Chaise Longue

Not going to lie: this kind of rocked my world!

Here's a common misconception cleared up by Reader's Digest:

You never mean: Chaise lounge

You always mean: Chaise longue

Why: People have been getting this wrong for at least a century. The proper phrase is French and translates as "long chair".

- From "How to Sound Smarter", 2/2010

For anyone who has ever used a chaise longue, you know it's almost impossible to resist the urge to lounge in it. So I can see how the confusion started!

Oh, comfy half chair/half couch, I am not even sure how to pronounce your name anymore!

Words That Should Exist In English

Every so often, I'll learn about a word in another language that means something very specific and think, "That would be convenient if we had a word for that in English, too!"

Here is a small sampling:

1. Chon shu (Chinese): to be nauseous from the heat

2. Fedderchei (Dutch): feeling hesitant to write people letters

3a. Tios (Spanish): aunts & uncles

3b. Sobrinos (Spanish): nieces & nephews

That last one really irks me, actually. Most languages have a way to abbreviate "aunts and uncles" and "nieces and nephews" (I just picked Spanish for the example), but English-speakers always have to write it out the long way. We have "siblings", "parents", "children", etc, but that part of the family can't be easily summarized. Why?

In these days of twitter and texting, being concise is important! Maybe I'll start using these words and eventually they'll become English, too. :)

Removing Stripped Screws

People can come up with such smart ideas!

Apartment Therapy recommends this simple way to remove a stripped screw:

Placing a wide rubber band in between the stripped screw and the screw driver can sometimes help give enough grip to remove a slightly stripped screw head.

Check out their site to see other more conventional ways, too!

Brilliant! I can't wait to try it. :)

A Salty History!

This awesome paragraph about salt comes to us straight from February 2010's issue of Reader's Digest:

In the days before the Stop & Shop spice aisle, food was pretty lackluster, and SALT was so prized that people bartered with it. Roman soldiers were even paid their wages in salt -- hence the word salary and the phrase worth one's salt. Salt, of course, makes it easier to swallow food, so that's why suspicious-sounding stories must be taken with a grain of it.

Reader's Digest is great about packing in the facts! Many thanks!

How To Stretch Out Tight Shoes

Our friends over at Lifehacker have shared these tips for getting your shoes to fit better:

1. To stretch out tight shoes, throw on a couple pairs of socks and squeeze your feet into the shoes. Then blast the tight places with the hot air of a hairdryer. It works even better if you stretch out your feet and toes while you do it. Keep wearing the shoes while they cool, then test them without the socks. If they are still tight, you can keep repeating the process until they fit better.

2. To prevent shoes from shrinking, avoid getting them wet (they shrink as they dry, much like clothes). If your shoes do get wet, don't place them in a hot area, like near a heater vent, to dry, or they will shrink faster.

With leather shoes, you can also help them keep their shape when you're not using them by stuffing them with crumpled newspaper.

Yes! A perfect fit!

For those of you who have trouble with sore feet or blisters from wearing new shoes, I have personally found something that works. :) Before wearing them for the first time, I will take some time to twist and bend every part of the shoes and straps. For me, taking a bit of the stiffness out of a new pair of shoes really helps.

Hope all this stuff helps you too!