word meaning for assignment

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something assigned, as a particular task or duty: She completed the assignment and went on to other jobs.

a position of responsibility, post of duty, or the like, to which one is appointed: He left for his assignment in the Middle East.

an act of assigning; appointment.

the transference of a right, interest, or title, or the instrument of transfer.

a transference of property to assignees for the benefit of creditors.

Origin of assignment

Synonym study for assignment, other words for assignment, other words from assignment.

• mis·as·sign·ment, noun
• non·as·sign·ment, noun
• re·as·sign·ment, noun

Words that may be confused with assignment

• assignment , assignation

Words Nearby assignment

• assignation
• assigned counsel
• assigned risk
• assigned sex
• assimilable
• assimilation
• assimilationism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use assignment in a sentence

Yariel Valdés González and I faced these challenges while on assignment in South Florida and the Deep South from July 21-Aug.

They’re putting time into decoration just as they would in their physical classroom, and students can interact with the space by, say, clicking on a bookshelf to get a reading assignment .

For now, if the district moves to in-person learning, instruction in Carlsbad will take place on campus five days per week and students may engage in additional independent practices and other assignments at home.

The assignments must also respect the relationships between the elements in the group.

It’s very hard, by the way, to do real random assignment studies of couples therapy.

His most recent assignment was the 84th Precinct, at the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge.

When Lewis was shipped off to Vietnam, his son was just three months old, and the timing of the assignment worried Lewis.

When Vial got that first assignment , she was just beginning her photography career, and Cirque du Soleil was only a few years old.

“For our winter issue, we gave ourselves one assignment : Break The Internet,” wrote Paper.

By the 1950s the rapid assignment of gender to an ambiguously gendered infant had become standard.

Consent to an assignment may be given by the president of the company, without formal vote by the directors.

A transfer by the lessee of the whole or a part of his interest for a part of the time is a sublease and not an assignment .

An assignment to one who has an insurable interest as relative, creditor and the like, is always valid.

When an assignment of it is made, the assignee may sue in his own name for rent accruing after the assignment .

In some states statutes forbid the assignment of such policies for the benefit of creditors.

British Dictionary definitions for assignment

/ ( əˈsaɪnmənt ) /

something that has been assigned, such as a mission or task

a position or post to which a person is assigned

the act of assigning or state of being assigned

the transfer to another of a right, interest, or title to property, esp personal property : assignment of a lease

the document effecting such a transfer

the right, interest, or property transferred

law (formerly) the transfer, esp by an insolvent debtor, of property in trust for the benefit of his creditors

logic a function that associates specific values with each variable in a formal expression

Australian history a system (1789–1841) whereby a convict could become the unpaid servant of a freeman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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noun as in responsibility, task

Strongest matches

• appointment

Strong matches

noun as in selecting or setting apart

• distribution
• apportionment
• appropriation
• assignation
• attribution
• authorization
• consignment
• designation
• determination
• specification
• stipulation

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Related words.

Words related to assignment are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word assignment . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in matter or business to be taken care of; happening activity

• circumstance
• office function
• responsibility
• transaction
• undertaking

noun as in job, position of responsibility

• officeholder
• representative

noun as in arrangement for meeting; prearranged meeting

• consultation

noun as in allocation, setting aside

• setting apart

Viewing 5 / 50 related words

Example Sentences

Yariel Valdés González and I faced these challenges while on assignment in South Florida and the Deep South from July 21-Aug.

They’re putting time into decoration just as they would in their physical classroom, and students can interact with the space by, say, clicking on a bookshelf to get a reading assignment.

For now, if the district moves to in-person learning, instruction in Carlsbad will take place on campus five days per week and students may engage in additional independent practices and other assignments at home.

The assignments must also respect the relationships between the elements in the group.

It’s very hard, by the way, to do real random assignment studies of couples therapy.

His most recent assignment was the 84th Precinct, at the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge.

