Guest Post: Melissa Maygrove

It’s my birthday! Whee! So obviously I’m not going to be doing any work on my blog. That’s just laughable. Anyway, I managed to sucker convince some of my awesome bloggy friends to step in while I’m off celebrating, so without further ado (this will seem more hilarious in a minute), here is the wondrous Melissa:

When Jeanne asked for guest posts, I wanted to help, but my muse was uncooperative. Thankfully, Jeanne stood in. Since I do a grammar series and she’s into etymology, we decided the topic of idioms might be a good fit.

Idioms can be a great addition to your writing, but—if you don’t want your readers to laugh at parts of your story you never intended to be funny—you have to get them right.

One frequently flubbed idiom is: without further adieu.

It's without further ado, not without further adieu.

Ado (n.) means fuss or delay.

Adieu is an interjection meaning goodbye.

Which is correct, one in the same or one and the same?

Answer: one and the same

Ex: Sue’s boyfriend and Tanya’s husband are one and the same.

Sorry. Couldn’t resist. :P

You’re saying something is the same as something else. Think of it as describing something with two adjectives. You wouldn’t say, “Tom is tall in handsome.” You would say, “Tom is tall and handsome.”

And, lastly, my favorite. *grin*

 

Nip it in the butt.

While nipping someone’s butt might stop them from finishing what they’re doing, the proper saying is nip it in the bud.

Nipping something in the bud means stopping something before it can grow into something larger or worse. Though this saying typically used to refer to something negative, the basic concept is: if you cut off a flower while it’s still in bud form, it can never bloom.

Thanks for having me, Jeanne.

I hope I didn’t scare your followers away.

###

Headshot & Bio:

Melissa Maygrove is a wife, a mother, a nurse, and a romance writer. She hopes to add ‘published author' to that list soon.

###

Blog:

http://melissamaygrove.blogspot.com

Grammar Police Files:

http://melissamaygrove.blogspot.com/p/grammar-police-files-list-of-all-posts_22.html

Twitter (@MelissaMaygrove):

https://twitter.com/MelissaMaygrove