A double-edged sword is something that can have two opposite effects at the same time, such as both helping and hurting: Social media is a double-edged sword; it connects us but separates us in harmful ways. A real double-edged sword, is a sword with two cutting edges, like most Western swords of the medieval time period—as seen […]

To each their own means that it is okay for each person to follow their own personal tastes, which may be different from the tastes of others:                 I’m having coffee, but you can have tea if you like; to each their own. Naturally, people say this most when they disagree with […]

These are the same word, in its masculine and feminine forms. A fiancé is a man who is engaged to be married, and a fiancée is a woman engaged to be married. This difference in the word endings (the extra “e”) is from French grammar, as these are French words, adopted into English. They are pronounced […]

Tongue-in-cheek is an adjective phrase describing a statement, gesture, image, or other expression said in a serious manner but intended humorously, ironically, or insincerely: When I said I hated you, I was being tongue-in-cheek. Of course I don’t hate you! When the phrase was first used in writing, during the 18th century, it described an insulting gesture, […]

Chip, in this common English idiom, actually refers to “a small piece of wood.” The phrase, to carry a chip on your shoulder, means “to carry a grudge”—to feel angry or desire to fight because of past unfair treatment. For example, people often carry a chip on their shoulder for a past lover or parent who […]