Words from my childhood

I put this on my main blog some years ago. Today I chiefly speak standard English but as a child growing up in South Wales I spoke a variant of what is sometimes known as Wenglish (ie English but with some influence from the Welsh language). We were not valleys Welsh so we spoke little real Wenglish but we heard it and spoke a little too. Most of the words below are in Wenglish dictionaries but not all. See here and here for more on that. Here is a list of words I was familiar with as a child but now rarely hear or use. In two cases I have used a Welsh 'w' which has a sort of 'ou' sound.

1. Cwpi down - to squat (cwpi down by 'ere a bit while we wait)
[We had a teacher in Secondary School called 'twti' presumably because, coming from elsewhere in Wales, he asked boys to twti down rather than cwpi down]
2. Scram - scratch (I'll scram yer eyes out you come near me)
3. Wisp - a stye (I think I've gorra wisp coming in me eye)
4. Daps - plimsolls (Miss said we've gorra bring daps today for PE)
5. Scag - snag (I just scagged my jumper)
6. Obstropolous - Obstrepereous (She was an obstropolous type, always causing trouble)
7. Ashcart - Refuse lorry (You'll end up working on the ashcarts if you don't buck up yer ideas)
8. Cwtch -To be fondled and snuggled up in an especially loving way (Come and have a cwtch with yer mam/dad)
9. Caibosh - messed up (That's put the caibosh on that then)
10. Dobber - ballbearing used as a marble ('E lost 'is 10-er dobber to a kid in Standard 4)
11. Conflab - long discussion or meeting (Come up about 11 and we'll have a good old conflab)
12. Ructions - big trouble (There'll be ructions if your father sees it like that)
13. Skewiff - Awry not straight (You've stuck it in the album all skewiff)
14. Tampin' - Angry ('E 'ad it on 'im, aye, when 'e realised. 'E was tampin')
15. Parched - Gasping for a cup of tea (Get that kettle on love, I'm parched)
16. Jibbons - spring onions (My dad used to like jibbons with his salad)

Learning to pronounce Welsh

The Welsh alphabet has no k, q, x, z or v. (Not even English needs the first four absolutely - cing, cween, ecsecution and sip would work fine. More on the v sound below).

It also has several letters not found in the English alphabet. There are 8 diphthongs - 

ch, dd, ff, ng, ll, ph, rh, th.

Ll is famous and though certainly hard to pronounce can be mastered.

Ch is always as in loch not chin.

Ph and th are obvious, as is ng to some extent.

The Dd is used for voiced th. In English we make no distinction in writing between the sound th, as in thin, and th (or dd) as in this (with a word like cloth, I'm never sure which is correct).

The ff is necessary as f is pronounced like an  English v. Even in English the difference applies in the words of and off, pronounced ov and off.

Bible Concordances

In the days before modern translations there were three recommended Bible concordances. These usually hefty times were compiled by

Alexander Cruden whose complete concordance first  appeared in 1761

Robert Young whose analytical concordance first appeared in 1879

Dr James Strong whose exhaustive concordance first appeared in 1890.

Some wag said that Strongs was for strong'uns and Young for young'uns ... and then there is also Crudens.

10 More Tennis Terms

 

1. Ace

A serve where the receiver fails to return or even touch the ball. The point is won by the server.

2. Approach Shot

Usually occurs when a ball is hit short of the baseline. The receiving player then moves forward to the ball and places it deep in his/her opponents court, while continue moving forward to the net in order to kill off the point with a volley.

3. Drive

A powerful shot using a bit of Topspin. Common as a passing shot down the line to leave your opponent scrambling for the ball.

4. Drop Shot

You need to use a lot of Backspin to perform this shot. It is a more severe version of a Slice, in that the idea is to get the ball just over the net and stop almost immediately just after the net without much bounce.

5. Ground Strokes

Any type of shot (Forehand and Backhand) across the net where the ball bounces.

6. Half-volley

To hit the tennis ball immediately after it has come off the ground, so you're hitting the ball on it's upward bounce.

7. Lob

To hit the ball over your opponents head using a lot of Topspin. Best played when your opponent is at the net.

8. Overhead Smash

A shot played above the head, hitting the ball downwards, hard and fast into your opponents side of the court

9. Passing Shot

A shot played down the line while your opponent is close to the net, but is unable to return.

10. Slice

You use Backspin to perform this type of shot. Often used as a defensive shot to return fast served ball deep into your opponents court and slow the game down. Similar in execution to the Drop Shot.

