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Cambridge, UK. She worked for many years on Cambridge University Press's range of ELT dictionaries and now works with Kate Woodford on dictionaries and other books about the English language. Her other interests include politics, growing vegetables and family holidays in her camper van. She tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/LizJWalter">@LizJWalter</a></div> </header> <article id="post-20853" class="post-20853 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-english-language tag-phrases tag-reckless tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" title="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought"><img width="900" height="579" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=900%2C579&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="Person painting themselves into a corner of the room" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?w=1990&ssl=1 1990w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1024%2C659&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=768%2C494&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1536%2C988&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=900%2C579&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1280%2C823&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20934" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/man-painted-into-corner/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=1990%2C1280&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1990,1280" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Man Painted into Corner","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Rash, reckless and impulsive: talking about not being careful" data-image-description="<p>Rash, reckless and impulsive: talking about not being careful, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Peter Cade / Stone</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=300%2C193&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=640%2C412&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" rel="bookmark">Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-02-05T12:00:08+00:00">February 5, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2025-01-03T15:24:36+00:00">January 3, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</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>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/#comments">4 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p>  <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20853-1" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Reckless_Liz_05.02.2025.mp3?_=1" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Reckless_Liz_05.02.2025.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Reckless_Liz_05.02.2025.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20934" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20934" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20934" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/man-painted-into-corner/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=1990%2C1280&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1990,1280" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Man Painted into Corner","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Rash, reckless and impulsive: talking about not being careful" data-image-description="<p>Rash, reckless and impulsive: talking about not being careful, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Peter Cade / Stone</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=300%2C193&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?fit=640%2C412&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20934" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790-300x193.jpg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1" alt="Person painting themselves into a corner of the room" width="300" height="193" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1024%2C659&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=768%2C494&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1536%2C988&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=900%2C579&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=1280%2C823&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?w=1990&ssl=1 1990w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20934" class="wp-caption-text">Peter Cade / Stone</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>Most of us know someone who often gets into trouble because they don’t stop to consider the consequences of their behaviour. This post is about ways of describing these people and their actions.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/#more-20853" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought”</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-20853" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/?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-20853" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/?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/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/?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%20Reckless%20and%20impulsive%3A%20words%20for%20acting%20without%20enough%20thought&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2025%2F02%2F05%2Freckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20853&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20853-67b38b52f2b39&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20853-67b38b52f2b39' 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-20793" class="post-20793 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-age tag-english-language tag-euphemisms tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/" title="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age"><img width="900" height="512" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=900%2C512&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="A grandmother posing with her three young grandchildren" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?w=1870&ssl=1 1870w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=300%2C171&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1024%2C583&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=768%2C437&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1536%2C874&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=900%2C512&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1280%2C728&ssl=1 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20930" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/grandmother-and-children-in-a-beautiful-blooming-spring-park/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=1870%2C1064&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1870,1064" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"3.5","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"Grandmother and children in a beautiful blooming spring park, playing together","created_timestamp":"1556209014","copyright":"t.tomsickova@seznam.cz","focal_length":"168","iso":"640","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":"Grandmother and children in a beautiful blooming spring park","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age" data-image-description="<p>Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>tatyana_tomsickova / iStock / Getty Images Plus</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=300%2C171&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=640%2C364&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/" rel="bookmark">Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-01-15T12:00:14+00:00">January 15, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2025-01-03T15:15:39+00:00">January 3, 2025</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</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>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/#comments">9 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20793-2" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.2025.mp3?_=2" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.2025.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.2025.