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The male equivalent of nymphomania is called “satyriasis,” and a man suffering from this condition is sometimes called a “satyromaniac” or is said to be suffering from “satyrmania,” though neither of these are formal medical terms.

Though the terms “nymphomania” and “satyriasis” are gender-specific, they indicate the same condition. They are both basically synonyms for hypersexuality, though both are somewhat archaic and are generally not used by the medical community anymore. Those who suffer from this condition will experience sexual thoughts and urges that are more intense or more frequent than what is considered to be normal.

There is some debate over whether this is actually a medical condition, however, or simply the upper extreme of what is a normal range for human sexuality. For those that believe the latter, these terms are regarded as a pejorative label and a means of stigmatizing people who do not conform to current prevailing social norms. This type of behavior can also be a symptom of another condition, such as Pick’s disease or certain types of brain injury.

The term “satyriasis” originates from Greek mythology. The satyr was a sort of horse-man who accompanied Dionysus, the god of wine and theater. The poet and playwright Euripides wrote a play about satyrs called “Cyclops,” from which most of their features and myths about them are drawn. The satyrs spent their lives chasing women and drinking wine to the exclusion of all else. They were particularly obsessed with the maenads, or the female followers of Dionysus who would perform sacred rituals in which they got drunk and worked themselves into an orgiastic frenzy.

While signing with “X”s and “O”s has become synonymous with hugs and kisses, the reasoning as to why this is so widely acknowledged so may not be as obvious.
Assessing the Symbolism
We will be tackling these symbols in alphabetical order.
The letter O is used as a representation of the pursed lips from someone applying a kiss.
The letter X is used as a representation of wrapping one’s arms around the letter’s recipient, resulting in a crossing of the arms.
Origins of the Expression
While this expression begins to pop up in litters and missives from the Middle Ages upward, the cross and circles carried slightly different meanings back then; the X was commonly used in signing documents and to serve as a general symbol of goodness and love, this X was then kissed as a symbol of one’s sincerity to the gesture. Furthermore, the letter X’s close similarity to the Greek word for Jesus Christ’s name and general relationship with the Christian church continued this tradition of kissing the X in reverence of God, holiness and love. One last thing to bear in mind with signing a letter with X was that it was the common signature of illiterate laypersons.

Another, contrary, explanation for signing O comes from Jewish immigrants to the United States. These individuals, whom were first taught Yiddish and held no reverence for the cross, were said to sign documentation with an O.

Invitations for social events are often marked by the initialism R.S.V.P. This acronym represents the French phrase, “répondez, s’il vous plaît” meaning “please reply” in the English language. This means that the person that gave you the invitation has requested you let them know whether or not you accept the invite.

In many Western cultures, Etiquette rules require that you respond promptly, frequently the same day, upon receiving a formal, written invitation. From a practical perspective, this allows the host of the wedding, dinner party or other event to know how many people to anticipate so they can purchase food and drink accordingly. Perhaps even more importantly is the simple courtesy of addressing the person that was nice enough to invite you. Even in cases where you are unable to attend the event, a prompt response is always appreciated.

The way that you respond to the invite will depend largely on the medium through which it was received. For example, wedding invitations often contain a response card. On this card, you can indicate whether or not you will attend the event and how many people you anticipate in your party. Once you receive the invite, it is expected that you complete the card and mail it back to the sender right away. Invites for less formal events, such as children’s birthday parties, may ask recipients to R.S.V.P. via phone. As a general rule of etiquette, written invitations require written responses.

A more recent trend in event invitations is the “regrets only” notation. This means that the event host will automatically count you among the attendees unless you indicate otherwise.

English has a lot of strange phrases and idioms, one of them being “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” This phrase has been around for a very long time and comes in several different variations such as “Honey catches more flies than vinegar” and “You attract more flies with honey than vinegar”.

