Word of the Day

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for August 2.

Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Today’s word is zoom, spelled z-o-o-m.

zoom /zuːm/ verb [intransitive] informal

to go somewhere or do something very quickly SYN whizz, zip

A fire engine zoomed past us.

The work was really easy and I was able to zoom through it in a couple of hours.

They got in the car and zoomed away.

The group of bicycle racers zoomed past.

After her first successful cases she zoomed to the top of her profession.

Cars can zoom the length of a football field in a single second.

— New York Times, 29 May 2021

: to increase sharply

In two months the magazine’s circulation zoomed to 26,000.

Inflation zoomed to 123%.

Housing sales have zoomed in recent months.

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 August 1.

Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Today’s word is prioritize, spelled p-r-i-o-r-i-t-i-z-e.

prioritize (also prioritise British English) /praɪˈɒrətaɪz $ -ˈɔːr-/ ●○○ verb [transitive]

to decide which of a group of things are the most important so that you can deal with them first

Merriam-Webster: to list or rate (projects, goals, etc.) in order of priority

You must learn to prioritize your work.

You have to prioritize in this job because you can’t do everything.

Identify all the tasks you have to do, then prioritize.

It's always difficult to prioritize work, school, and family.

If you want to do your job efficiently, you have to learn to prioritize.

Parents and schools can prioritize teaching young people social media literacy.

— Washington Post, 8 July 2021

Instead, prioritize the parts of your life that will fast-track you towards your next achievement.

— Meghan Ros, Glamour, 1 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 tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for July 31.

Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day

Today’s word is pack, spelled p-a-c-k.

pack /pæk/ verb

to come or bring together in large numbers or to fill a space

Thousands of fans are packing into the stadium.

Fans packed the stadium to watch the final game.

The people on the bus were packed (together) like sardines (= there were many of them very close together).

The sheep had been packed into a truck and transported without food or water.

to put something into a bag, box, etc.

We're leaving early tomorrow morning, so you'd better pack (= put clothes and other possessions into suitcases or bags) tonight.

She packed a small suitcase for the weekend.

Kelly packed her things before breakfast.

You’d better pack your bags. We’re leaving in an hour.

Unfortunately, after combing through hundreds of Polaris and Premium Select passenger reviews on TripAdvisor, SkyTrax, and Yelp, food seems to be one of the airline's shortcomings, even in the higher classes, so pack a snack just in case.

— Eric Rosen, Travel + Leisure, 19 June 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 July 29.

Rain Day

Today’s word is culture shock, spelled c-u-l-t-u-r-e shock.

culture shock /ˈkʌl.tʃər ˌʃɑːk/ ●○○ noun [singular, uncountable]

the feeling of being confused or anxious that you get when you visit a foreign country or a place that is very different from the one you are used to

Merriam-Webster: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation

Foreign students often experience culture shock when they first come to the U.S.

Moving to the city was a huge culture shock for him.

India is where I first experienced real culture shock.

I get culture shock every time I come back to this country.

And a lot of us are based in New York, so going to L.A. was another kind of culture shock too.

— Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 July 2021

Joining a team that ranked 29th in defense was a bit of a culture shock for Powell.

— oregonlive, 19 May 2021

Office life may be a culture shock for people now accustomed to running an errand or going for a walk in the middle of the day.

— Robert Channick, chicagotribune.com, 14 May 2021

Experts call this reverse culture shock or re-entry syndrome.

— David Morel, Forbes, 12 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 July 28.

Milk Chocolate Day

Today’s word is top, spelled t-o-p.

top /tɒp $ tɑːp/ ●○○ verb (topped, topping) [transitive]

to be higher than a particular amount

Their profits have reportedly topped £1,000,000 this year.

Donations are expected to top $1,000,000 by the end of the month.

to be the most important, most successful, etc.

She tops everyone else on the team.

The song has topped the charts for seven weeks.