When Lewis was shipped off to Vietnam, his son was just three months old, and the timing of the assignment worried Lewis.

When Vial got that first assignment, she was just beginning her photography career, and Cirque du Soleil was only a few years old.

“For our winter issue, we gave ourselves one assignment: Break The Internet,” wrote Paper.

By the 1950s the rapid assignment of gender to an ambiguously gendered infant had become standard.

Consent to an assignment may be given by the president of the company, without formal vote by the directors.

A transfer by the lessee of the whole or a part of his interest for a part of the time is a sublease and not an assignment.

An assignment to one who has an insurable interest as relative, creditor and the like, is always valid.

When an assignment of it is made, the assignee may sue in his own name for rent accruing after the assignment.

In some states statutes forbid the assignment of such policies for the benefit of creditors.

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On this page you'll find 85 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to assignment, such as: appointment, chore, drill, duty, homework, and job.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Developing Early Literacy Skills With Hexagonal Thinking Strategies

Hexagonal thinking can enhance literacy instruction by encouraging students to make connections between sounds, words, and meanings.

Hexagonal thinking is a highly effective, versatile learning strategy that helps students see connections between various concepts. It was created by Betsy Potash as a critical thinking activity that is frequently used in social studies, science, and language arts. 

During the activity, students place hexagons next to each other to visually show a connection. For each connection, they must also be able to share a rationale. This strategy therefore allows teachers to gain insight into students’ thinking and to potentially correct misconceptions in real time.

Students can work individually to complete the activity, but its real power manifests when they work in pairs or groups. It’s a “low floor/high ceiling” activity, meaning it’s accessible and has a high yield on learning. 

As a special education teacher working with fourth-grade students of varying abilities, I wondered how I could utilize this strategy when teaching reading. Learning how to read requires, at minimum, two major abilities: decoding and language comprehension—the end result of which is reading comprehension. 

When students struggle either with their ability to decode or with their language comprehension, the consequence is that they also have difficulty comprehending what they read. Using hexagonal thinking in my classroom allows me to engage students while differentiating instruction to meet various student needs. It allows me to provide scaffolding and feedback in the moment. And students love completing a learning activity that feels like a puzzle. 

I’ve used this approach to teach relationships between phonemes (sounds), orthography (spelling), syntax (parts of speech), and morphology (meaning). 

One of the earliest and most essential skills that children learn is to rhyme. They learn that hat and bat end the same way, with the -at ending. As they progress, they learn about the individual sounds that make up the word hat : /h/-/a/-/t/. They also begin to isolate sounds like the /a/ in the middle. 

Hexagonal thinking can support and promote this skill. For novice learners, you can use a forced-choice approach, asking students to identify all of the words, for example, that have the same middle sound: hat , cat , rat , bat . 

The students can tell you what all of these words have in common. For striving learners, you can prompt them to tell you the differences: Hat starts with /h/, for example, while bat starts with /b/.  For less scaffolding, you can provide cards with multiple middle sounds and multiple beginning and/or ending sounds, therefore challenging your learners. 

Orthography

Spelling is a more challenging skill for students to acquire. Hexagonal thinking requires students to slow down and look for orthographic patterns in words. For example, the words twice and ice both have a soft c sound because the c is followed by an e. 

You can further challenge your students by sharing two words with the same sounds but different spellings. They can place the words cow and loud next to each other and work to discover and provide an explanation that the two words have the same sound, but one uses -ow to spell that sound, while the other uses -ou . 

Another use for hexagonal thinking is making connections between the functions of words. Using patterns that students have already learned, you can create hexagons that also fall into the categories of noun, verb, or adjective. 

Here, again, you can provide maximum scaffolding by color-coding or using words from one category, or you can have your students determine what categories the words represent. This approach would be ideal for categories like concrete and abstract nouns, various forms of the verb “to be,” action verbs, and common or proper nouns.

