How to Describe Gibberish

How to Describe Gibberish How to Describe Gibberish How to Describe Gibberish By Maeve Maddox The recent post on greeking prompted a reader to remark: And, of course, theres Double Dutch. Where did that come from? Double Dutch is another expression meaning â€Å"incomprehensible speech.† The â€Å"Dutch† refers to the idea that a foreign language is incomprehensible to one who hasn’t learned it. The â€Å"double† is an intensifier. â€Å"Double Dutch† is a language twice as difficult to understand as â€Å"plain ‘Dutch’†. Here are some more nouns to express the idea of unintelligible vocalization that is either entirely unintelligible, or which may be understandable on some level, but makes no sense, or is inconsequential. babble: probably an imitative word suggesting baby talk. I used to think it came from the story of the Tower of Babel, but apparently no etymological connection can be traced. The meaning â€Å"to repeat oneself incoherently† is known from about 1418. balderdash: originally referred to a jumbled mix of liquors, for example milk and beer or beer and wine. In 1674 it meant â€Å"senseless jumble of words.† baloney: originated as American slang word meaning â€Å"nonsense.† Could be from bologna, but could also have derived from blarney. bilge: â€Å"stupid talk or writing† The bilge is the â€Å"lowest internal part of a ship.† A lot of nasty stuff accumulates there. blather: â€Å"nonsensical talk† May have come into English via Scots dialect from a Scandinavian word meaning â€Å"babble.† bull: Most of us probably think of â€Å"bull† as short for â€Å"bullshit,† but bull with the meaning â€Å"trivial or false statements,† has been around since Middle English. The ME word probably derived from French boul meaning â€Å"false talk, fraud.† It may be connected to modern Icelandic bull meaning â€Å"nonsense.† Bullshit is American slang dating from 1915 with the meaning â€Å"eloquent and insincere rhetoric.† bunk: another American slang word meaning â€Å"nonsense.† It originated in 1847 with a politician from North Carolina who explained that his boring speeches in Congress were intended to impress his constituents â€Å"back home in Buncombe.† The spelling quickly became bunkum and has dwindled into bunk. drivel: â€Å"stupid or senseless talk.† This one comes from OE dreflian, â€Å"to dribble or run at the nose.† eyewash: â€Å"blarney, humbug.† According to the OnlineEtymologyDictionary, this expression is chiefly British, is perhaps from the notion of something intended to obscure or conceal facts or true motives. But this, and expression my eye also may be the verbal equivalent of the wink that indicates one doesnt believe what has been said (cf. Fr. mon oeil in same sense, accompanied by a knowing pointing of a finger to the eye). gibberish: probably another imitative word suggesting the sound of chatter. Gibberish is totally unintelligible. gobbledygook: â€Å"unclear, wordy jargon.† This is another word we owe to the sphere of politics. In another post I mentioned the eponym â€Å"maverick† that comes from the surname of rancher Samuel Maverick (1803-1870). The word gobbledygook was coined in 1944 by one of his grandsons, Texas representative Maury Maverick. In a memo dated March 30, 1944, he banned the use of â€Å"gobbledygook language† and threatened to shoot anyone who used the words activation or implementation. He said he based the word on the sound a turkey makes. guff: â€Å"empty talk, nonsense.† This is another word of imitative origin, possibly based on puff. hogwash: â€Å"worthless, false or ridiculous speech or writing.† Originally hogwash was slops fed to pigs. Then it came to mean cheap liquor. The meaning â€Å"inferior writing† dates from 1773. jargon: The word entered English with the meaning â€Å"unintelligible talk, gibberish† in 1340. It derives from a French word meaning â€Å"a chattering of birds.† Now it can mean technical terminology associated with a specific occupation. Practitioners understand jargon, but to those not in the know, its gibberish. mumbo jumbo: â€Å"unintelligible or incomprehensible language.† The term is supposed to derive from an African idol in the Niger region, but no likely source has been found. The meaning â€Å"big, empty talk† is documented from 1896. piffle: â€Å"foolish or futile talk or ideas.† Probably an imitative word derived from a contemptuous blowing sound, or it could be a conflation of trifle and piddle. poppycock: â€Å"senseless talk, nonsense.† This one sounds comical, but if you think about it, it’s as disgusting as bilge: 1865, probably from Du. dialect pappekak, from M.Du. pappe soft dung (see pap) + kak dung, from L. cacare to excrete. OnlineEtymologyDictionary. prattle: â€Å"idle or meaningless chatter.† This is another imitative word. The verb is prate. tripe: â€Å"something of no value.† The literal meaning of tripe is the rubbery lining of the stomach of cattle or other ruminants, used as food. Answers.com twaddle: â€Å"silly talk.† The origin is unknown. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 10145 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†How Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

Photosynthesis Equation What Is It How Does It Work

Photosynthesis Equation What Is It How Does It Work SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The word photosynthesis comes from two Greek words: photo, meaning â€Å"light†, and synthesis, meaning â€Å"put together.† Looking at that those two roots, we have a good idea of what happens during the chemical process of photosynthesis: plants put together water and carbon dioxide with light to create glucose and oxygen. In this article, we’ll break down what photosynthesis is, why photosynthesis is important, and discuss the chemical equation for photosynthesis: what it is and what each part of it means. What Is Photosynthesis? Put simply - photosynthesis is how plants, algae, and certain types of bacteria harness energy from sunlight to create chemical energy for themselves to live. There are two main types of photosynthesis: oxygenic photosynthesis and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Oxygenic photosynthesis is more common - that’s the type we see in plants and algae. Anoxygenic photosynthesis mainly occurs in bacteria. In oxygenic photosynthesis, plants use light energy to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). This chemical reaction produces carbohydrates for the plants to consume and oxygen, which is released back into the air. Anoxygenic photosynthesis is very similar - but it doesn’t produce oxygen. We’ll be focusing on the more common type of photosynthesis, oxygenic photosynthesis, for the rest of this article. Why Is Photosynthesis Important? Photosynthesis is important for a few reasons: First, it produces energy that plants need to live. The resulting carbohydrates provide plants with the energy to grow and live. Second, photosynthesis helps take in the carbon dioxide produced by breathing organisms and convert that into oxygen, which is then reintroduced back into the atmosphere. Basically, with photosynthesis, plants are helping produce the oxygen that all living things need to breathe and survive. Photosynthesis Equation Here is the chemical equation for photosynthesis: 6CO2 + 12H2O + Light Energy C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O Photosynthesis Formula Breakdown Now that we know what the photosynthesis equation is, let’s break down each piece of the photosynthesis formula. On the reactants side, we have: 6CO2 = Six molecules of carbon dioxide 12H2O = Twelve molecules of water Light Energy = Light from the sun On the products side, we have: C6H12O6 = glucose 6O2 = six molecules of oxygen 6H2O = six molecules of water As we learned earlier, the glucose will be used by the plant as energy. The oxygen and water will be released back into the atmosphere to help other living things. What You Need to Know About the Photosynthesis Formula During photosynthesis, plants use light energy to combine carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose, oxygen, and water. Photosynthesis is important because it provides plants with the energy they need to survive. It also releases needed oxygen and water back into the atmosphere. What's Next? Are you studying clouds in your science class? Get help identifying the different types of cloudswith our expert guide. Working on a research paper but aren't sure where to start?Then check out our guide, where we've collected tons of high-quality research topics you can use for free. Need help with English class- specifically with identifying literary devices in texts you read? Then you'll definitely want to take a look at our comprehensive explanation of the most important literary devices and how they're used.