15 May 2019

The stories behind Britain’s weirdest weather words

Link: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170711-the-stories-behind-britains-
weirdest-weather-words
1. Pastime (n)
 Meaning: an activity that is done for enjoyment (sự giải trí, trò tiêu khiển)
 Example: It’s no secret that Brits love to talk about the weather. It’s essentially
a national pastime (= common activity)
2. Enliven (v)
 Meaning: to make something more interesting (khiến cái gì đó trở nên thú vị)
 Example: All of this talk about weather has led to a number of words that
enliven British English.
3. Hail (n)
 Meaning: small, hard balls of ice that fall from the sky like rain (mưa đá)
 Example: Hail and snow are causing treacherous driving conditions, and
motorists are warned to drive slowly.
4. Whimsical (a)
 Meaning: unusual and strange in a way that might be funny or annoying (kì
quái)
 Example: Back in Britain, weather words aren’t just many and diverse – they
also show a whimsical attitude towards language.
5. Swirl (v)
 Meaning: to (cause to) move quickly with a twisting, circular movement (xoáy)
 Example: The onomatopoeia of ‘feefle’ is a Scots word for snow swirling
around a corner. (Từ tượng thanh “feefle” là 1 từ ở Scotland dùng để chỉ việc
tuyết xoáy tròn quanh 1 góc)
6. Metaphor (n) (cerego)
 Meaning: a word or phrase that means one thing and is used for referring to
another thing in order to emphasize their similar qualities (phép ẩn dụ)
 Example: a game of football is used as a metaphor for the competitive struggle
of life.
7. Purview (n)
 Meaning: the limit of someone's responsibility, interest, or activity (quyền hạn)
 Example: Whimsical weather words are not the sole purview of the British.
Other variants of English also have plenty.
8. Peculiar (a)
 Meaning: unusual and strange, sometimes in an unpleasant way
 Example: words that sound peculiar to a person are ones that they’re not
familiar with or words that they have heard but haven’t used themselves
9. Obsolete (a) (cerego)
 Meaning: not in use any more, having been replaced by something newer and
better or more fashionable
 Example: Secondly, words and usages that have become obsolete strike us
as odd. (Những từ và các cách dùng cái mà trở nên lỗi thời làm gây cho
chúng ta cảm giác kì quặc)

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 15 May 2019

10. Eccentric (a) (cerego)

 Meaning: strange or unusual, sometimes in a humorous way
 Example: But it would be eccentric to refer to a naughty wind today.

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