Thanking Those Who Visit Idiomation

I want to thank each and every one of my readers and visitors for visiting Idiomation in 2013.  Over the past year, Idiomation has continued to grow and our “Friends Of Idiomation” has increased in number.  As we make our way towards 2014, I’d like to share some milestones with you.

With hundreds of unique hits to the blog daily, our best day was March 12 with 579 hits!  While many of those visits went to the “Devil’s Bedpost” entry, there were other entries that were nearly as popular as the “Devil’s Bedpost.”

With hundreds of unique visits each and every day, it’s easy to understand how our monthly totals are in the five digits every single month (and in the six digits for the yearly total)!

As popular as the “Devil’s Bedpost” was, there were 5 idioms that garnered excellent averaged hits throughout 2013.  I was surprised to learn what the top 5 idioms were, and at the same time, pleased to see that many of them had their roots in serious literature.

I wasn’t surprised to see that Facebook and Twitter were among the top 5 referring sites in 2013.  But I was pleased to see that the Smithsonian and Wikipedia snagged the #2 and #3 spots respectively on the list of top referring sites, with Yahoo! Answers rounding out the group.

This year, the blog spawned the first in a series of books, and is available through Amazon.com.  Just click HERE to visit Amazon and pick up your copy of “Idiomation: Book 1” and look for a follow-up book in months to come.

I’m looking forward to adding more idioms to the blog in 2014, making IDIOMATION one of the premiere blogs for important information on idioms used in English-speaking countries around the world.

As the last few hours of 2013 bring us closer to 2014, I’m thanking all of you for visiting this blog site as well as my other blog sites — the Elyse Bruce blog, the Missy Barrett blog, and the Midnight In Chicago blog — as well as my Twitter (@ElyseBruce and @glassonastick), ReverbNation, SoundClick,  and Facebook profiles (both my personal Timeline as well as my Fan Page), and my websites: Midnight In Chicago, and Elyse Bruce.

May 2014 bring you health, wealth and happiness, and may all your heart’s desires come true this coming year.  I’m looking forward to seeing you back here in 2014 to read up on the histories of some of your favorite idioms, and to find out the meaning and histories of idioms you’ve always wondered about.

Elyse Bruce

Small Business Saturday (not an idiom)

Today is Small Business Saturday — sandwiched between big businesses’ Brown Thursday and Black Friday on one side and big businesses’ Cyber Monday on the other.  Yes in the midst of the marketing and promotion at large corporations and big box stores, Saturday is a quieter, gentler event that shines the spotlight on entrepreneurs.

So today, on Small Business Saturday, I’d like to remind everyone that books and music make for excellent gifts, and with Christmas less than a month away, books and music would be wonderful gifts for friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances.

For young readers between the ages of 8 and 12, there’s the Missy Barrett Adventure series that debuted this past summer.   Missy Barrett is an amazing child who has a knack for being at just the right place when adventures and mysteries break out.  Check out “Guess Where I Am, Mommy” and “Houston, We Have No Problem” for the inquisitive child in your life!

If you have a young adult reader that’s looking for something interesting to sink his or her teeth into, then “Grand Theft: Cookie” is a great choice!  Adult justice and television show reality collide with childhood innocence in ways that will have readers crying and laughing at how society can impact on children raised in today’s world.

If the someone you’re buying books for loves quick reads with a message and lots of fun getting to the message, then you should pick up a copy of “Barracudas and Impalas” where readers are caught up in the excitement of Missy Barrett’s telephone conversation with her grandfather about the Classic Car Show she attended.  Part of the Missy Barrett Conversation series, watch for new titles in 2014!

Sometimes people like to read short stories, “A Summer Of Somebodies: Cautionary Tales For Modern Times” is a collection of nine cautionary tales for modern times that gives readers a glimpse into the future that all of us are hurtling towards at an alarming rate.  Starting with “FluxInTime and the Batman Blacklist Boogie Band” and right through to the last story, readers will enjoy the spectrum of stories in this collection!