I've seen some pretty weird things in my life—but that tops everything!

be topped (off) with something

if food is topped with something, it has that thing on it or over the top of it

a strawberry tart topped with whipped cream

The cake can be topped off with fresh fruit.

ice cream topped with chocolate sauce

The dessert was topped off with whipped cream and pieces of fruit.

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 July 27.

Take Your Houseplant For A Walk Day

Today’s word is migration, spelled m-i-g-r-a-t-i-o-n.

migration /maɪˈɡreɪʃən/ ●○○ noun [countable, uncountable]

when large numbers of people go to live in another area or country, especially in order to find work

There was a mass migration of poverty-stricken farmers into the cities.

He argues that there are many economic benefits of migration.

The United States was created by migration and the modern world has been sculpted by migration.

Biden appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to address the root causes of migration, and Harris has traveled to Guatemala and Mexico in her efforts to encourage potential migrants to stay in their home countries and apply for asylum legally.

— Sarah Kolinovsky, ABC News, 20 July 2021

Meanwhile, the administration has focused almost entirely on addressing the root causes of migration in the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, collectively known as the Northern Triangle.

— Michelle Hackman, WSJ, 16 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 tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for July 26.

Coffee Milk Shake Day

Today’s word is belt, spelled b-e-l-t.

belt / belt/ verb

belt something ↔ out

to sing very loudly and with enthusiasm

I knew how to belt out a song and win over an audience.

She was belting out old Broadway favorites.

tighten your belt

informal to try to spend less money than you used to

Businesses were tightening their belts and cutting jobs.

Most people have to tighten their belts a little when they retire.

Colleges have tightened their belts and are giving fewer scholarships than before.

Governments and companies are forced to tighten their belts during a 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 July 26.

Wine and Cheese Day

Today’s word is immigrant, spelled i-m-m-i-g-r-a-n-t.

immigrant /ˈɪməɡrənt/ ●●○ noun [countable]

someone who enters another country to live there permanently

an illegal immigrant

a new wave of immigrants from the Middle East

Two thirds of legal immigrants to the country came from Europe and Canada.

Millions of immigrants came to America from Europe in the 19th century.

The city has a large immigrant population.

This perspective can be seen in many immigrant or impoverished populations, where getting sick or injured can be a precursor to household ruin through job loss and exorbitant, unpayable medical bills.

— Diana Schow, The Conversation, 7 July 2021

In this lovely eight-episode anthology series, each half-hour zeroes in on one immigrant to tell an entirely discrete story about his or her experiences in America, in coming to America, or in having to adjust to America.

— BostonGlobe.com, 10 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 tomorrow with a new word.

You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for July 24.

Tequila Day

Today’s word is price, spelled p-r-i-c-e.

price /praɪs/ ●●○ verb [transitive]

to decide the price of something that is for sale

Tickets are priced at £75 each.

The food was good and reasonably priced.

price sb out phrasal verb

to make someone unable to buy or pay for something because the price is too high

The high rents are pricing some people out of the market.

Individuals earning the median hourly wage of $15.20 would qualify for a mortgage of $104,532 - effectively pricing them out of most homes in the area.

Thousands of people will be priced out of the legal system, no matter how strong their case.

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 July 22.

Hammock Day

Today’s word is gadget, spelled g-a-d-g-e-t.

gadget /ˈɡædʒɪt/ noun [countable]

a small, useful, and cleverly-designed machine or tool

He showed her several electronic gadgets, such as a watch that you can use as a phone.

A sales assistant was demonstrating several kitchen gadgets to a crowd of shoppers.

It's a clever little gadget which you can use to cut vegetables into attractive shapes.

Have you seen this handy little gadget - it's for separating egg yolks from whites.

The kitchen is equipped with all the latest gadgets.

Shoppers looking for the latest cleaning gadget from the best brands on the market are in for a treat, too.

— Sanah Faroke, Southern Living, 21 June 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.