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20930" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20930" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20930" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/grandmother-and-children-in-a-beautiful-blooming-spring-park/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=1870%2C1064&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1870,1064" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"3.5","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"Grandmother and children in a beautiful blooming spring park, playing together","created_timestamp":"1556209014","copyright":"t.tomsickova@seznam.cz","focal_length":"168","iso":"640","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":"Grandmother and children in a beautiful blooming spring park","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age" data-image-description="<p>Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>tatyana_tomsickova / iStock / Getty Images Plus</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=300%2C171&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?fit=640%2C364&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20930" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975-300x171.jpg?resize=300%2C171&ssl=1" alt="A grandmother posing with her three young grandchildren" width="300" height="171" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=300%2C171&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1024%2C583&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=768%2C437&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1536%2C874&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=900%2C512&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=1280%2C728&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?w=1870&ssl=1 1870w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20930" class="wp-caption-text">tatyana_tomsickova / iStock / Getty Images Plus</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>In my last post, I looked at how to say someone’s age using the number of years they have been alive. Today’s post covers some other ways of talking about how old a person is, particularly looking at different life stages.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/#more-20793" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age”</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-20793" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/?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-20793" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/?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/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/?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%20Toddlers%2C%20tweens%20and%20pensioners%3A%20more%20words%20for%20talking%20about%20age&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2025%2F01%2F15%2Ftoddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20793&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20793-67b38b5301e81&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20793-67b38b5301e81' 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-20653" class="post-20653 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-common-errors category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-age tag-english-language tag-phrases tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/" title="A young man of twenty: talking about age"><img width="900" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="a young adult man in graduation attire with his mother who is holding his diploma" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?w=2121&ssl=1 2121w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, 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data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2121,1414" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"ILCE-7RM4","caption":"Happy Latin American graduate taking a selfie with his mother on his graduation day - education concepts","created_timestamp":"1694159251","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"Happy graduate taking a selfie with his mother on his graduation day","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="A young man of 20: talking about age" data-image-description="<p>A young man of 20: talking about age, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>andresr / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/" rel="bookmark">A young man of twenty: talking about age</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2025-01-01T12:00:50+00:00">January 1, 2025</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-12-10T17:34:57+00:00">December 10, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/common-errors/" rel="category tag">Common errors</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/#comments">7 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20653-3" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-twenty_Liz_01.01.25.mp3?_=3" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-twenty_Liz_01.01.25.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-twenty_Liz_01.01.25.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20863" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20863" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20863" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/happy-graduate-taking-a-selfie-with-his-mother-on-his-graduation-day/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2121,1414" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"ILCE-7RM4","caption":"Happy Latin American graduate taking a selfie with his mother on his graduation day - education concepts","created_timestamp":"1694159251","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"Happy graduate taking a selfie with his mother on his graduation day","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="A young man of 20: talking about age" data-image-description="<p>A young man of 20: talking about age, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>andresr / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20863" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt="a young adult man in graduation attire with his mother who is holding his diploma" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=900%2C600&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?resize=1280%2C853&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/A-young-man-of-20_1726207657.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20863" class="wp-caption-text">andresr / E+</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>We often have to talk about the age of people and things, but this is an area where learners often make errors. This post will explain how to talk about age and how to avoid common errors. <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/#more-20653" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“A young man of twenty: talking about age”</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-20653" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/?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-20653" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/?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/2025/01/01/a-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age/?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%20young%20man%20of%20twenty%3A%20talking%20about%20age&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2025%2F01%2F01%2Fa-young-man-of-twenty-talking-about-age%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. 