Word of the Day

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 18.

Cheeseburger Day

Today’s word is reason, spelled r-e-a-s-o-n.

reason /ˈriːzən/ ●○○ verb

[transitive] to form a particular judgment about a situation after carefully considering the facts

Newton reasoned (that) there must be a force such as gravity

He reasoned that both statements couldn't be true.

She reasoned that something must be wrong.

They reasoned that other businesses would soon copy the idea.

reason with phrasal verb

to talk with (someone) in a sensible way in order to try to change that person's thoughts or behavior

They tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen.

I tried to reason with her.

Kids should talk to their parents and try to reason with them.

— Tara C. Smith, SELF, 12 Aug. 2021

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here next Saturday with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 16.

Guacamole Day

Today’s word is plaything, spelled p-l-a-y-t-h-i-n-g.

plaything /ˈpleɪˌθɪŋ/ noun [countable]

formal a toy

The best playthings teach kids that anything can become a source of adventure and inquiry.

The trouble is, they treat their pets and playthings very badly.

VCRs were once the expensive, high-tech playthings of the rich.

Normal people went to space, not billionaires treating the cosmos as their personal plaything.

— Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 9 July 2021

someone that you use for your own amusement or advantage, without caring about them

men who treat women as playthings

We mustn't let the environment become the plaything of oil companies.

Dogecoin has become a particular plaything of Elon Musk, who seems to enjoy driving its value up and down at will through tweets and public statements.

— Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2021

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here next Saturday with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 15.

Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie Day

Today’s word is sweat, spelled s-w-e-a-t.

sweat /swet/ ●●○ verb

WORK [intransitive, transitive] informal to work hard

They sweated and saved for ten years to buy a house.

sweat over

He’d sweated over the plans for six months.

sweat blood/sweat your guts out (=work very hard)

I sweated blood to get that report finished.

We’ve been sweating our guts out here!

don’t sweat it

American English spoken used to tell someone not to worry about something

Don’t sweat it, I’ll lend you the money.

don’t sweat the small stuff

American English spoken used to tell someone not to worry about unimportant things

Brad Paisley: One of Those Days

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 14.

Cream Filled Donut Day

Today’s word is play, spelled p-l-a-y.

play /pleɪ/ verb

PRETEND [linking verb] to behave as if you are a particular kind of person or have a particular feeling or quality, even though it is not true

the accusation that scientists are playing God

Some snakes fool predators by playing dead.

‘What do you mean?’ ‘Don’t play dumb (=pretend you do not know something).'

Don’t play the innocent (=pretend you do not know about something) with me – we both know what happened.

Susan felt she had to play the good wife.

He played the fool (=behaved in a silly way) at school instead of working.

BEHAVE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to behave in a particular way in a situation, in order to achieve the result or effect that you want

How do you want to play this meeting?

Play it safe (=avoid risks) and make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

If you like him, play it cool, or you might scare him off.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 13.

Peanut Day

Today’s word is ground, spelled g-r-o-u-n-d.

ground /ɡraʊnd/ ●○○ verb

[transitive] to stop an aircraft or pilot from flying

All planes are grounded until the fog clears.

The snowstorm meant that all planes were grounded.

The plane was grounded by mechanical problems.

Bad weather grounded his flight.

[transitive] informal to stop a child going out with their friends as a punishment for behaving badly

I got home at 2 am and Dad grounded me on the spot.

My parents grounded me for a week.

hit the ground running idiom

to start doing something successfully without any delay

Law graduates are expected to hit the ground running.

They either hit the ground running, or the ground hits them standing still.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 12.

Chocolate Milkshake Day

Today’s word is ride, spelled r-i-d-e.

ride /raɪd/ ●●● verb

ride on (something or someone) phrasal verb

: to depend on (something or someone)

The future of the company rides on the success of this deal.

Our hopes are riding on you.

He knew he had to win – his reputation was riding on it.

There’s a lot riding on this match.

ride out phrasal verb

: to succeed in surviving or getting through (something dangerous or harmful that cannot be stopped or avoided)

The ship/crew rode out the storm.

We managed to ride out the stock market downturn.

Most large companies should be able to ride out the recession.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 11.

Patriot Day

Today’s word is heroic, spelled h-e-r-o-i-c.

heroic /hɪˈrəʊɪk $ -ˈroʊ-/ ●○○ adjective

very brave or great

: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring

: supremely noble or self-sacrificing

It was a heroic decision.

It was heroic of those women to fight for the right to vote.

The soldiers received medals for their heroic actions.

Frist responders

Despite heroic efforts to save the business, it ultimately went bankrupt.

In some cultures, notably in the U.S., going to work with cold or even flu symptoms can seem heroic—a stoic prioritizing of work over personal comfort.

— The Editors, Scientific American, 27 May 2021

heroic noun

: courageous, noble, or self-sacrificing action or behavior : heroic action or behavior

I was busy feeling sorry for my unappreciated heroics and myself in general and didn’t see Rose there until she briefly took my hand.

—The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline

No amount of heroics on my part can make a big dent in the tidal wave of work that’s been allowed to get into the system.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 9.

Teddy Bear Day

Today’s word is artifact, spelled a-r-t-i-f-a-c-t.

artifact /ˈɑːtəfækt $ ˈɑːr-/ noun [countable]

an object such as a tool, weapon etc that was made in the past and is historically important

ancient Egyptian artefacts

The museum's collection includes artifacts dating back to prehistoric times.

The caves contained many prehistoric artifacts.

an artifact from the Colonial period

An artefact from the past can be used to engage interest and awaken curiosity.

However, scientific radiocarbon dating revealed that the artifact is actually more than 1,500 years old.

— William Taylor, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2021

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 8.

Literacy Day

Today’s word is police, spelled p-o-l-i-c-e.

police /pəˈliːs/ ●○○ verb [transitive]

to keep control over a particular area in order to make sure that laws are obeyed and that people and property are protected, using a police or military force

The army was brought in to police the city center.

The officers police the streets for reckless drivers.

The coast is policed by the military.

to control a particular activity or industry by making sure that people follow the correct rules for what they do

The agency was set up to police the nuclear power industry.

The international agency polices the development of atomic energy facilities.

The use of these chemicals must be carefully policed.

The Biden administration has said there will be no federal mandate for a single vaccination credential, leaving the issue of whether to require evidence and how to police it to local governments and the private sector.

— Wsj Staff, WSJ, 14 May 2021

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for September 7.

Beer Lover’s Day

Salami Day

Buy a Book Day

Today’s word is exhibition, spelled e-x-h-i-b-i-t-i-o-n.

exhibition /ˌeksəˈbɪʃən/ noun

[countable] especially British English a show of paintings, photographs, or other objects that people can go to see

The museum is staging an exhibition of Picasso’s work.

Hayward Gallery is mounting an impressive exhibition of new British artists.

Crowds of people flocked to see the Picasso exhibition.

She pretends that she knows all about the latest films and art exhibitions, but it's all a pose.

There were several famous paintings at the exhibition.

an exhibition of early American crafts

Rumored to have had far less tickets available compared to the 2019 offering, the contest and exhibition fostered even more of the casual ambiance and sense of community that it has become known for.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2021

This year, for the first time, the concert will include a young children’s art exhibition and young piano performers.

— cleveland, 14 Aug. 2021

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

We love feedback. If you want to email us, our address is [email protected], or you can find me directly on Twitter and message me there. My handle is @MoeGolpayegani.

Thanks for listening, stay safe, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a new word.