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Chris H's avatar

This is Chris Hahn, and I love the idea of exploring language with something like Shades of Meaning. Word of the Day is good place to start. Another thought is the expressions we say and use. Just last week a non-English speaker asked me what β€œKick the bucket” means. I explained, but then was asked why we say that. I had know idea! I later looked it up and was quite surprised to discover the origin of the expression. (Look it up: you will be, too!) I also learned that in Spanish they say "estirar la pata” (stretch one’s leg). Why? Who knows, but there is certainly a story behind it. So anyways, this got me thinking about the words and the colloquial expressions we use, and how little of them we understand!

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Michael Maupin πŸ„ΎπŸ„΅ πŸ…‚πŸ…ƒπŸ„ΎπŸ…πŸ…ˆπŸ…‚πŸ„·πŸ„΄πŸ„³'s avatar

Thanks, Chris! Great suggestions...does anyone else have a response? BTW first suggested word for SOM and I'll put up an experiment with it by Sunday afternoon. Cheers, Mike

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Jo Petroni's avatar

I'm Jo, I've been into homes all my life. What does "homely" mean and how do I go about recreating it as an architect? So, what does a home mean to you? What does yours look like? It can be your real home or an imaginary ideal one.

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Michael Maupin πŸ„ΎπŸ„΅ πŸ…‚πŸ…ƒπŸ„ΎπŸ…πŸ…ˆπŸ…‚πŸ„·πŸ„΄πŸ„³'s avatar

So grateful to have you as part of this group, Jo. Also, you're in the south of France! Wow. Re: your questions. They're timely and important. With the pandemic, a lot of people are reconsidering where they live and why they live there. (I know I am!) I'm hoping to corral all this into a future Stargazing post that, if I pull it off as envisioned by your questions, could interest a wider audience. Stay tuned! Anyone else have thoughts for Jo about her questions?

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Michael Maupin πŸ„ΎπŸ„΅ πŸ…‚πŸ…ƒπŸ„ΎπŸ…πŸ…ˆπŸ…‚πŸ„·πŸ„΄πŸ„³'s avatar

Starting a new comment thread here on Shades of Meaning...first word suggested by Chris, with the "kick the bucket" expression, so look for that posted Sunday (tomorrow) afternoon as an experiment. If it seems like too many posts for Fri-Sun, please let me know if a "mid-week" post works better for everyone and I can send SoM out on, say, Wednesdays! Best, Mike

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