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data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20653-67b38b53056a4' 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-20563" class="post-20563 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-idioms category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-collocations tag-english-language tag-idioms tag-improve-your-english tag-phrases tag-the-future"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/" title="It’s written in the stars: talking about things that might happen in the future"><img width="900" height="696" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=900%2C696&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="a couple seen from behind as they hold hands and look at the stars in the night sky" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?w=1828&ssl=1 1828w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=300%2C232&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1024%2C792&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=768%2C594&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1536%2C1188&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=900%2C696&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1280%2C990&ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20759" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/silhouette-couple-standing-against-star-field-in-sky-at-night/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=1828%2C1414&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1828,1414" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"NIKON D750","caption":"Photo taken in , Thailand","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"30","title":"Silhouette Couple Standing Against Star Field In Sky At Night","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="It’s written in the stars: talking about what might happen in the future" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock / Getty Images Plus</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=300%2C232&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=640%2C495&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/" rel="bookmark">It’s written in the stars: talking about things that might happen in the future</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-12-18T12:00:01+00:00">December 18, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-12-05T16:46:28+00:00">December 5, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/idioms/" rel="category tag">Idioms</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/#comments">4 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20563-4" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Its-written-in-the-stars_Liz_18.12.24.mp3?_=4" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Its-written-in-the-stars_Liz_18.12.24.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Its-written-in-the-stars_Liz_18.12.24.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20759" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20759" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20759" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/silhouette-couple-standing-against-star-field-in-sky-at-night/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=1828%2C1414&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1828,1414" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"NIKON D750","caption":"Photo taken in , Thailand","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"30","title":"Silhouette Couple Standing Against Star Field In Sky At Night","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="It’s written in the stars: talking about what might happen in the future" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock / Getty Images Plus</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=300%2C232&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?fit=640%2C495&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20759" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538-300x232.jpg?resize=300%2C232&ssl=1" alt="a couple seen from behind as they hold hands and look at the stars in the night sky" width="300" height="232" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=300%2C232&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1024%2C792&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=768%2C594&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1536%2C1188&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=900%2C696&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?resize=1280%2C990&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Written-in-the-stars_2171679645-e1731616064538.jpg?w=1828&ssl=1 1828w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20759" class="wp-caption-text">EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock / Getty Images Plus</figcaption></figure> <p> </p> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>Today’s post looks at phrases for talking about what the future holds. In particular, it will cover vocabulary relating to how much – if at all – we can control what happens to us.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/#more-20563" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“It’s written in the stars: talking about things that might happen in the future”</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-20563" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/?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-20563" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/?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/2024/12/18/its-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future/?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%20It%E2%80%99s%20written%20in%20the%20stars%3A%20talking%20about%20things%20that%20might%20happen%20in%20the%20future&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fits-written-in-the-stars-talking-about-what-might-happen-in-the-future%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20563&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20563-67b38b5308861&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20563-67b38b5308861' 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-20476" class="post-20476 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-phrasal-verbs category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-english-language tag-improve-your-english tag-in-real-life tag-internet tag-irl tag-phrasal-verbs tag-the-virtual-world"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/" title="In real life or the virtual world: ways of being present"><img width="900" height="640" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=900%2C640&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="A group of children looking up at the sky but wearing VR headsets" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?w=1954&ssl=1 1954w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=300%2C213&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1024%2C728&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=768%2C546&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1536%2C1093&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=900%2C640&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1280%2C911&ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20681" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/group-of-children-wearing-virtual-reality-headsets/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=1954%2C1390&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1954,1390" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"NIKON D810","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1499174496","copyright":"FLASHPOP","focal_length":"0","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"Group of children wearing virtual reality headsets","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="In real life or the virtual world? Ways to be present" data-image-description="<p>In real life or the virtual world: ways to be present, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Flashpop / DigitalVision </p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=300%2C213&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=640%2C455&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/" rel="bookmark">In real life or the virtual world: ways of being present</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-12-04T12:00:49+00:00">December 4, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-11-08T15:54:22+00:00">November 8, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/phrasal-verbs/" rel="category tag">Phrasal verbs</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/#comments">7 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20476-5" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual-world_Liz_04.12.24.mp3?_=5" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual-world_Liz_04.12.24.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual-world_Liz_04.12.24.