Morphology and Vocabulary

Morphemes are the smallest unit of meaning in language. Morphemes include prefixes ( re- , un- , dis- ), suffixes (plural -s and -es ), base word (like run in the word running ), and root words (like -ject in the word interject ). 

You can give younger and novice learners words that share a prefix, such as unkind , undo , and unable , and then ask them to explain what those words have in common and how the prefix changes each base word. With students who are ready for an extra challenge, consider giving them words that have a shared root word, and ask them to explain how the words are related—for example, phone , megaphone , phonograph , and symphony . 

Vocabulary takes it a step further and allows students to work with synonyms, antonyms, and even shades of meaning. I had students create a hive of words that share an essential meaning but vary in degree of similarity, as in this set of words: stroll , jog , run , and sprint . This activity offers students the opportunity to engage in rich discourse, not only about the concrete meaning of each word, but in the nuances of each word as well. 

Deepening Literacy

Some children will naturally see connections between words and literacy concepts; however, most students will need multiple exposures to words through deliberate practice in order to achieve mastery. Deliberate practice includes a specific goal, a high level of engagement, and coaching or feedback throughout the process. Hexagonal thinking meets that goal. 

For educators catering to students with diverse learning needs, hexagonal thinking presents a dynamic approach to teaching reading skills. Its structured format allows for scaffolding and personalized feedback, catering to individual student abilities, and facilitating a deeper understanding of fundamental reading components such as phonemes, orthography, syntax, and morphology. 

By encouraging students to analyze relationships between words and their meanings, hexagonal thinking promotes vocabulary development and cultivates comprehension skills essential for proficient reading.

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Meaning of assignment – Learner’s Dictionary

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(Definition of assignment from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of assignment

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Word of the Day

to change a document in order to deceive people

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

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About Words – Cambridge Dictionary blog

Commenting on developments in the English language

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

Listen to the author reading this blog post:

by  Kate Woodford

Today we’re looking at idioms from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. We do this every couple of months in order to provide you with up-to-date, frequently used idioms.

A broadsheet features an article about men’s fashion. The journalist writing says that his ‘heart sinks’ when he hears people criticizing men for wearing unusual clothes or bright colours. For too long, he claims, men have been ridiculed for ‘stepping out of line’ with their clothes. If your heart sinks , you lose hope and feel disappointed or depressed about something. Someone who steps out of line breaks the rules or behaves in a way that other people find unacceptable.

The sports pages of that paper focus on the England cricket team’s recent poor performance. The team are described as ‘licking their wounds’. Someone who licks their wounds takes time to regain their strength or happiness after a defeat or bad experience.

The front page of a tabloid newspaper describes a journalist’s frustration with politicians who are ‘sitting on the fence’ over an important issue. If you sit on the fence , you refuse to commit yourself to one side of an argument or a particular course of action.

In the same paper, a famous wildlife presenter worries that ‘nature is on the back foot’. Someone or something that is on the back foot is suffering from a disadvantage. He also writes that too few people in public life are prepared to ‘put their heads above the parapet’ in order to defend nature. In UK English, if you put your head above the parapet , you are brave enough to state an opinion that you know will make people angry.

In another tabloid paper, a serious article describes how a murderer attempted to ‘cover his tracks’. Someone who covers their tracks hides or destroys evidence of where they have been or what they have done.

The finance page of that paper claims that a large retail chain has ‘hit the skids’ after a long period of poor sales. If an organization or plan hits the skids , it fails.

In the less serious celebrity gossip column of the same paper, it is said that a television presenter has ‘rubbed shoulders with’ all the big celebrities at fashion week shows. If you rub shoulders with famous people, you meet and spend time with them.

The sports pages provide the last two idioms for this post. A brilliant young rugby player will, it says, ‘give his team a shot in the arm’. A shot in the arm is something that has a sudden and very positive effect, providing help or encouragement. Meanwhile, a footballer who has returned to his team after a period of injury is said to have ‘hit the ground running’ with an excellent performance. If you hit the ground running , you start doing something with great energy and skill.