Like most old proverbs, it uses a real-world example to convey a moralistic message. In this instance, honey and vinegar represent politeness and bitterness. When someone has wronged you or you want to persuade a group of people, it’s easier to do so by being kind to them than it is being defensive or hostile.

Not only does honey have a sweetness that attracts flies, but it’s also sticky, which means that they’re drawn in and then stuck to it, making the much easier to catch. Kindness is similar. If you are polite and open with people, they’ll be drawn toward you and also more willing to stick around and hear what you have to say.

Vinegar, on the other hand, is slippery and bitter. Flies nor people like it very much and would avoid digesting it if they have the chance. Similarly, if you’re a nasty person with a “bitter” attitude and approach toward people, they’ll be much more likely to avoid you at all costs.

So, the moral behind “You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar” is to be kind to people, regardless of who they are, because that will generally have a better outcome than being nasty.

The words ‘skeptical’ and ‘cynical’ have related meanings. However, they are still distinctively different words from different origins and with somewhat different connotations.

Dictionary.com defines skeptical as “having an attitude of doubt” or “doubtful about a particular thing.”

Skeptical comes from the ancient Greek word, ‘skeptikos,’ meaning “given to asking questions.” Our modern day English word originates from the Greek philosopher, Pyrrho, who taught his followers to be suspicious of their surroundings, to ask questions, and to never assume that things are as they appear.

Here is an example of the correct use of the word. Say your friend John is told by a complete stranger that his long lost aunt died and left him a fortune. John might say to the stranger, “That would be wonderful if it was true, but I’m skeptical.”

A few synonyms of skeptical include: doubtful, unconvinced, suspicious, and unbelieving.

Cynical has a slightly more personal connotation. It refers more to doubting a particular person’s motives or morality. Dictionary.com defines the word as “distrusting or disparaging the motives of others.”

As an example of the correct use of the word, imagine that a pretty young secretary has been hired at your office. One of your coworkers buys her flowers, saying that he wants to make her feel welcome. You, distrusting his motives for buying the flowers, might say to another coworker, “He claims he’s just being nice, but pardon me for being cynical.”

A few synonyms of cynical include: distrustful, scornful, mocking, and pessimistic.

At first glance, the terms valuable and invaluable seem to be opposites. However, they are very close to being synonyms even though the latter term has the negative prefix in –. Valuable denotes the idea of something that has considerable worth, whereas invaluable gives the idea of something that is so valuable that its value cannot be quantified. Terms that are opposite of valuable or invaluable would be worthless, inexpensive, or cheap.

The term valuable can be used to describe an item that can be ascribed a tangible value. For example, a diamond that is worth $10 million can be said to be valuable. However, items that cannot to be assessed with a monetary value such as friends, family, or good health are considered invaluable. The prefix in – is put on the word invaluable not to signify its lack of value, but instead to denote that the object being described cannot be valued using monetary terms.

It should be noted that there was a time during the 17th century when the term invaluable was used to denote something with little value. However, that definition was rarely used, and starting in the 18th century onward, invaluable has only been used as a way to describe something that has a value that cannot be measured in monetary terms.

All that being said, the average English speaker is going to understand the terms invaluable and valuable to mean the same thing. It is not uncommon to hear people refer to their loved ones, something that cannot be defined by a monetary value, as being very valuable to them.

There are many expressions in the English language that we rattle off without thinking. When we sit back to analyze what we are actually saying, it can sometimes be confusing. Part of why this may be confusing is we may in reality be saying those expressions wrong. As expressions are repeated and used carelessly, they often start to transform and lose a certain amount of accuracy. One example of this is wishing well on someone. The question is, which one is correct: “best wishes to you” or “best wishes for you”?

Although there does seem to be some debate on the topic, most have come to agree that “best wishes to you” is actually the correct way to express this sentiment. Whether speaking American English or British English, this seems to be the case across the board. The time when “for” is used in this expression are for phrases such as “best wishes for the new year”. In this example, a duration of time or identified time frame is being used. In such cases. “for” is a more appropriate connector.

