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Where does the phrase 'smoking gun' come from?

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Used to mean indisputable evidence 'smoking gun' was first used in the  Sherlock Holmes  story,  The Gloria Scott  (1893).  We rushed into the captain's cabin . . . there he lay with his brains smeared over the chart of the Atlantic . . . while the chaplain stood with a smoking pistol in his hand. William Safire the identifies the first contemporary use as during the Watergate scandal in 1974. The phrase was then heavily used in the controversy regarding nuclear weapons in Iraq. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes  (Kindle Edition $0.89) The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes English Language 100 FAQ Teaching Pack     -  only £1.99 using discount code  CQDWKF0

What is a hedge fund? And what does it mean to hedge your bets?

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Hedge funds are companies which pool capital from wealthy clients with a view to maximising return. They invest in all asset classes - bonds, equities etc - and  because of the scale of their investments can profit from small price movements. The largest hedge funds are also 'market makers' - their investment decisions influence others. The verb "to hedge" means to "insure oneself against loss but some successful hedge fund managers have been very aggressive in their investment strategies. The  credit-default swaps  market (famously described by Warren Buffett as 'weapons of mass financial destruction') is an example of this. In general English 'hedging your bets' is to approach an uncertain situation by taking action to cover a variety of outcomes. When a bookmaker receives a large bet on a particular result, he will generally 'lay off' the bet with another bookmaker. This mean by betting a smaller amount on the opposite outcome.

What is the gold standard? And gold bugs?

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The gold standard is when the value of a currency is directly linked to the amount of physical gold held by a country. Britain had the gold standard until 1931 and the USA only abandoned it in 1971. They did this in the belief that the gold/currency link was too inflexible. Some have argued that the gold/currency link was a key element in the Great Depression, forcing economic austerity in contracting economies. So the gold standard is a recipe for trouble? Life without the gold standard is also not without major problems. The US dollar, for example, has declined in value and many libertarians (most notably former Presidential candidate, Ron Paul) have argued that restoration is essential to restore economic prosperity. Some also argue that the gold standard is the only guarantor against long-term financial catastrophe.  Freed from restraint, governments can choose 'quick fixes' like quantative easing in difficult economic circumstances - only to create hyper-inflati

What are the rules for texting in English?

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There are no formal rules for writing SMS/texts. There are, however, some conventions.  Texts (SMS) often use short sentences break grammar & spelling rules contain neologisms use short forms including acroynms & abbreviations Are ‘text words’ easy to understand? SMS short-forms are usually easy to recognise. Most take the first letter of a word or each word in a phrase e.g OMG Some are already in general English (e.g. ASAP for ‘as soon as possible’.). Others follow the same rule AAMOF for "as a matter of fact" IMHO for "in my humble opinion," or PLMK for please let me know. Which short-forms are most confusing? Neologisms from common words or phrases. These are usually based on the sound e.g. B4 (before), NE (any). Some are invented e.g  W? (why). Some confusing short-forms AIGHT: Alright * GB: Goodbye * GL: Good luck * HV: Have * K or KK: Okay * M8: Mate * O\VA: Over * PEEPS/PPL: People * PLS: Please * PZ: Peace

What is graphene?

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The new silicon? Graphene has been called a "miracle material" and it is thought that it could become as common as plastic in a few years. It is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb, but it is stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber. Some scientists believe that graphene will be the key element in driving product innovation in the near future. Posted with Blogsy

What is a curveball?

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A deceptive or unexpected action which poses a new challenge e.g.   He threw a curveball by threatening to walk out of the meeting.   Comes from baseball and refers to a ball pitched to curve away from the hitter. There are many other examples of baseball terminology entering general English -  three strkes and your out, hit a home run, touch base.  Interestingly these are commonly used in British English while cricket expressions  sticky wicket, a good innings  are unfamiliar to most Americans.

What is a Maven?

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Maven comes from the Yiddish word meaning ‘expert’ or ‘someone knowledgeable in a particular subject’ . Modern usage tends to conflate expertise with influence - a maven is a person whose opinion or course of action is watched closely by others The word became widely known when it was used by  Malcolm Gladwell  in  The Tipping Point . Gladwell describes how a few key individuals can influence a large numbers of people.  Obvious examples include technology pioneers like Jobs and Zukerberg but maven can be said to be present in every sphere of activity. Despite his vociferous denials, Malcolm Gladwell himself is a maven in the area of pop psychology. In marketing, the word has a slightly different usage. The maven can be a person, group, network, company or association that already has a relationship with the people you’re trying to sell to.  Source A version of this post is included in  50 FAQ about English    ($1.75)

What is learner autonomy?

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Learner autonomy is a much used term amongst contemporary educationalists. Henri Holec first used the term in 1981, broadly defining learner autonomy as 'the ability to take charge of one's learning'. Key characteristics include self awarneness, critical reflection and taking responsibility for learning. More here

What is a debt default? The debt ceiling?

The above video gives a very good description of the debt ceiling. But some might put more emphasis on the current scale of US debt - which has edged up towards $17 trillion at an alarming rate - see debt clock here .  What brought the debt ceiling back into political play has been growing consensus that the debt is now unsustainable in the long term. What Democrats and Republicans battle over is what to do about this. It is universally agreed debt default (see below) could have a potentially catastrophic impact on the world economy. This prospect will eventually lead to some sort of deal but the two parties will fight bitterly until the last moment. What is a debt default? A failure to meet a legally agreed payment. This usually means that the agreement - for example a mortgage - is no longer valid and the lender can take steps to recover the value of the loan Why would a US debt default be a disaster? Usually the national currency falls in value and this helps to make the

What is a 'hair cut' in the financial world?

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A 'haircut' is a loss in the value of an investment or security: see  here  for an example. 

What is a 'run' on a bank?

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A run on a bank is when a large number of customers withdraw their funds simultaneously. If a run on a bank gains momentum it can quickly 'fail' or go out of business, as  happened with Lehman Brothers in 2008. This is what George (James Stewart) is trying to prevent in the famous scene (above) from 'It's a Wonderful Life'. With institutions that are 'too big too fail' a government or international financial organisation may rescue the bank by either taking it over or injecting huge amounts of cash. This is the role the EU is currently playing in Cyprus. Unfortunately the proposed solution, which involved seizing ten per cent of depositor cash has created a crisis of confidence that threatens the banks, the role of Cyprus in the EU and ultimately the EU project itself. How do you stop a bank run? With great difficulty. The traditional remedies are: a) delay -  ....the bank is going to open again next week ... the key requirement is to 'buy tim

What is a meme? A scientific term? Or 'a pretentious way of stating the obvious'?

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This cartoon refers to 'Rickrolling' meme (see below) The word meme was first introduced by Richard Dawkins in  The Selfish Gene . Dawkins was looking for "a monosyllable that sounds a bit like 'gene'" to apply a biological concept to 'cultural evolution'. He wrote that evolution depended not on the particular  chemical basis  of  genetics , but only on the existence of a  self-replicating  unit of transmission – in the case of biological evolution, the  gene . For Dawkins, the meme exemplified another self-replicating unit with potential significance in explaining  human behavior  and cultural evolution. [1]   The form a meme can take is very fluid. Here BBC Radio 4's  Start the Week  discuss a 'cultural meme' listen to ‘English FAQ: What is a meme?’ on Audioboo The term  internet meme  is a further simplification of what some have argued is a pseudo-scientific term. It is defined on one tech blog as: a catchphrase or concept

What are the key concepts in English language teaching?

There are, of course, many different approaches. Here is a short guide to some of them: Teaching English Toolkit Low cost ESOL Teaching Packs