10 Tennis Terms

I'm relying on info found here.

1. ATP

Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP are the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuit. (The women have the WTA).

2. Baseline Tennis

Lleyton Hewitt is the perfect example, as he is a Baseliner. It simply means that players remain on the baseline (at the rear of the court) during a rally. This method of trying to win points can be tiring, but a good Baseliner will either wear down an opponent or set them up for passing shot.

3. Double Fault

If the server fails to serve correctly on both 1st and 2nd serves this is called a Double Fault. The server then loses this point.

4. Foot Fault

Where the server puts his foot onto or over the Baseline before hitting the ball. If performed on a 1st serve, you will only have your 2nd serve remaining. If performed on your 2nd serve you lose the point.

5. Golden Set

A set of tennis which is won 6-0 without dropping a single point. Only one player in the history of professional tennis has ever achieved this, Bill Scanlon (USA). It was against Marcos Hocevar (Brazil) in the first round of the WCT Gold Coast Classic at Del Ray (Florida, USA) on 22 February 1983. Bill Scanlon won the match 6-2, 6-0.

6. Grand Slam

To win all 4 of major tennis tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open) in one season you are said to have won the Grand Slam. Therefore, the 4 major tournaments are also known as Grand Slam events.

7. Let (or Net)

Called to announce that a point is to be replayed. A common example is when a serve clips the top of the net but still lands correctly in the court.

8. Rubber

A term used in the Davis Cup, which essentially means a "heat" or a "leg". The Davis Cup consists of one Doubles Rubber and four Singles Rubbers. As an example, if you win the first Singles match, you have won a Rubber or a Singles Rubber.

9. Show Court (Showcourt)

A tennis court which is the one of the most prized of all to play on or to spectate on. For example, at Wimbledon the show courts are Centre Court, No.1 Court, and No.2 Court.

10. Tie break

This method is used to determine the winner of a Set once the score in Games is 6-6. See Rules Of Tennis (Brief) for full details. There is a Champions Tie Break variant that is sometimes used.

Man not suited to life in heaven

"By this stage in history, we are familiar with the fact that it is impossible for a man to survive in outer space without artificial support. It is one of the great barriers to any idea of colonizing the moon. The moon’s atmosphere is alien to human life. Man is no more able to live unaided on the moon than he is to fly like a bird in the air or live like a fish in the sea.
It is equally true that man is not suited to life in heaven. The problem is not a lack of oxygen, a surfeit of water or an inability to fly. Rather the problem is moral. In heaven all things centre on God and, by nature, this is not man’s inclination."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 87

Humorous English Etymologies 16 Toddler

Toddler (n.)

The word toddler is used to describe children around 12 months to 36 months who have learned to walk but are not masters of the art. The word comes from the verb to toddle, which means "to run or walk with short, unsteady steps," which goes right back to 1600. Related to totter it is a Scottish and northern British word of uncertain origin. The word perfectly describes the slow and unwieldy gait of young children, usually in nappies.

Irrefragable

Another word I remember coming across for the first time is the word irrefragable. I can't remember exactly the contact but I know it was in B B Warfield. A likely place would be in his book on The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible as here

"The movement of thought is to the effect that, because it is impossible for the Scripture - the term is perfectly general and witnesses to the unitary character of Scripture (it is all, for the purpose in hand, of a piece) - to be withstood, therefore this particular Scripture which is cited must be taken as of irrefragable authority. What we have here is, therefore, the strongest possible assertion of the indefectible authority of Scripture; precisely what is true of Scripture is that it “cannot be broken.”"

Having some knowledge of German and knowing that fragen is the verb to ask, it was not too difficult to guess the meaning of the word.

Regeneration essential

 

"Being a new creation is what counts (Galatians 6:15) and to suppose that any action on our part, without new birth, is going to please God is plain wrong. In fact, such a person, in Boston’s words, has shut the door with the thief still in the house ... his prayers are an abomination to God (Proverbs 15:8). Inevitably, selfishness and an unchanged heart will dog his every step."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 86

New birth necessary for faith

 

"It is true that unbelievers can do what is relatively good but without new birth they cannot do what is truly good and pleasing to God. Without regeneration, a man has no true faith and so can never satisfy God. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God. It is those who are born of God who receive Jesus by faith and who believe he is the Christ (John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:1). Faith is a flower that will only grow where the field has been prepared and transformed."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 86