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20681" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20681" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20681" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/group-of-children-wearing-virtual-reality-headsets/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=1954%2C1390&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1954,1390" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"NIKON D810","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1499174496","copyright":"FLASHPOP","focal_length":"0","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"Group of children wearing virtual reality headsets","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="In real life or the virtual world? Ways to be present" data-image-description="<p>In real life or the virtual world: ways to be present, from About Words, by Liz Walter</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Flashpop / DigitalVision </p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=300%2C213&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?fit=640%2C455&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20681" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318-300x213.jpg?resize=300%2C213&ssl=1" alt="A group of children looking up at the sky but wearing VR headsets" width="300" height="213" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=300%2C213&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1024%2C728&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=768%2C546&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1536%2C1093&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=900%2C640&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?resize=1280%2C911&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IRL-or-virtual_843840540-e1730919147318.jpg?w=1954&ssl=1 1954w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20681" class="wp-caption-text">Flashpop / DigitalVision</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>The covid pandemic and the continued rise of social media have both caused fundamental changes in the way we communicate and spend time with one another. Because of this, we often need to specify whether we are talking about being in the same physical place as someone or whether we are interacting <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/online">online</a></strong>, for example to take part in work meetings, family chats or even romantic relationships. Today’s post looks at some words and phrases we use to make that distinction.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/#more-20476" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“In real life or the virtual world: ways of being present”</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-20476" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/?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-20476" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/?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/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/?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%20In%20real%20life%20or%20the%20virtual%20world%3A%20ways%20of%20being%20present&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F12%2F04%2Fin-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present%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="cba244eb62" data-email-share-track-url="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/?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/2024/12/04/in-real-life-or-the-virtual-world-ways-of-being-present/" 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-20476" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20476&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20476-67b38b530bbc6&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20476-67b38b530bbc6' 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-20414" class="post-20414 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-conversation category-phrasal-verbs category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-conversation tag-english tag-improve-your-english tag-phrasal-verbs tag-reassurance tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/" title="Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance"><img width="900" height="618" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=900%2C618&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="A mother comforts offers assurance to her teenage son" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?w=1859&ssl=1 1859w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1024%2C703&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=768%2C527&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1536%2C1054&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=900%2C618&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1280%2C879&ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20450" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/mother-and-teenage-boy-having-bonding-moments-on-the-balcony/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=1859%2C1276&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1859,1276" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV","caption":"Portrait of caring mid adult woman and her teenage son standing on the balcony, holding hands, smiling at each other and having bonding moments. She is gently caressing his face.","created_timestamp":"1681120921","copyright":"","focal_length":"115","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"Mother and teenage boy having bonding moments on the balcony","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Nobody blames you (How we talk about using opportunities)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>fotostorm / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=300%2C206&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=640%2C439&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/" rel="bookmark">Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-11-06T12:00:42+00:00">November 6, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-10-04T14:54:55+01:00">October 4, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/conversation/" rel="category tag">Conversation</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/phrasal-verbs/" rel="category tag">Phrasal verbs</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/#comments">4 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20414-6" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nobody_blames_you_Liz_06.11.24.mp3?_=6" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nobody_blames_you_Liz_06.11.24.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nobody_blames_you_Liz_06.11.24.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20450" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20450" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20450" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/mother-and-teenage-boy-having-bonding-moments-on-the-balcony/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=1859%2C1276&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1859,1276" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV","caption":"Portrait of caring mid adult woman and her teenage son standing on the balcony, holding hands, smiling at each other and having bonding moments. She is gently caressing his face.","created_timestamp":"1681120921","copyright":"","focal_length":"115","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"Mother and teenage boy having bonding moments on the balcony","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Nobody blames you (How we talk about using opportunities)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>fotostorm / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=300%2C206&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?fit=640%2C439&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20450" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513-300x206.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1" alt="A mother comforts offers assurance to her teenage son" width="300" height="206" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1024%2C703&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=768%2C527&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1536%2C1054&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=900%2C618&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?resize=1280%2C879&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nobody-blames-you_1497595879-e1727211216513.jpg?w=1859&ssl=1 1859w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20450" class="wp-caption-text">fotostorm / E+</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>We all have times when we need to <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reassure">reassure</a></strong> someone, perhaps because they have done something they regret, because they are worried about something they have to do in the future or because they are experiencing something that is causing them anxiety.