Make Your Point > Archived Issues > JOYRIDE

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"JOYRIDE" Meaning: A joyride is a fun, often reckless ride you take in a vehicle, usually when the vehicle isn't even yours, and you don't have permission to use it. More generally, a joyride is any thrilling, risky spree of activity. That's the meaning we'll focus on here. Pronunciation: JOY ride Part of speech: It's both a noun ("a joyride," "two joyrides," "lots of joyrides") and a verb ("to joyride.") Other forms: Joyrides, joyriding, joyrider. Some people use a hyphen (joy-ride) or two separate words (joy ride.) I recommend sticking with the single word, "joyride." How to use it: Talk about a joyride in general, taking a joyride or going on a joyride, possibly through, across, or over some literal or figurative place, and possibly in or on some literal or figurative vehicle: "She's ingested an inhuman amount of caffeine and is taking it on a joyride through her to-do list." "Our financial joyride is over--the cards are maxed and the bills are due." Use "joyriding" to talk about the action in general: "Let's go joyriding," "All this joyriding is irresponsible," "They're busy joyriding through college and haven't truly entered the real world yet." More abstractly, call something a joyride (or say that it's joyriding) when it's moving recklessly and randomly, possibly self-indulgently, and possibly while wasting borrowed or stolen resources: "My opponent's plan is a foolish joyride that will waste funds." "These statistics are just taking a joyride across the chart and can't be interpreted in any meaningful way." "His career is on a bizarre joyride destined for a crash."  It's easy to forget that our dependence on fossil fuels is a major problem--that we're all essentially joyriding on a swiftly dwindling resource. The cafe at my college served everything buffet-style, which explains (but doesn't justify) the gastronomical joyride that caused my freshman-year weight gain. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "joyride" means when you can explain it without saying "spree" or "reckless course of action." Think of a time in your life that was really fun but not too successful or productive, and fill in the blanks: "I admit I was joyriding through _____, (doing something in particular.)"  Example: "I admit I was joyriding through the summers in college, sleeping in every morning and running around town with my friends every night." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, with the gracious permission of author Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer, we’re sampling some English language trivia from Word Nerd: More Than 17,000 Fascinating Facts about Words. Dr. Kipfer’s book is a hearty 570-page feast that I’ve been gleefully devouring for the past few months. We’re starting off with easy questions, then working our way toward some whoppers at the end of the month, all the while focusing on funny, unusual words; surprising word histories; and cool tidbits about the language.  Yesterday's question: It was originally called a cartwheel. You probably use one at least a few times a month. What is it? Answer: A supermarket cart. Or as they call it here in Hawaii, a wagon. Try this one today. It should feel rather difficult:   There are three English words that end in “ceed.” One is “succeed.” What are the others? A Point Well Made: Michael Palin: “Contrary to what the politicians and religious leaders would like us to believe, the world won’t be made safer by creating barriers between people.”  1. The closest opposite of JOYRIDE is A. ALLOWANCE B. CRIME C. DOLDRUMS 2. The joyride came to _____ when they _____. A. a close .. raised the price of gasoline  B. a screeching halt .. got caught cheating and were given failing grades C. a gentle end .. decided to look into buying a property instead of continuing to rent Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B