Monthly Archives: October 2014

October 27, 2014 · 8:00 am

It’s just not all it’s cracked up to be.

When you say something is “not all it’s cracked up to be” you mean that you think it’s not as great as everyone says it is. Not to say that Halloween isn’t fun, just that it’s over-hyped. So: Halloween isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be.

You can use this for almost anything:

College isn’t all it’s cracked up to be: the one-time ticket to success is more likely to result in a lifetime of debt.

Utopia isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Why working for yourself isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Why intermittent fasting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

 

And finally,

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October 13, 2014 · 8:00 am

Vol is vol and no rainchecks!

Vol is vol. How to translate this little Dutch beauty?

I’ll tell you what not to do: full is full. NO.

Your translation will depend on the context.

 

If it’s for a concert or show:

Space is limited.

First come, first served.

Tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

Seats will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

 

If you’re selling a product:

Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Limited supply.

Limited time offer.

No rainchecks.

 

What’s a raincheck? It’s the opposite of vol=vol actually. When a store is out of stock of a sale item, you can get a rain check and then come back and get the item another time for the sale price! Talk about customer service. 🙂

Here is what a rain check looks like at Target:

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October 6, 2014 · 8:00 am

We’re all just mere mortals

Mere and Merely are not extremely common but when these words come up, people have a hard time understanding what they mean. In general, you can replace them with “only”.

They can be put to good use in academic writing!

Mere

Something small or insignificant; Nothing more than what is mentioned (only)
The mere idea made me shudder.
It was a mere formality.
With the merest suggestion of corruption, the entire project will be shut down.

Merely

nothing more or less (only)
He’s merely a secretary.
I was merely suggesting that…
This merely aggravates the problem.
This procedure is merely a matter of form.
It was merely a coincidence; there was no causal relationship.
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