I hope you’ve learned one or two nice idioms from my latest round-up. If you have a moment to spare, I’d be very interested to hear in the comments below which of these idioms were new to you.

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10 thoughts on “ Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms) ”

Hey what’s up?

You’re welcome!

Occasionally, I had come across some of these idioms and tried to gather its meaning from the context. Having read your article, I admit, I was wrong most of the time. My native language is Hindi.

Well I’m glad to hear the post was of use to you. Best wishes.

Hit the ground running, covers thier tracks , sit on the fence , steps out of line, are my news interesting idioms , thanks for your efforts , keep posting 😊

Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m always interested to find out which idioms are widely known. Best wishes to you!

Very instructive. Thanks

Thank you! I’m glad you found it useful.

Thanks a lot for this rich collection. ” put your head above the parapet ” : I’m no native English speaker, but I guess that this parapet is not on a bridge, but rather on some kind of fortification. On such a location, when you put your head above the parapet, you might get a bullet in it. It’s jsut an example of an explanation I could enjoy, understanding the original meaning of a phrase that is used out of its original context. Thanks again.

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What is the meaning of the word 'eclipse'? Here is its origin ahead of April 8 event

Where does a solar eclipse get its name? Why is it called an "eclipse"?

As Michiganders prepare for the viewing of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 - which is crossing a large swath of the United States, including a small sliver of southeast Michigan - let's delve into the etymology of the word "eclipse."

Why is it called an 'eclipse'?

The term "eclipse" traces its roots to the Latin  “eclipsis,”  drawn from the Greek  “ekleipsis.”  That Greek noun is related to the verb  “ekleipein,”  consisting of  “ek”  (meaning “from”) and  “leipein”  (meaning “to leave”). So literally,  eclipse  means “to fail to appear” or “to abandon an accustomed place.”

The sun and moon are hidden from sight in lunar and solar eclipses.

More: Detroit's last total solar eclipse was more than 200 years ago: What the city was like then

The Greeks built on Babylonian astronomy to make their observations of eclipses, and the word  “ekleipsis”  appears as early as the fifth century B.C. in Thucydides’s history of the Peloponnesian War, according to the Wall Street Journal .

The noun and verb “eclipse” came to be used more metaphorically by the late 16th century, to describe someone or something being surpassed or overshadowed.

In other customs, early writings show evidence of people trying to make sense of eclipses around the world. In Chinese the term for eclipse is "shi," which translates to "eat," and correlates with the mythological explanation of a dragon eating the sun.

Eclipses also have inspired fear and awe among civilizations throughout history , from the Aztecs to the ancient Hindus. They're also associated with some major religious events, including the darkness that accompanied Jesus’ crucifixion in Christianity and, in Islam, the passing of the Prophet Muhammad’s son, Ibrahim.

What is a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth’s orbits , creating an eclipse of Earth’s view of the sun.

The path of totality is the predicted path of the eclipse from Mexico, through the U.S. across Texas and North America to the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The expected duration of totality is around 4 hours, starting around 11:07 a.m. PDT and ending around 5:16 NDT.

States  in the path of totality  for the 2024 solar eclipse include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

In Michigan, a small sliver of southeast Monroe County is in the path of totality, meaning the sky will get dark as the moon crosses the sun.

USA TODAY contributed.

Saying 'Good Morning' Started as Mockery of Black Enslaved People?

Here we share much more than you possibly wanted to know about the origin of the word "morning.", anna rascouët-paz, published march 27, 2024.

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A TikTok video posted in October 2023 went viral after its creator claimed the expression "good morning" was a perversion of "good mourning," as in the expression of sorrow that follows someone's death. User @outkast.naii explained :

It was really a mockery towards Black slaves. During the slavery time, when they used to cry and mourn in grief over what happened to somebody when they was whipped or killed, or tooken off to another plantation, so it was their way to make fun of the Black slaves crying the night prior. So they would ask them "Did you have a good mourning? Did you have a good cry?" And they would laugh about it.