One way to view the use of “best wishes to you” is to see it as a giving process. You give something “to” another person, therefore wishing to give best wishes to someone would also utilize this “to” phrasing. To break it down grammatically, the sentence takes on an ablative structure, therefore the use of “to” is the more logical and appropriate choice. A subtle difference, but a crucial one.

No one wants to be called a “big pussy,” but how did it become a derogatory term? “Pussy” seems to be an old word. It started with the connotation of being soft or weak, and gradually acquired its cowardly meaning.

In the late 1500’s, “pussy” was a term of endearment for girls, and also referred to gay men. In 1583, ardent Puritan Philip Stubbes published The Anatomie of Abuses, calling for an end to vice, and using the term “pretie pussie.” At that time, it was also another word for “cat,” as in the nursery rhyme “Ding dong dell / Pussy’s in the well.”

By the early 1700’s, “pussy” or “puss” was a common name for a cat. Pussy willows were named because their soft, gray, fuzzy features resemble a cat’s fur. It also continued to be an affectionate name for a girl; in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852, little Eva is called “pussy” by her father.

In the 20th century, “pussy’s” soft, weak connotation began to become “cowardly.” In 1905, Vice President Fairbanks was criticized for “pussy-footing around,” meaning fearing to make a commitment. By World War I, “pussy-foot” was slang for “detective,” with the implication of being a sneaky, underhanded person. “Pussy-foot” also came to mean someone in favor of Prohibition, and suspected of being a tool or informer. By the mid 1950’s, the term “pussy” for “coward” was well-established.

How do you deal with long sentences when it comes to punctuation? Just one small variety in a sentence can completely alter its meaning, even when all the words remain the same. This becomes especially crucial in listing items. Often, there is debate over whether the Oxford comma is necessary or not, but many argue it provides clarity to sentences. Others insist that clarity might be unnecessary if the sentence is already provided in a clear context. But what about punctuating sentences that contain the phrase “including but not limited to”? Especially when many activities are listed?

The sentenced “There are many activities including but not limited to running jumping and swimming” is long and in need of punctuation as it stands to add clarity to the structure. The recommended punctuation for ultimate clarity would therefore be the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.” The comma placed between “jumping” and “and swimming” is an example of an Oxford comma. It could be excluded as well, resulting in the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping and swimming.” Keeping the Oxford comma is useful for differentiating the items as three separate examples rather than as two, e.g. “running” and “jumping and swimming”, but it is not necessary. Furthermore, in the interest of parallelism, keeping the Oxford comma helps balance the pattern and structure of the sentence. Comma placement can be a tricky thing to learn and use properly.

Some words are used interchangeably without difficulty. A student can study for a test or—just as acceptably—prepare for a test. A symbol might signify an organization; alternatively it might represent the organization. Sophisticated wordsmiths love to use as many synonyms as possible to avoid repetitiveness. Such is the case with the words “albeit” and “although.” At the same time, there is a subtle difference between the two that should be observed. One is a shade of a degree off the other.

Consider the following sentence pulled from an obituary: “The deceased served two successful albeit stormy terms as city council president.” “Although” can certainly be inserted in place of “albeit” and the sentence will retain its meaning. Yet, if a sentence reads “Her term in office was successful albeit stormy,” then “albeit fits more perfectly. Here is why: both terms are used to mitigate or offset the original assertion, conceding that while success was attained, there was also much contention. However, to say “Her term in office was successful although stormy” lacks the “be” in “albeit.”

“Albeit” can be understood to mean “although it be.” In the past tense it would mean “although it was.” So, if a sentence reads “Her term in office was…”, “albeit” fits better because it corresponds to the verb precisely. In the prior example, the verb was the active “served,” making although an appropriate substitute. Thus, the rule of thumb is that “albeit” is always best when using the passive verb “to be.”