Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BROACH

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connect today's word to others: To broach something is to open it up for discussion. And to t__le something is to close it for discussion. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "BROACH" The oldest meaning of "broach" is "to prick open, to pierce through." Although we don't use that meaning today, it led to the meaning we do use: To broach a topic--usually a serious one--is to start talking about it with people. In other words, to broach things is to open a conversation about them. Imagine poking through a topic or piercing it open: that's what you do with difficult, sensitive, delicate topics. You broach them. Pronunciation: BROACH (Rhymes with COACH) Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you broach something.) Other forms: broached, broaching, broacher(s) How to use it: To talk about people bringing up sensitive, serious, or complex issues, use the word "broach" instead of the more casual words "mention" or "bring up." We broach topics, subjects, issues, concepts, questions, ideas, points, options, possibilities, theories, etc. You can broach something with someone: "We'll broach that problem with the staff on Friday." We can broach subjects on a personal level: that is, friends, family members, and colleagues can broach things with each other. And we can broach subjects on a public level: authors, artists, politicians, diplomats, and other public figures can broach things with each other and with the general population. Although it's usually people who broach things, you can remove people from your sentence and use the passive voice to talk about things that are broached--or not broached. "That issue is finally ready to be broached." "That question was never broached." examples: She plans to broach the subject of retraining with some of her least effective employees. How long would you date someone before broaching the issue of wanting children or not? study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "broach" means when you can explain it without saying "bring up a sensitive issue for discussion" or "begin to talk about a serious matter." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ is one (topic, issue, or question) we never broach (in a certain situation)." Example: "Politics is one issue we never broach when we all go out to dinner together." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: Specifically in reference to a place in space that pulls all nearby matter and radiation into it, was the term BLACK HOLE coined by Galileo, John Wheeler, or Carl Sagan? Answer: Although we've called places here on Earth black holes since 1707, if not earlier, it was the physicist John Wheeler in 1967 who, according to some sources, first called those regions in space "black holes." Wheeler was also the first to use the word "wormhole" to refer to a hypothetical connection between faraway points in space-time. Try this today: In October of 2017, who coined the term HOTUMN to describe the unseasonably warm temperatures: was it Al Gore, Bill Nye, or Reggie Ugwu? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of BROACH is A. PARRY (to avoid discussion). B. KEELHAUL (to punish with words). C. HARBINGER (to foreshadow or announce an approach). 2. With the question now broached, we _____. A. threshed it out in earnest B. could stop yawping about it C. made no more pretense of candor Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A