The video itself garnered 88,700 views. The video spread when viewers  mocked  or debunked  it in reshares on TikTok, and gained even more visibility on  X (formerly Twitter) [ archived ]. One of the most recent was posted in March 2024 on YouTube . The original creator took note of the mocking reactions, however, and updated the caption on the viral video to acknowledge the mistake:

‼️ READ THE CAPTION ‼️*my apologies, IT WASN'T the ORIGIN . 🤦🏽‍♀️💯 I made a mistake saying that part 🤝🏾💯 #goodmourning #goodmorning #slaveryfacts #slaverydays

Snopes reached out to the creator of the video and will update this post if we hear back.

As other internet users correctly pointed out, the word "morning" does not find its origin in colonial times or in slavery. The words "morning" and "mourning" are in fact homophones: words of different spelling, meaning and origin that sound the same.

Both words have a Germanic origin and followed a clear evolution through Old English (English as it was used from the 5th century to the end of the 11th century, nearly 500 years before the beginning of colonial times in North America) and through Middle English (English used between the 12th and the 15th century, just before colonial times).

Mourning comes from Old English "murnan," according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary . It means "to grieve," but also "to worry," or "to care." 

"Morning" comes from the Middle English "morn," which itself came from Old English "morgen." This word, which meant "dawn," also designated the time between dawn and noon, also according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary . In fact, the German word for morning is still "morgen." The same word gave rise to the use of "morgen" as a unit of land measure defined by the "amount of land a man can plough with a single blade dragged by an ox or a horse in one morning." This unit was adopted by countries like Germany or the Netherlands and is still used in South Africa, a former Dutch colony. The land size would vary, but in South Africa, it corresponds to about 2 acres .

The word "morn" then evolved into "morning," much like the word "even" — the end of the day — evolved into "evening."

Definition of MORN . https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morn. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Definition of MOURN . 18 Mar. 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mourn.

'Dictionary.Com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words'. Dictionary.Com , https://www.dictionary.com/browse/morgen. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

By Anna Rascouët-Paz

Anna Rascouët-Paz is based in Brooklyn, fluent in numerous languages and specializes in science and economic topics.

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New York Times Connections Hints and Answers for #289 March 26, 2024

Quick links, words in the nyt connections puzzle #289 for march 26, 2024, hints for the nyt connections puzzle #289 for march 26, 2024, answers for today's nyt connections #289.

Connections is back with another sixteen jumbled up words to try and sort into categories. If you are stuck on this puzzle, you are not alone. This challenging game requires a whole lot more than just knowing how to play Connections ; you'll need to know all the words definitions, all the categories, and you might need a little luck as well. If you are stuck on this puzzle and are looking for a hand, this article has you covered.

The Connections puzzle for today contains the words: BUD, LIGHT, HARP, SHOOT, CORONA, BASS, FLARE, REAR, FOSTER, BLOOM, NURSE, RECORDER, BASSOON, RAISE, SPROUT, and RADIATION.

10 Puzzle Games Like Tetris

What is the definition of corona.

Corona has a whole bunch of meanings, so here they all are in list form.

• A brand of beer.
• A part of plants that are shaped like a crown.
• A radiating circle of white around a glowing body, like the moon.
• In meterology a corona can also be a ring of colored lights around a celestial body, caused by dust refracting the light to make the halo into different colors.
• A long, straight shape of cigar.
• The top of the head.
• A halo around the sun, made of ionized elements.
• A subsection of diseases that include COVID-19. A coronavirus.
• In architecture, corona can also refer to "projecting, slab-like member of a classical cornice supported by the bed molding or by modillions, dentils, etc., and supporting the cymatium." This definition is from Dictionary.com.
• Dictionary.com has a couple of ecclesiastical definitions as well, including "the tonsure of a cleric" and "a gold-colored stripe around the lower edge of a clerical headdress, as of a miter."
• A corona can also be a chandelier made of hoops that fit inside one another.

