Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VISTA

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explore the archives: Today's word reminds us of "Hasta la vista!" or "See you later!" A vista is what you see--literally or mentally. Although it ultimately comes from the Latin word that also gave us "vision," "visual," and "video," vista came into English (and Spanish!) more immediately through Italian, the language from which we also took the useful terms below. 1. An im____lio is a complicated, embarrassing situation. 2. Something b__ tr_____ (2 words) is so helpful and appropriate that it doesn't even matter that it's totally made up. make your point with... "VISTA" A vista is a view, as in "the lovely vista of the garden" and "ocean vistas." Strictly speaking, a vista is the view you get from looking down a long, narrow path or opening, such as what you see when you look down a street that has trees growing all along both sides. Figuratively, a vista is either a long stretch of time, a long stretch of events, or a long, far-reaching picture of something in your mind. Pronunciation: VISS tuh Part of speech: 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 vista or multiple vistas.) Other forms: vistas How to use it: We do often talk about literal vistas: a colorful Floridian vista, the gorgeous autumn vistas along the mountain highway. We'll focus on figurative vistas: vistas of thought or reason, vistas of possibility, vistas of time (as in "a vista of centuries," "the vista of early human life," "vistas of prosperity," "a vista of despair"), conceptual vistas, historical vistas, etc. Because a vista, even a figurative one, is laid out before you in a long, narrow, tunnel-like stretch, we talk about "opening a vista," "cracking open a vista," "opening a vista into something," "peering into a vista," "looking through a vista," and so on. (Compare that to a panorama, which is a broad view surrounding you that you can see all at once.) examples: Mr. Cleek was an incredible teacher of history who opened up a vista for us into colonial times and compelled us to peek in. For a child accustomed to Crayola 8-packs, the 64-color box opens a wonderful vista of creativity.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "vista" means when you can explain it without saying "opening" or "vision." try it out: Think of something you discovered or experienced that sparked your interest or changed the way you think. Fill in the blanks: "I (discovered or experienced something) and was suddenly looking through a whole new vista of (excitement, possibility, or thought)." Example: "Years ago I stumbled on the search term 'cognitive bias' and was suddenly looking through a whole new vista of thought." 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 with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.  Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy! From yesterday: Your waiter is zipping around on roller skates, getting his work done twice as fast as the other waiters. You're very impressed by this _____-______ ______ _______. (Three words: the first word has four syllables and a hyphen, and the second and third words each have two syllables. Clue: use this word.) Answer: labor-saving waiter skating. Try this today: As you take a few bites of your friend's fried rice, you realize there's way too much soy sauce on it. In fact, there's a whole salty ocean of soy sauce in that bowl. It's terrible for you and absolutely delicious. Mentally, you hop on a surfboard and go for a ___ ____ _______. (Three words: the first and second have one syllable each; the third word has two syllables. Clue: use this word.) review today's word: 1. The closest opposite of VISTA is A. COVERING B. DEPLETION C. PROVIDENCE 2. In the vista of prosperous, happy years _____ in front of us, we won't take a day for granted. A. growing B. stretched out C. constructed Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, 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. A 2. B