“Glass On A Stick” is the story of Jenna Barrett (and the book where Missy Barrett makes her first appearance) —  a single parent of three children, some who are diagnosed with serious health conditions.  When people in the autism community start contacting her about a group of advocates, she can’t begin to imagine the degree to which some will bully and harass others just to make a name for themselves.  With 374 pages spread across 24 chapters, this book is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages just to find out what happens next.

Idiomation: Historically Speaking is a blog I’ve owned and authored since January 2010.  That first month, there were 16 hits to the blog … and all of them from my teenage son.  Nearly four years later, the blog gets hundreds of hits every day and has been linked to by such esteemed places as The Smithsonian!  Earlier this year, I published 75 of the most popular idioms from my blog in a resource book entitled, “Idiomation: Book 1.”   Whether you’re buying for a literature or history buff, or someone for whom English is a second language, for a friend who is a literal thinker or a someone with learning disabilities, this first book in a series of Idiomation books is a great way to show that you care about what interests them.

And for the audiophiles on your list, there are these three CDs to choose from.  “Countdown To Midnight” was released on November 29, 2007 with 12 songs.  “Armistice Day” climbed to #3 on the World: Native American song charts and quickly became a favorite of those who support the Idle No More movement.  The beautiful ballad “Infinity Squared” reached #16 on the Adult Contemporary Pop chart and “How Do I Begin To Believe” made it to #7 on the Southern Rock chart.

If it’s instrumental music you’re looking for, then you may find “Quietudes” released in June of 2005 or “Dreamtime” released in August of 2011 to be just right!  “Quietudes” is a steal at just under $6 USD for 6 extended play instrumental compositions.

Meanwhile, the critically acclaimed “Dreamtime” CD  is priced at just under $9 USD for 9 extended play instrumental compositions.   Beginning with “Moon Chimes” and ending with “Such Splendor” the CD is a journey through emotions that leave the listener feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Whether you’re visiting this page on Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday or any of the other 363 days in a year, be sure to click through and add these books and CDs to your shopping cart.  You’ll be glad you did.

Elyse Bruce

It’s Out!

When I began the Idiomation blog in 2009, I intended it to be a reference source for my teen son.  Like so many others, he struggled with what clichés like “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” meant.   From the time he was a toddler until he reached high school, I found myself explaining sayings to him on a daily basis … sometimes more than a few times across the day.

Once he hit high school, I knew that more and more situations would crop up where an expression would be used and not make sense to the literal thinkers of this world, and so the Idiomation blog was born.   What I hadn’t counted on was that celebrities like Charlie Sheen would be quoted in the media, leading to my son asking me one day if Charlie Sheen was an example of “star craving mad.”  Of course, he meant “stark raving mad” but his literal version made far more sense to him than the actual idiom (which some might say was also accurate in this instance).

The decision to not only explain what the idiom meant, but to provide its history as best as I could proved to be far more helpful (and fun) than I had anticipated.  In tracking down the first published instance for each saying, the evolution of each idiom was that much easier to follow and understand.

Within months of starting the Idiomation blog, more and more people were flocking to the blog site as idioms were added to the list.  People began to email me or phone me or ask me in person if I would explain this idiom or that expression.  This is where the concept for the “Friends Of Idiomation” came from, where people who suggested idioms were acknowledged for having suggested idioms.

Now the first book in the Idiomation series is finally available for purchase on Amazon.  With the history of 75 sayings, expressions, clichés and idioms you hear in day-to-day conversations, you’ll find out where they came from, and who was the first one to say or publish them.

The book is currently available in traditional paperbook form, and within days, it will also be available in eBook format,   Click HERE and order your copy of Idiomation: Book 1 today.  Once you’ve added this resource book to your personal library, you won’t ever find yourself wondering what people mean when they say they make no bones about it.   You’ll know the difference between being in the dark as opposed to being in the black or in the pink.  You won’t be a sitting duck when a wolf in sheep’s clothing asks you if you’re teed off.

And in the end, isn’t it just a lot of fun to know that you have the background on 75 clichés that are commonly used in every day conversations?  Yeah, me, too!

LINK:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1481160079

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Published:  July 28, 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1481160079
• ISBN-13: 978-1481160070
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches