Genteel (jen-TEEL) – from the French – means refined; well-bred and perhaps overly concerned with being polite. The word initially came into the English language as “gentle,” as in gentleman. Example (as used by Paul Boutin in Wired): “Here in Silicon Valley, the recession has a different face than in Manhattan or Detroit. Our panic is [...]
By Michael Masterson | Mon, Aug 17, 2009
We all have the same number of hours each day to accomplish our goals. Nobody, rich or famous, has more than 24. How we use those hours determines our success. Today, I would like to get back to a discussion we’ve been having on this topic in ETR for years, most recently last April. I want to [...]
By Early To Rise | Fri, Aug 14, 2009
A quagmire (KWAG-mire) — from the Middle English for “bog/marsh” — is an area of soft, wet low-lying land that sinks underfoot. By extension, we use the word for a difficult or precarious situation. Example (as used by David Cross today): “Finding topics to write about [for your website or e-newsletter] isn’t always easy. There is [...]
By David Cross | Fri, Aug 14, 2009
One of the most daunting things about starting your own Internet business is the idea of creating regular, unique content for your website. You can raise your eyebrows and sigh. It’s okay. But you are going to need this fresh content if you want to get anywhere with search engines. Plus, your site visitors will [...]
By Early To Rise | Thu, Aug 13, 2009
A niche (NITCH or NEESH) – from the French for “to make a nest” – is an ornamental recess in a wall. The word is also used to refer to an activity that is specially suited to a person’s interests, abilities, or nature. (“When he discovered that he had a natural talent for teaching, he [...]
By Clayton Makepeace | Thu, Aug 13, 2009
It’s your lucky day: You’ve found a great product to promote. Maybe it’s a client’s product. Maybe it’s your own. And because your discovery possesses the six qualities direct-response homeruns share, you suspect you just might be looking at a grand slam: This product delivers benefits your prospects already want. It conveys these rational and emotional benefits in superior [...]
By Bob Cox | Wed, Aug 12, 2009
Did you know that elephants are trained to stay where they are by tying a rope around one of their massive legs and attaching it to a peg in the ground? Can the peg and rope really hold back an elephant? Absolutely not! Then why does it work? Because elephants grow up believing it will. Maybe [...]
By Early To Rise | Wed, Aug 12, 2009
Terra incognita (TER-uh in-KOG-nih-tuh) – Latin for “land” + “unknown” – is unknown territory; an unexplored region or new field of knowledge. Example (as used by Ben Macintyre in a New York Times review of Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin): “The Amazon has always proved fertile soil [...]
By Early To Rise | Tue, Aug 11, 2009
Scrum (SKRUM) – an abbreviated form of “scrummage” – is a rugby play in which players from both sides line up around the ball and struggle to gain possession of it. By extension, the word is used for any disordered or confused situation involving a number of people – notably, the development of complex software. Example [...]
By Paul Lawrence | Tue, Aug 11, 2009
My car was embarrassingly dirty. I had been too busy to take it in to be washed, let alone do it myself. So when I found a business card on my windshield for a car washing service, I was interested. I looked around the parking lot. Only dirty cars had the card. The card advertised a deal [...]
By Early To Rise | Mon, Aug 17, 2009
0 Comments