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/#more-20414" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“Nobody blames you: phrases for offering reassurance”</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-20414" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/?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-20414" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/?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/2024/11/06/nobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance/?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%20Nobody%20blames%20you%3A%20phrases%20for%20offering%20reassurance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F11%2F06%2Fnobody-blames-you-phrases-for-offering-reassurance%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20414&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20414-67b38b530ea6c&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20414-67b38b530ea6c' 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-20326" class="post-20326 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-synonyms category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-adjectives tag-astute tag-english-language tag-intelligent tag-vocabulary tag-wise"> <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"><img width="900" height="634" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=900%2C634&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="A large maze with a ladder propped against one wall" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?w=5681&ssl=1 5681w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1024%2C721&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=768%2C541&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1536%2C1082&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=2048%2C1442&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=900%2C634&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1280%2C901&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20406" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/escaping-a-maze-with-a-ladder/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=5681%2C4001&ssl=1" data-orig-size="5681,4001" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Conceptual image of a red ladder reaching out of a maze illustrating ideas like defying the odds, strategy and thinking outside of the box","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Escaping a maze with a ladder","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Wise, brainy, astute" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>J Studios / DigitalVision</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=300%2C211&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=640%2C451&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/" rel="bookmark">Wise, brainy, or astute: words for describing intelligent people</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-10-16T12:00:53+01:00">October 16, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-09-16T20:48:51+01:00">September 16, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/synonyms/" rel="category tag">Synonyms</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/#comments">10 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-20326-7" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise_brainy_or_astute_Liz_16.10.24.mp3?_=7" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise_brainy_or_astute_Liz_16.10.24.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise_brainy_or_astute_Liz_16.10.24.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20406" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20406" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20406" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/escaping-a-maze-with-a-ladder/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=5681%2C4001&ssl=1" data-orig-size="5681,4001" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Conceptual image of a red ladder reaching out of a maze illustrating ideas like defying the odds, strategy and thinking outside of the box","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Escaping a maze with a ladder","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Wise, brainy, astute" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>J Studios / DigitalVision</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=300%2C211&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?fit=640%2C451&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20406" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534-300x211.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1" alt="A large maze with a ladder propped against one wall" width="300" height="211" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1024%2C721&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=768%2C541&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1536%2C1082&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=2048%2C1442&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=900%2C634&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?resize=1280%2C901&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wise-brainy-astute_2161245336-e1726067270534.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20406" class="wp-caption-text">J Studios / DigitalVision</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>Today’s post is about ways of talking about someone’s intelligence. Interestingly, there are some subtle differences in the way British and American speakers use what are probably the two most common synonyms for <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/intelligent">intelligent</a></strong>: <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/clever">clever</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/smart#cald4-1-2">smart</a></strong>.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/#more-20326" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“Wise, brainy, or astute: words for describing intelligent people”</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-20326" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/?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-20326" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/?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/2024/10/16/wise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people/?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%20Wise%2C%20brainy%2C%20or%20astute%3A%20words%20for%20describing%20intelligent%20people&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F10%2F16%2Fwise-brainy-or-astute-words-for-describing-intelligent-people%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=20326&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-20326-67b38b5311b90&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-20326-67b38b5311b90' 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-19886" class="post-19886 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-achievement tag-collocations tag-english tag-english-language tag-improve-your-english tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/" title="Pursuing aims and meeting targets: talking about things we want to achieve"><img width="900" height="678" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=900%2C678&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="smiling young woman climbing steps to her new job" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?w=1877&ssl=1 1877w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=1024%2C771&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=768%2C579&ssl=1 768w, 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stairs","created_timestamp":"1681376285","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Woman climbing up the stairs","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Pursing aims and meeting targets" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>ljubaphoto / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=300%2C226&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=640%2C482&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/" rel="bookmark">Pursuing aims and meeting targets: talking about things we want to achieve</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-10-02T12:00:42+01:00">October 2, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-10-01T12:01:02+01:00">October 1, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</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>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/#comments">7 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-19886-8" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pursing_aims_and_meeting_targets.mp3?