role="dialog" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><div class="likes-text"><span>%d</span></div><ul class="wpl-avatars sd-like-gravatars"></ul></div> </body> </html>