Another anecdote

My father was a fine sportsman. His main sports were soccer, (British) baseball and swimming. I never saw him play soccer but I did see him play baseball on the winning side in a final in 1965. I also remember watching him swimming once. It was at Maindee swimming baths in Newport and the annual Girlings swimming Gala (which we all pronounced Gayler) again some time around 1965. I can see my dad now in his green bathers lining up for the obstacle race. He was 6' 2" and had perfected an amazing racing dive so when they were started he went straight into the lead and I was sure he would win. But my mother knew better and tried to prepare me. One of the obstacles was to bite through balloons and she knew that with his false dentures (which he had from the age of 21) he wouldn't be able to go on as fast as the younger men. And so it proved. He came in third and won a set of three decorated chalice style beer glasses, which we had for years and almost never used.
(By 1965 my dad was 36).

Humorous English Etymologies 15 Deadline

Deadline (n.)

Here it is black humour. To  “meet a deadline” has its roots in 19th century warfare and is surprisingly literal in its origins. Most etymologists agree that the word “deadline” first appeared during the American Civil War (1861-1865). According to Christine Ammer, deadline was coined at the hellish Andersonville, GA prison camp, and first appeared in writing in the report of Confederate Inspector-General, Colonel D.T. Chandler, on July 5, 1864. In describing the horrific conditions, he famously wrote:

"The Federal prisoners of war are confined within a stockade 15 feet high, of roughly hewn pine logs, about 8 inches in diameter, inserted 5 feet into the ground, enclosing, including the recent extension, an area of 540 by 260 yards. A railing around the inside of the stockade, and about 20 feet from it, constitutes the “deadline,” beyond which the prisoners are not allowed to pass . . . [as a large portion is] at present unfit for occupation . . . [this] gives somewhat less than 6 square feet to each prisoner ...."

Having said that, the context of a due date probably originated in journalism, perhaps from an earlier usage in printing, representing a guideline marked on a plate for a printing press (inside which all content should appear). According to the OED, early usage refers simply to lines that do not move, such as one used in angling; the American usage indicated probably came later.

Humorous English Etymologies 14 Bigwig

Bigwig (n.)

Simple this one, from 1731, it just puts together big and wig, in reference to the imposing wigs formerly worn by men of rank or authority.

In more detail - The term bigwig originated in the 17th century, when the short lived fad of wig-wearing (1) was at its peak. It became fashionable for people to shave their heads (2) and replace their hair with wigs; in this way they could sport a style they might not be able to naturally grow. It was seen as a triumph of man’s ingenuity over nature. However hair to make up these wigs was quite rare and expensive. Hair was sold by the strand and it was not uncommon for the lower classes to be seen wearing wigs consisting of only several strands of hair. The rich folk on the other hand were able to purchase large wigs made up of thousands of strands of hair and very soon the term ‘bigwig’ became associated with the very wealthy. This fad faded away as quickly as it had come with the advent of the top hat, however it lives on in the large ceremonial wigs seen in the British courts.

Incongruously

Because I love words so much I can sometimes remember where I first came across a word. As a teenager I was a big fan of T Rex. In May 1972, aged 13 or 14, I bought a music magazine called Cream because it contained a long article about my favourite group (and a free poster I now recall having found the cover on the Internet). It was by someone called Charles Shaar Murray, a name that would have meant nothing to me at the time. The one thing that struck me about the article's style was that he was trying to be objective, something I was not really used to. You can find the article here I believe, including the bit where he says that Cosmic Dancer is "a fine song, spoilt by incongruously heavy-handed drumming by Legend". He has a point but I still find it hard to accept. (The comment about "Visconti's saccharine string writing" was lost on me then and now).

Humorous English Etymologies 13 Nipper

Nipper (n.)

One of the meanings of nipper (others include a crab's claw or a pair of pliers) is a young person (usually a boy). A cousin of mine always used to refer to his younger brother as "ow' nip'". People argue about the etymology of nipper. Most suggest that it goes back to the sixteenth century use of the verb nip to mean arrest, leading to the idea of speed, a young person being nippy or quick about the place and hence a nipper. Others go for a nautical origin. At one time young boys were employed by the navy to weave together anchor cables. Because the cable of larger vessels were often too thick to go round the capstan thinner, messenger lines would be attached. The process of fastening the cables was known as nipping, hence nippers. Humour is thus being employed in either case. Alan Titchmarsh has a book called When I was a nipper.