_=8" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pursing_aims_and_meeting_targets.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pursing_aims_and_meeting_targets.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20454" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20454" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20454" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/woman-climbing-up-the-stairs/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=1877%2C1414&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1877,1414" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Woman climbing up the stairs","created_timestamp":"1681376285","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Woman climbing up the stairs","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Pursing aims and meeting targets" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>ljubaphoto / E+</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=300%2C226&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?fit=640%2C482&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20454" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252-300x226.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1" alt="smiling young woman climbing steps to her new job" width="300" height="226" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=1024%2C771&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=768%2C579&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=1536%2C1157&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=900%2C678&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?resize=1280%2C964&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pursuing-aims_2148975273-e1727378611252.jpg?w=1877&ssl=1 1877w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20454" class="wp-caption-text">ljubaphoto / E+</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>Today’s post covers vocabulary, and particularly natural-sounding collocations (words that often go together), for talking about things we want to do in our lives.</p> <p> <a 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You may need to create a new email yourself." data-email-share-nonce="4c92d8f3d1" data-email-share-track-url="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/?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/2024/10/02/pursuing-aims-and-meeting-targets-talking-about-things-we-want-to-achieve/" 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-19886" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=19886&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-19886-67b38b5314bca&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-19886-67b38b5314bca' 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-19883" class="post-19883 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-idioms category-the-english-language category-vocabulary tag-english tag-english-language tag-finger tag-idioms tag-phrases tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/" title="A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’"><img width="900" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="handprints in flour next to a rolling pin and pie crust dough" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?w=7952&ssl=1 7952w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=900%2C600&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1280%2C854&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" data-attachment-id="20182" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/baking-dough-handprints/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=7952%2C5304&ssl=1" data-orig-size="7952,5304" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Baking dough for apple pie and playing with flour","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Baking dough handprints","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’" data-image-description="<p>949208474</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Jasmin Merdan / Moment / Getty Images</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/" rel="bookmark">A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-09-18T12:00:58+01:00">September 18, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-09-03T19:38:17+01:00">September 3, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/idioms/" rel="category tag">Idioms</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/the-english-language/" rel="category tag">the English language</a>, <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/vocabulary/" rel="category tag">Vocabulary</a></span><span class="comments-link"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/#comments">10 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-19883-9" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A_finger_in_every_pie.mp3?_=9" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A_finger_in_every_pie.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A_finger_in_every_pie.mp3</a></audio> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_20182" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20182" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="20182" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/baking-dough-handprints/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=7952%2C5304&ssl=1" data-orig-size="7952,5304" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Baking dough for apple pie and playing with flour","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Baking dough handprints","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’" data-image-description="<p>949208474</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Jasmin Merdan / Moment / Getty Images</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-20182" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt="handprints in flour next to a rolling pin and pie crust dough" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=900%2C600&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?resize=1280%2C854&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-finger-in-every-pie.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20182" class="wp-caption-text">Jasmin Merdan / Moment / Getty Images</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>In my last post on words for being clumsy, I included the phrase <strong><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-all-fingers-and-thumbs?q=fingers+and+thumbs">all fingers and thumbs</a></strong>. This made me think about how many phrases we have that contain the word ‘finger’. This post covers some of the most common and useful ones.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/#more-19883" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’”</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-19883" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/?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-19883" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/?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/2024/09/18/a-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger/?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%20finger%20in%20every%20pie%3A%20phrases%20with%20the%20word%20%E2%80%98finger%E2%80%99&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F09%2F18%2Fa-finger-in-every-pie-phrases-with-the-word-finger%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. 