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delmarrey · 17-06-2017, 11:54

Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?

This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is pronounced, approximately, 'mayday.'

delmarrey · 17-06-2017, 12:17

A reminder that one word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and preposition.

"UP"

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word and that word is 'UP.'

It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv.], [prep.], [adj.], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
Why do we speak UP?
Why are the officers UP for election?
Why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite and think UPexcuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning, but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, the earth soaks itUP.
When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . My time is UP!

Oh . . . One more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

U! P!

Did that one crack you UP?

Don't screw UP. Or not . . . it's UP to you.

Now I'll shut UP!

Steadman Uhlich · 17-06-2017, 12:57

YUP!

Thanks for the interesting trivia about UP.

Tayana42 · 17-06-2017, 16:53

Here is another. What 5 letter English word would still sound the same if you dropped the first letter...and would sound the same if you also dropped the last letter...and would still sound the same if you dropped the middle letter?

The answer is

EMPTY

MPTY

MPT

MT

**JPA Cate** · 18-06-2017, 00:32

Oh, boy, word games!

Take the word and add two "s"s. Now you have swords!

Think of the clean

up after that!

Cheers, guys,

Ann

Yellowtulip · 18-06-2017, 02:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tayana42

Here is another. What 5 letter English word would still sound the same if you dropped the first letter...and would sound the same if you also dropped the last letter...and would still sound the same if you dropped the middle letter?

The answer is

EMPTY

MPTY

MPT

MT

Good, but dropping the 'p' would be a mispronunciation, in my opinion.

**Wotname** · 18-06-2017, 03:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Oh, boy, word games!

Take the word and add two "s"s. Now you have swords!

Think of the clean

up after that!

Cheers, guys,

Ann

delmarrey · 18-06-2017, 07:52

Re: word games.

Why is it that it's called an asteroid if it's in the hemisphere, but it's called an hemorrhoid if it's in the ass?

delmarrey · 18-06-2017, 08:18

Back to trivia:

Who opened the first drive-in gas station?

Gulf, in Pittsburgh 1913.

.

naitaka322 · 18-06-2017, 09:33

seeing how my name starts with UP (Upfold) it is good to know it has other uses.
We watch what we call our children. There are no Freds although my sister Pat suffered in her youth.
thanks for the info
JU