Interesting Facts

Before you shoot me down in flames and say that < 3  is not a word, read this:- The heart emoji "< 3" has been chosen as the word of the year in the 15th annual survey of the English language by the Global Language Monitor. (If  you are new to these emoji or emoticons, each emoji represents an emotion, expression, state of mind, person, place, or thing.  There are now some 722 characters, with another 250 being made available in 2016, and 37 more due for approval in June 2015. Social media and the internet is driving the emoji language forward, with symbols like hashtag #, photobomb - gatecrashing a selfie, bae - a term of endearment for one’s object of desire, “bash” tag - using a hashtag to undermine your frenemies and clickbait - a link you just have to click on - all making it into the top 10 words. On a sad note, the world’s top phrase was “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” chanted by demonstrators against the police shooting of an unarmed black man in Fergus...

'Practice makes perfect' is the phrase we are most likely to continue using as we grow older. (The expression topped a poll put together by the NSPCC, of words of wisdom Britons picked up in childhood and continue to use well into their older years.  The top 10 sayings were:- Practice makes perfect. Treat others how you'd like to be treated. If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again. Manners cost nothing. You can't judge a book by its cover. Good things come to those who wait. Two wrongs don't make a right. It's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts. Never say never. There's no time like the present. Two old wive's tales didn't make it into the top ten, but they are still in use today:- "Eat your crusts, they'll make your hair curly." (26%) "Eating carrots will help you see in the dark." (30%)

Research carried out at Swansea University suggests that babies who are spoon-fed by parents are more likely to become overweight. (The researchers believe the results of the study show that babies allowed to feed themselves during weaning are less likely to overeat and be overweight as toddlers as they can regulate their intake and stop eating when they are full. Their study also revealed that spoon-fed children were more likely to grow up to be "fussy-eaters" than those left to their own devices. This might explain why the phrase to be spoon-fed something is negative.  It means to be treated in a way that discourages independent thought or action. So don't be spoon-fed your English. Feed yourself.) Source - Journal of Pediatric Obesity

A teacher in a Berkshire school was told by Ofsted inspectors to ditch her Northern accent and speak with a more southern one. (The teacher, from Cumbria, has been set this by her school as one of her "targets" to improve performance. Luckily they don't have a leg to stand on if they attempt to enforce this, but it is part of a worrying trend: A school in the Black Country, gave its pupils a list of ten banned regional phrases which, it said, could damage their prospects. These included "ya cor" meaning "you can't" and "ay?" instead of "pardon". The headteacher said: "It is about getting them ready for job interviews." They shouldn't want to work for companies that require poncy accents.)