Humorous English Etymologies 12 Magazine

Magazine (n,)

In the 1580s it meant "a place for storing goods, especially military ammunition," and was taken from the Middle French magasin "warehouse, depot, store" (15c.), from the Italian magazzino, from Arabic makhazin, plural of makhzan "storehouse" (cf Spanish almacén "warehouse, magazine"), from khazana "to store up." The original sense is now almost forgotten although the use of the word for a small ammunition chamber fitted toa  gun continues. The regular meaning "periodical journal" dates from the publication of the "Gentleman's Magazine," in 1731, which was so called from earlier use of the word for a printed list of military stores and information, or in a figurative sense, from the publication being a "storehouse" of information. Perhaps the idea of it packing an explosive punch is in there too.

Change impossible by nature

 

"It is our nature to do evil. We have no more prospect of changing that nature by ourselves than a man with black skin has of turning it white or a leopard has of exchanging its spots for tiger stripes."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 82

New birth more than a beggar finding bread

 

"Sometimes Christians describe becoming a Christian using the figure of a beggar finding bread. This is fine as far as it goes, but the biblical picture is closer to that of a dead man being brought to life. The change needed is less like a veterinary surgeon sewing up a wound in the paw of some poor creature and more like the total transformation involved when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 79

Humorous English Etymologies 11 Sarcophagus

Sarcophagus (n.)

A box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. c. 1600, "type of stone used for coffins," from Latin sarcophagus, from Greek sarkophagos. The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to decompose the flesh of corpses interred within. Literally the word means "flesh-eating," perhaps in reference to the supposed action of this type of limestone (quarried near Assos in Troas, hence the Latin lapis Assius) in quickly decomposing the body. From sarx (genitive sarkos) "flesh" + phagein "to eat". The "stone" sense was the earliest in English; meaning "stone coffin, often with inscriptions or decorative carvings" is recorded from 1705. It is not entirely clear whether the Romans truly believed that limestone from the region around Troy would dissolve flesh. That assertion came from Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (but he also reported such phenomena as dog-headed people and elephants who wrote Greek). It is more likely that was again a little joke.

Humorous English Etymologies 10 Plonk

Plonk (n.)

Plonk is a non-specific and often derogatory term used primarily in British and Australian English for wine. It is believed to come from Australian slang, in reference to blanc (the French word for "white"), before it became naturalised in Britain. Despite the reference to the colour white, the term is not limited to white wine, and can as easily indicate a red wine or rosé. In this context, the phrase has even spawned the title of a novel which evokes the perceived tackiness of the 1980s. The word is perhaps influenced by another meaning of plonk - the sound as of something being set down heavily, in this case a glass bottle. The latter word is perhaps influenced by the onomatopoeic plunk. The idea that the sound of a cork coming out of a wine bottle has played its part too cannot be discounted.

Humorous English Etymologies 9 Bootleg

Bootleg (n.)

A product, especially alcoholic liquor, but including recorded music, that is illicitly produced, distributed, or sold. The phrase "leg of a boot," goes back to the 1630s, using boot + leg to refer to that part of a boot. As an adjective in reference to illegal alcohol and is found from 1889 on and is American English slang. Presumably it was knives and pistols that were hidden in boots by smugglers and that led to the idea of hiding booze there, although this obviously cannot easily be done while the boots are being worn. An alternative understanding suggests that the word bootleg in reference to alcohol relates to the unpleasant taste of some illegal brews.

Humorous English Etymologies 8 Bumf

Bumf (n.)

Papers, paperwork. First attested 1889, this was originally British schoolboy slang for "toilet-paper". It is a shortened from of bum-fodder.

Humorous English Etymologies 7 Tycoon

Tycoon (n.)