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data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=18458032&post_id=19883&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-19883-67b38b5317fca&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-18458032-19883-67b38b5317fca' 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-19874" class="post-19874 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-idioms category-the-english-language tag-clumsy tag-english-language tag-idioms tag-improve-your-english tag-vocabulary"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/" title="Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy"><img width="900" height="724" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=900%2C724&ssl=1" class="attachment-lovecraft-post-image size-lovecraft-post-image wp-post-image" alt="A woman reaches for a phone that she has just dropped in a pool" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?w=4199&ssl=1 4199w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=1024%2C824&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=768%2C618&ssl=1 768w, 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data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/woman-dropping-phone-into-swimming-pool/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=4199%2C3379&ssl=1" data-orig-size="4199,3379" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 500D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1380953508","copyright":"Peter Cade","focal_length":"15","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"Woman dropping phone into swimming pool","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="About Words" data-image-description="<p>Like a bull in a china shop_blog_04.09.24</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Peter Cade / Stone</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=300%2C241&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=640%2C515&ssl=1" /></a> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/" rel="bookmark">Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy</a></h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-09-04T12:00:08+01:00">September 4, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-09-03T14:40:11+01:00">September 3, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/idioms/" rel="category tag">Idioms</a>, <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/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/#comments">10 Comments</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><em>Listen to the author reading this blog post.</em></p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-19874-10" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Like_a_bull_in_a_china_shop.mp3?_=10" /><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Like_a_bull_in_a_china_shop.mp3">https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Like_a_bull_in_a_china_shop.mp3</a></audio> <figure id="attachment_19921" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-19921" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="19921" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/woman-dropping-phone-into-swimming-pool/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=4199%2C3379&ssl=1" data-orig-size="4199,3379" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 500D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1380953508","copyright":"Peter Cade","focal_length":"15","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"Woman dropping phone into swimming pool","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="About Words" data-image-description="<p>Like a bull in a china shop_blog_04.09.24</p> " data-image-caption="<p>Peter Cade / Stone</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=300%2C241&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?fit=640%2C515&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-19921" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892-300x241.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1" alt="A woman reaches for a phone that she has just dropped in a pool" width="300" height="241" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=1024%2C824&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=768%2C618&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=1536%2C1236&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=2048%2C1648&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=1200%2C966&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=900%2C724&ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?resize=1280%2C1030&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-453627785-e1721932444892.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-19921" class="wp-caption-text">Peter Cade / Stone</figcaption></figure> <p>by <strong>Liz Walter</strong></p> <p>We all know someone who seems to have trouble with everyday life; someone who drops things, bumps into things, breaks things, and generally has more accidents than other people. There are lot of ways of talking about <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/clumsy"><strong>clumsy</strong></a> people like this.</p> <p> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/#more-19874" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">“Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy”</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-19874" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/?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-19874" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/?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/2024/09/04/like-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy/?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%20Like%20a%20bull%20in%20a%20china%20shop%3A%20talking%20about%20people%20who%20are%20clumsy&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2024%2F09%2F04%2Flike-a-bull-in-a-china-shop-talking-about-people-who-are-clumsy%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. 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https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/29/getting-hitched-and-biting-your-tongue-newspaper-idioms/" title="Getting hitched and biting your tongue (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/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Getting-hitched_Kate_29.01.2025_517554541.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Getting hitched and biting your tongue (Newspaper idioms)" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/" title="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age" 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/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Toddlers-tweens_Liz_15.01.25_1202733008-e1734624167975.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/22/surfeits-and-gluts-ways-to-say-too-much/" title="Surfeits and gluts (Ways to say 'too much')" 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/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Surfeits-and-gluts_Kate_22.01.25_2101249332.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Surfeits and gluts (Ways to say 'too much')" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/08/20/mad-as-a-box-of-frogs-phrases-that-suddenly-become-popular/" title="Mad as a box of frogs? Phrases that suddenly become popular." 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/2014/08/madasaboxoffrogs.jpg?resize=200%2C200" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/madasaboxoffrogs.jpg?resize=200%2C200 1x" alt="Mad as a box of frogs? Phrases that suddenly become popular." 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/2025/02/17/new-words-17-february-2025/" title="New words – 17 February 2025">New words – 17 February 2025</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/10/new-words-10-february-2025/" title="New words – 10 February 2025">New words – 10 February 2025</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/2025/02/12/chilled-to-the-bone-or-roasting-the-effect-that-the-weather-has-on-us/" title="Chilled to the bone or roasting? (The effect that the weather has on us)">Chilled to the bone or roasting? (The effect that the weather has on us)</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/29/getting-hitched-and-biting-your-tongue-newspaper-idioms/" title="Getting hitched and biting your tongue (Newspaper idioms)">Getting hitched and biting your tongue (Newspaper idioms)</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/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" title="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought">Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/01/15/toddlers-tweens-and-pensioners-more-words-for-talking-about-age/" title="Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age">Toddlers, tweens and pensioners: more words for talking about age</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 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