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Word for Wednesday: Bandwagon

If you ‘jump on the bandwagon’ it means that you are joining a growing movement just as it is seen to be becoming successful. Another phrase with a similar meaning is ‘following the crowd’. ‘Bandwagon’ was first used in the USA in the mid 19th century to describe the brightly decorated wagon that carried a circus band. By parading these wagons through the town, circuses were able to attract and excite large audiences of followers from the general public, and by the late 19th century, politicians began to use bandwagons when campaigning for office in the hope of attracting large crowds to their ideals. In 1899, Theodore Roosevelt outright referred to ...

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American Idioms

One of the reasons English is so difficult to learn is because it is a language full of idioms. An idiom is a combination of words that has a figurative meaning separate from the actual definitions of the words used. There are an estimated 25,000 idioms in the English language. Here in Britain, the influence of the American film and television industry has led to many so-called ‘Americanisms’ being adopted into day-to-day language. It is not uncommon for a Brit to metaphorically talk about ‘touching base’ or ‘striking out’ without ever actually having seen a ball game. Today, to end our month dedicated to American language, we’re going to take a l...

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