What is the Definition of Bassoon?

A bassoon is "a large woodwind instrument of low range, with a doubled tube and a curved metal crook to which a double reed is attached," from Dictionary.com.

What is the Definition of Radiation?

Radiation is anything that emanates out from something, as in the particles emitted from radioactive material, or light radiates off of a lightbulb.

What is the Definition of Recorder?

A recorder has several meanings. These are:

• A person or thing that records, as in a recorder at a meeting that writes down the minutes, or a device that records sound.
• It is also "a judge in a city or borough court," according to Dictionary.com.
• A type of simple flute, usually used by school children to learn music.

If you are in search of a hint for this mobile-friendly puzzle game that won't spoil the whole puzzle for you, check out the expandable sections below. You can find hints to the category, hints to the puzzle, and even some spoilers for individual pieces of the puzzle.

Some General Hints for the Whole Connections Puzzle 289

Here are some hints for this puzzle game :

1. None of these categories are about types of beer.

2. None of these categories are about sources of fire or things to light on fire.

3. Corona and Light are in the same category.

Yellow NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the yellow/straightforward answer: Things to make music with.

Yellow Connections Category Answer for March 26, 2024

The category for the yellow/straightforward Connections is Musical Instruments.

Yellow Connections Category and All Four Words Answer for March 26, 2024

The answer to the yellow/straightforward Connections is Musical Instruments.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are: Bass, Bassoon, Harp, Recorder.

Green NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the green/medium difficulty answer: Flowers, leaves, stems.

Green Connections Category Answer for March 26, 2024

The category for the green/medium difficulty Connections is Plant Growths.

Green Connections Category and All Four Words Answer for March 26, 2024

The answer to the green/medium difficulty Connections is Plant Growths.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are: Bloom, Shoot, Bud, Sprout.

Blue NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the blue/difficult answer: Something parents are in charge of for their children.

Blue Connections Category Answer for March 26, 2024

The category for the blue/difficult Connections is Bring Up.

Blue Connections Category and All Four Words Answer for March 26, 2024

The answer to the blue/difficult Connections is Bring Up.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are: Foster, Nurser, Raise, Rear.

Purple NYT Connections Category Hints

Here are some hints for the purple/tricky answer in this internet browser game : Whoa, look at what the sun is doing!

Purple Connections Category Answer for March 26, 2024

The category for the purple/tricky difficulty in Connections is Solar Emanations.

Purple Connections Category and All Four Words Answer for March 26, 2024

The answer to the purple/tricky difficulty in Connections is Solar Emanations.

The four words for this group in the puzzle are: Corona, Flare, Light, Radiation.

If you would like the see the spoiler for today's New York Times Games Connections , check out the expandable section below. In it, you can find all four categories and the words that belong in each of them.

• Yellow - Musical Instruments : Bass, Bassoon, Harp, Recorder
• Green - Plant Growths : Bloom, Shoot, Bud, Sprout
• Blue - Bring Up : Foster, Nurser, Raise, Rear
• Purple - Solar Emanations : Corona, Flare, Light, Radiation

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Connections website available on almost any device with a browser.

Connections

Platform(s) Web Browser, Mobile

Released June 12, 2023

Developer(s) The New York Times Company

Publisher(s) The New York Times Company

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Definition of assign

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

• intrust

ascribe , attribute , assign , impute , credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing.

ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign .

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

Examples of assign in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French assigner , from Latin assignare , from ad- + signare to mark, from signum mark, sign

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing assign

• pre - assign

Dictionary Entries Near assign

Cite this entry.

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assign. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of assign, legal definition, legal definition of assign.

Legal Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on assign

Nglish: Translation of assign for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assign for Arabic Speakers

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