Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OPEN SESAME

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explore the archives: Today's magical term derives from French and is a type of skillful trickery, or leg_______n. This "leg_______n" is a fancy-sounding word, also French, that literally means "light of hand." make your point with... "OPEN SESAME" From the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, "open sesame" is the magic phrase you shout to open a locked door. So, more generally, an open sesame is an amazing (or incredibly effective) way of getting what you want (when normally it'd be very hard to get it). Pronunciation: OPE un SESS uh mee Part of speech: It's often an interjection: something you simply say or shout, like hey, wow, or wait. Used figuratively, it's a countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one open sesame or multiple open sesames.) Other forms: none How to use it: Talk about one thing being an open sesame (or the open sesame), often for or to another thing. You might use something as an open sesame, or act as an open sesame for someone else.  What might be an open sesame? A bribe, a promise, a threat, a key word or phrase, an amazing strategy, or a particular resource or advantage, like knowing a powerful person or possessing unusual insight. And what might your open sesame give you access to? Admission to a school or program, a job or an elected position, success, money, favors, good grades, attention, popularity, health--you name it. You can also treat "open sesame" as the interjection it originally was: "I uttered the password, and open sesame! I was in." Though it's rare, some folks do prefer capital letters: "Her name was an Open Sesame for every door." examples: Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the open sesame to the subject. I wish I had it back in my school days. At a restaurant or store, I'll do almost anything to avoid asking to see a manager--that open sesame for getting what you want regardless of company policies or common sense. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "open sesame" means when you can explain it without saying "successful way of getting a result" or "magical opener of doors." try it out: In your career, schoolwork, or life, what's your secret weapon--that thing that always works for you, like magic? Fill in the blanks: "The open sesame to (a particular result or achievement): (a particular tool, resource, strategy, or way of thinking)."  Example: "The open sesame to an uncluttered home: the willingness to separate objects from the experiences and people associated with them." 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. Language Techniques: When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy! From yesterday: Although one meaning of "apostrophe" is, as my students like to put it, "a sky comma," the other meaning of apostrophe is speaking to someone who isn't there or speaking to something that isn't actually a person. It's pure drama. Here's Edgar Allan Poe talking to science as if it were a woman: "Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!" When Romeo is told that Juliet is dead, he doesn't say, "Then I defy the stars." That's nearly right, but put the apostrophe back in and hear how emphatic the real version is. Answer: "Then I defy you, stars!"  Try this one today: "Give us this day our daily bread" is an example of synecdoche: a figurative use of a part of something as a representation of the whole, or vice versa. You've heard it in the old adage, too, that literally means "Communication works better than violence." What's the real version? review today's word: 1. The nearest opposite of OPEN SESAME is A. BROADCAST B. BARRIER C. BORE 2. Later, that knowledge will become the open sesame that _____ a hidden treasure. A. unearths B. unlocks C. uncovers Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@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. B 2. B