Loan words
Kindergarten
This adjective to describe mediocrity is actually just a repetition of the same conjunction twice
So-so
You may use this frictionless metaphor to embellish how a situation could go "downhill" rather quickly
Slippery Slope
Jaws
He once famously state "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”
Martin Luther King Jr.
This Italian term is borrowed by English to describe the lowest female singing voice
Alto
A Gen-Z term used to denote a "middle of the road" experience that is rather underwhelming
Mid
If you are constantly restating a claim, rather than proving it, you may be using this type of flawed geometric logic
Circular Logic/Reasoning
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”
Jurassic Park
This liberated Black man met with Abraham Lincoln at the White House three times throughout the Civil War, and he once famously stated "Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.”
Frederick Douglass
This term for a spiritual teacher who can lead you to transcendence is borrowed from Sanskrit
Guru
This golf metaphor is a figure of speech used to describe a relatively average experience
Par for the course
If you are drawing a parallel between two situations that are not precisely the same, you could be drawing this type of problematic conclusion
False Equivalency
"Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!"
Mean Girls
His mantra to achieve civil rights "by any means necessary" became a rallying cry for many activists in the 60s
Malcolm X
This popular party-time sing-along term is borrowed from Japanese. Its suffix derives from a shortened form of ōkesutora (“orchestra”), a Japanese loanword from English. In other words, the word is effectively a loanword formed from another loanword!
Karaoke
This term to describe mediocrity is etymologically derived from a diamond that has no shine and, therefore, lacks a high valuation
Lackluster
If you are attacking a person's character, rather than the quality of their argument, you may be falling into this logical trap
Ad Hominem
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know which one you're gonna get..."
She served as the first black woman to hold the position of Secretary of State under the George W. Bush administration
Condoleezza Rice
A Persian loan word that entered the English language to describe a market, marketplace, or shop selling miscellaneous items
Bazaar
A metaphoric term originating in the 20th century from horticulture, it describes typical, easily grown plants - distinguishing them from rare or exotic hybrids
Garden Variety
If you oversimplify your opponents argument and strip away the nuance, you may be accused of beating up on a "dummy" rather than a true "opponent" with this hay-based logical fallacy
Straw man
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"
The Godfather
The first black person to serve on the United States supreme court, his last name fittingly means "to place in proper rank or position"
Thurgood Marshall