Word of the Day

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

International Nurses Day 

Today’s word is campaign, spelled c-a-m-p-a-i-g-n.

campaign / kæmˈpeɪn/ noun [countable]

a series of battles, attacks etc intended to achieve a particular result in a war

the bombing campaign

Tolstoy’s War and Peace

campaign ●●○ verb [intransitive]

to lead or take part in a series of actions intended to achieve a particular social or political result

Women campaigned for equal pay and equal rights throughout the 1960s.

Amnesty International has long campaigned against flogging for whatever crime.

a time when women were campaigning for the right to vote

Former Second Lady Jill Biden is scheduled to campaign in Minnesota on Saturday, making her second stop in the state since her husband secured the Democratic nomination.

— Katie Galioto, Star Tribune, "Trump claims credit for jobs, touts mining, pipelines, at rally in Duluth, Minnesota," 1 Oct. 2020

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

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

Eat What You Want Day

Today’s word is overdue, spelled o-v-e-r-d-u-e.

overdue /ˌəʊvəˈdjuː◂ $ ˌoʊvərˈduː◂/ adjective

not done, paid, returned etc by the time expected

an overdue gas bill

My library books are a week overdue.

She reminded him that the rent was overdue.

something that is overdue should have happened or been done a long time ago

He was overdue for a shave.

overdue for a haircut

She feels she's overdue for promotion.

Far too many Black lives have been taken by police and change is long overdue.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin community, political leaders react to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case," 20 Apr. 2021

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

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for May 10.

Golf Day

Today’s word is mouth, spelled m-o-u-t-h.

mouth / maʊð / verb [transitive]

to form words with the lips without making any sound

It looks to me as if the singers are only mouthing the words.

"Can we go?" mouthed Mary.

The librarian mouthed the word "quiet."

silently mouthing the words to a song

to say something in a way that is not sincere

The players mouthed clichés about what they hoped to do at the World Cup.

I don't want to stand here listening to you mouthing apologies.

She was just mouthing the usual meaningless platitudes about the need for reform.

Who is speaking the truth, and on what basis, and who is merely mouthing what people want to hear?

— Richard Gunderman, The Conversation, "The ‘first scientist’s’ 800-year-old tonic for what ails us: The truth," 1 May 2020

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

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

Lost Sock Memorial Day

Today’s word is procrastinate, spelled p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-e.

procrastinate /prəˈkræstəneɪt/ verb [intransitive]

to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring SYN put off

I know I've got to deal with the problem at some point - I'm just procrastinating.

When it comes to housework, I tend to procrastinate.

People often procrastinate when it comes to paperwork.

He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline.

He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.

Then remind them that the immediate instinct to procrastinate and play video games will make life miserable later.

— Brian Platzer, The Atlantic, "Don’t Help Your Kids With Homework," 2 Mar. 2021

There are several reasons why taxes aren’t something to procrastinate about until the last minute.

— Erik Carter, Forbes, "3 Common Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make This Tax Season," 1 Mar. 2021

For anyone with a tendency to procrastinate, the final days before Christmas are often a mad dash to finish up holiday shopping.

— Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, "Print a Custom Photo Calendar at Walgreens for a Speedy Last-Minute Gift," 22 Dec. 2020

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

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

World Donkey Day 

Today’s word is zero, spelled z-e-r-o.

zero /ˈzɪərəʊ $ ˈziːroʊ / verb

zero in on somebody/something phrasal verb

to direct all your attention towards a particular person or thing

We must decide on our target market and zero in on it.

Social media allows you to zero in on consumers who'll be receptive to your messages.

He's also taken more novel approaches, zeroing in on students' interests, like creating an activity using Google Maps for one student who loves maps.

— Dakin Andone, CNN, "The next generation of teachers grapples with uncertainty as coronavirus shuts schools," 3 May 2020

Sure, two big-screen productions zeroing in on the same town is a bizarre coincidence.

— Dan Singer, Dallas News, "As if ‘Cheer’ wasn’t enough, Corsicana fruitcake scandal film offers the small town an encore," 20 Feb. 2020

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

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for May 6.

No Homework Day

Today’s word is exhaust, spelled e-x-h-a-u-s-t.

exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔːst $ -ˈzɒːst/ ●○○ verb [transitive]

to make someone feel extremely tired

Our plan was to exhaust the children at the park, so that they would sleep in the car.

I've exhausted myself with all that cleaning.

to use all of something SYN use up

We are in danger of exhausting the world’s oil supply.

If they keep spending this way, they'll exhaust their savings.

I'm afraid he's exhausted my patience.

exhaust a subject/topic etc

to talk about something so much that you have nothing more to say about it

Once we’d exhausted the subject of Jill’s wedding, I didn’t know what to say.

exhaust ●○○ noun

(also exhaust pipe) [countable] a pipe on a car or machine that waste gases pass through

There's a problem with the car's exhaust.

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

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for May 5.

World Maths Day

Today’s word is brave, spelled b-r-a-v-e.

brave /breɪv/ verb [transitive]

to deal with a difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant situation

Let's brave the snow and go for a walk (= go for a walk even though it is snowing).

I decided to take the train to work rather than brave the traffic.

Thousands of fans braved rush-hour traffic to see the concert.

a soldier who braved enemy fire to rescue her wounded comrade

While some daring cyclists occasionally brave the sidewalks or a narrow shoulder before darting to a side street, most stay away.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Bikes on the McGrath Highway? The state’s preparing to redesign the urban artery," 23 Apr. 2021

My laundry is basically always going because of an endless cycle of washing the many sweaty layers needed to brave the outdoors.

— Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, "As the longest winter ever nears an end (we think), conflicting perspectives abound," 27 Mar. 2021

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

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for May 4.

Firefighters’ Day 

Today’s word is vehicle, spelled v-e-h-i-c-l-e.

vehicle /ˈviːɪkəl/ noun [countable]

formal a machine with an engine that is used to take people or things from one place to another, such as a car, bus, or truck

Merriam-Webster: \ ˈvē-ə-kəl also ˈvē-ˌhi-kəl \

a description of the stolen vehicle

Have you locked your vehicle?

The vehicle's driver was severely injured in the crash.

Antoine Norris, 24, of the 7800 block of South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, was cited for driving without a valid license, driving an uninsured vehicle and speeding south on the 8500 block of Lemont Road at 1:03 p.m. April 15.

— Kimberly Fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Burr Ridge police blotter: Alsip driver charged with marijuana possession," 23 Apr. 2021

[usually singular] formal something you use to express and spread your ideas, opinions etc

The 1936 Olympics were used as a vehicle for Nazi propaganda.

The conference was seen as an ideal vehicle for increased cooperation between the member states.

‘Eastern Eye’ is an important vehicle for Black British opinion.

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

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for May 3.

Lemonade Day

Today’s word is ball, spelled b-a-l-l.

ball /bɔːl $ bɒːl/ verb [transitive]

(also ball up) to make something form a small round shape

He balled the letter in his hands and threw it in the trash.

I stood up quickly and balled my hands into fists.

He balled his fists.

have a ball informalidiom

to have a very good time

: to have fun

I had a ball at the wedding.

Everyone had a ball at the party.

the ball is in somebody’s court idiom

it is their turn to take action or to reply

I’ve emailed him – now the ball’s in his court.

I've helped him in every way I can – the ball's in his court now.

براش سنگ حموم گذاشتم

What do you think we should do about the project? The ball is in your court.

drop the ball informal phrase

to make a mistake, especially by doing something in a stupid or careless way

I'm so sorry I dropped the ball and forgot to buy the wine for the dinner party.

For God's sake don't drop the ball on this - we're relying on you.

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

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

Laughter Day

Today’s word is commute, spelled c-o-m-m-u-t-e.

commute /kəˈmjuːt/ ●●○ verb

[intransitive] to regularly travel a long distance to get to work

Jim commutes to Manhattan every day.

He commutes to work every day by train.

With such equipment, staff could work from home instead of commuting to offices.

Companies save money on rent; employees don’t have to commute; and everyone, without the distractions of the office, can be more efficient.

— The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, "Against Remote Work," 13 Jan. 2021

commute noun [countable usually singular]

the journey to work every day

My morning commute takes 45 minutes.

Some now dread resuming their soul-killing commute, or putting on an outfit for work and being judged for it, or simply re-entering the rat race.

— Nicholas Goldberg, Star Tribune, "I'm feeling symptoms of 'cave syndrome.' Aren't you?," 14 Apr. 2021

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

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