In 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed into a harbour near Tokyo and presented a letter from the US President Millard Fillmore demanding that Japan open itself to trade with the US. At the time, the Japanese restricted foreign trade severely. Among Western nations, for example, only the Dutch were allowed to trade in Japan, and then only on a small island in the harbor of Nagasaki. This policy had been put in place in the 1630s by the shogun (as rulers of pre-modern Japan were called). In late medieval times, the Japanese emperor had been reduced to a figurehead, and all real power belonged to the shogun, who ruled on the emperor's behalf. On the date of Perry's visit, the Tokugawa family had held the shogunate for 250 years, as a kind of hereditary monarchy. Although Perry believed that he was dealing with emissaries from the emperor, nominally the ruler of the land, in fact he met the representatives of the shogun. The emissaries spoke of the shogun as the taikun, using a title of Chinese origin that literally means "great prince." (Chinese tai "great" + kiun "lord."). This title was used by Japanese officials in foreign relations because tennō, "emperor," was obviously unavailable - the shogun ruled the Empire of Japan in the emperor's name. The title shōgun itself was probably not considered grand enough, as it literally means just "general of the army." Accounts of Perry's visit made the shogun's title taikun well-known back in the US as tycoon, and Abraham Lincoln's cabinet members took up tycoon as an affectionate nickname for the president. The word soon came to be used for business and industry leaders in general - at times being applied to figures like J P Morgan, who may indeed have wielded more power than many princes and presidents. The specific application to "wealthy and powerful businessman" is post-World War I. it is no doubt ironic.

Humorous English Etymologies 6 Skinflint

Skinflint (n.)

A miser, one who makes use of contemptible economy to keep money, a slang word from 1700. Clearly it is made up of skin and flint. The idea seems to be the kind of person who would skin a flint to save or gain something (or perhaps would use a flint until it was as thin as skin). Flay-flint in same sense is from 1670s.

Humorous English Etymologies 5 Quiz

Quiz (n.)
A question and answer game. As a verb to quiz someone means to question them.

The story goes that a Dublin theatre proprietor by the name of Richard Daly made a bet that he could, within 48 hours, make a nonsense word known throughout the city, and that the public would supply a meaning for it. After a performance one evening, he gave his staff cards with the word 'quiz' written on them, and told them to write the word on walls around the city. The next day the strange word was the talk of the town, and within a short time it had become part of the language.

The most detailed account of this supposed exploit (in F. T. Porter's Gleanings and Reminiscences, 1875) gives its date as 1791. The word, however, was already in use by then, meaning 'an odd or eccentric person', and had been used in this sense by Fanny Burney in her diary entry for 24 June 1782. 'Quiz' was also used as a name for a kind of toy, something like a yo-yo, popular around 1790. The word is nevertheless hard to account for, and so is its later meaning of 'to question or interrogate'. This emerged in the mid-19th century and gave rise to the most common use of the term today, for a type of entertainment based on a test of a person's knowledge. The word must have its roots in inquisitive.

So the humour here is not in the word itself but in the supposed etymology.

Humorous English Etymologies 4 Dumb Waiter

Dumbwaiter (n.)

A dumbwaiter is a small lift intended to carry objects rather than people. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restaurants, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, retirement homes or in private homes, the lifts generally terminate in a kitchen.

The term seems to have been popularized in the United States in the 1840s, after the model of earlier "dumbwaiters" now known as serving trays and lazy Susans.

It is the title of a play by Harold Pinter. The great thing about a dumb waiter is that he cannot answer back.

New birth no optional extra

 

"If we simply confine ourselves, firstly, to what the Bible says about the new birth itself, we immediately see that being reborn is not an optional extra for Christian living. It is not a de luxe add-on, a bonus, an extra, something reserved only for ‘first-class travel’. Rather it is something vital. It is indispensable. It is not an elegant window giving us a view of the glory of God’s house but the very door into it. Without this there can be no entrance. It is not a mere sniff at the delicacies in God’s kingdom but a real taste of what he has to offer, a feast that will enter our bodies and do eternal good. Without it we will starve. If you are not born again, you are simply not a Christian at all."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 77

Humorous English etymologies 3 Lazy Susan

Lazy Susan (n)

(also Lazy Suzy) A turntable (rotating tray) placed on a table or countertop to aid in distributing food. Lazy Susans may be made from a variety of materials but are usually glass, wood or plastic. They are usually circular and placed in the center of a circular table to share dishes easily among diners.

It is likely that the explanation of the term Lazy Susan, and who Susan was, has been lost to history. Folk etymologies claim it as an American invention and trace its name to a product – Ovington's $8.50 mahogany "Revolving Server or Lazy Susan" – advertised in a 1917 Vanity Fair, but its use well predates both the advertisement and (probably) the country. The earliest example of these "serviettes" or "butler's assistants" being called a lazy Susan dates to the 1903 Boston Journal:

John B. Laurie, as the resuscitator of "Lazy Susan", seems destined to leap into fortune as an individual worker. "Lazy Susan" is a step toward solving the ever-vexing servant problem. She can be seen, but not heard, nor can she hear, she simply minds her business and carries out your orders in a jiffy.

