Three Word Phrases

 

You would not be surprised to learn that I am fascinated with words. It would be a poor job if someone who spends a lot of time writing and public speaking was not interested in the words they use. Our choice of words and vocabulary develops over time and reflects what we read, listen to, watch, etc. Developing a pool of words you can draw from is good, especially if you want to communicate clearly.

 

Interestingly, we love to express ourselves in short, snappy statements. However, I was intrigued at how often we use memorable three-word phrases that communicate our point clearly. Let me give you some examples:

 

Black and White

Haves and have-nots

Kiss and tell 

Pros and cons

Tried and tested 

Flesh and blood

Down and out

 

These expressive short statements convey an idea clearly and in a way that is easy to remember.

Three word Phrases

 

You would not be surprised to learn that I am fascinated with words. It would be a poor job if someone who spends a lot of time writing and public speaking was not interested in the words they use. Our choice of words and vocabulary develops over time and reflects what we read, listen to, watch, etc. Developing a pool of words you can draw from is good, especially if you want to communicate clearly.

 

Interestingly, we love to express ourselves in short, snappy statements. However, I was intrigued at how often we use memorable three-word phrases that communicate our point clearly. Let me give you some examples:

 

Black and White

Haves and have-nots

Kiss and tell 

Pros and cons

Tried and tested 

Flesh and blood

Down and out

Kicking the can down the road

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There are a few expressions, such as ‘putting it on the long finger’, ‘kicking it into the long grass’ and ‘putting it on the back burner’, which indicate actions and attitudes leading to the delay or postponement of matters which need to be addressed soon or immediately and which require urgent attention. These expressions reflect a careless, lackadaisical attitude which is prepared to put something important off to a later date. The word ‘procrastination’ really means leaving something until tomorrow (the Latin word cras means ‘tomorrow’). In effect, the person is saying, “I know I ought to address this matter urgently, but someday I’ll get round to thinking about it.”

One man characterised by such an attitude is Felix, who, after hearing Paul's preaching, trembled and showed obvious concern, but then he said, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24.25).

Hard Words

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Do you remember the famous song from Mary Poppins: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Many of us could say it or even sing it, but what about spelling it? That is easy; some would say, ‘I…T’! That is how I’d respond in my classroom, much to the dismay of an annoyed teenager! In the film, Mary Poppins even recites the word backwards, but that may be pushing it a bit too far for today. 

 

Over the years, I have met several people who get tongue-tied with words like ‘thief’, often pronounced ‘fith’ and ‘specific’, which is often confused with ‘Pacific’. That is without the real tongue twisters like ”She sells seashells on the seashore. The shells that she sells are seashells, I’m sure.”