Susan here is then a name for a servant. A more intriguing possibility suggests that the “Susan” was inspired by the flower known as a “Black-eyed Susan” (Rudbeckia hirta, aka “Yellow Daisy”), whose circular blooms consist of yellow “rays” surrounding a dark brown centre. The flower apparently took its name from the poem “Black-Eyed Susan” by English poet and dramatist John Gay (1685-1732), in which a sailor bids fond and extended adieu to his love Susan, who is called “black-eyed Susan” in the first stanza. The popularity of the Black-eyed Susan flower, and the resemblance of a circular serving tray to the circular bloom of the flower, may well have given us the name.

Humorous English etymologies 2 Parson's nose

Parson's nose (n)

(Cookery) the fatty extreme end portion of the tail of a fowl when cooked. Also called the pope's nose and even the sultan's nose. It may eb a euphemism. Parson's nose, however, is from the notion that an English parson may 'have his nose up in the air', upturned like the chicken's rear end. The term must have been known as early as around 1400 AD, when a carpenter had been contracted to provide new choir stalls for St Mary's Church, Nantwich. The vicar was either slow to pay the artisan, or did not pay at all. In retaliation, on the last misericord in the stalls, the carpenter carved a bird with an image of that Vicar's face with protuberant nose as rump. The carving is still visible today.

Humorous English etymologies 1 Undertaker

Undertaker (n.)
Funeral director. In America a mortician.

c. 1400, "a contractor or projector of any sort," agent noun from undertake (v.). The specialised sense (1690s) emerged from funeral-undertaker. It is a euphemism. The little joke, of course, is that the undertaker takes the body and puts it six feet under ground.

Make war make peace

War against the devil is the only way to lasting peace.

South Walian words

On page 112 of the book English in Wales: Diversity, Conflict, and Change by Nikolas Coupland, and Alan Richard Thomas they have a list of English words from the south west common in Glamorganshire. I noticed the following as words we also used next door in Gwent or Monmouthshire - daps (plimsolls), mob (hide and seek game), nippy (cold), scag (catch thread of garment), stingy nettles (stinging nettles), tump (hillock), whimberry (bilberry), wisp (sty on eyelid), pikelet (muffin - although my mother would use the word for crumpets).

Fousty

The standard English word fusty means smelling stale, damp, or stuffy. In South Wales it is often pronounced fousty. That is certainly how my late mother always pronounced it. I seem to remember that she would use it for food that had become mildewed.

Talcum and spreed

My late mother was a great believer in talcum powder. She believed it was a great preventative against what she called spreed. Spreed appears to be a west country dialect word for chapped skin. Spreathed is the preferred Monmouthshire pronunciation. Spreazed is also found.

How to pronounce the word pedantic

 

I've just been checking out websites on how to pronounce the word pedantic. They all go for p'dantic but it would seem to me an emphasis on the first syllable - ped-antic - is not really such a bad idea and surely could not be ruled as wrong. Obviously something after the fashion of pedant-ic can't be right but I'm still sure ped-antic cannot be ruled out completely.

Christianity like a rugby team

True Christianity is a bit like a good rugby team - always looking backwards, while always going forwards

Regeneration - everywhere in the New Testament

 

"The idea of a fundamental change equal to a new birth is not something confined to one or two chapters of the New Testament. The idea is found in many places and a variety of illustrations are employed. ... It is clear that the Bible uses a variety of pictures to convey the idea that the Christian life starts with a radical change produced by God. ... washing, receiving a new heart or spirit, God’s law in the mind and on the heart, ... circumcision of the heart, ... a new birth, a new planting, a new creation, a resurrection, a passing from darkness to light, entering a new world, setting out in a new direction, Spirit baptism and being irresistibly drawn. God intends all these pictures to add to our understanding of regeneration and we do well to reflect on them. Is your understanding of new birth all that it should be?"

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, pp 65, 74

Regeneration - when and where the Spirit wills

 

"Jesus uses a picture that grows out of the fact that in Hebrew, Greek and other languages, the word for Spirit or spirit is also the word for breath or wind. This is because both are invisible. Just as ‘the wind blows wherever it pleases’, so the Spirit regenerates whom he will. In the same way that you cannot see the wind but you can see where it has been and what it does, so the Spirit works in people’s lives, and though his work is invisible to our eyes, the results are seen in changed lives. Just when and where the Spirit will work next we cannot definitely know."

From my book What the Bible teaches about being born again, p 63