Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SHIBBOLETH
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connect today's word to others:
The Hebrew word shibboleth in its most literal sense is a flood or an ear of corn. In the Old Testament, specifically in Judges 12:4-6, the word shibboleth was used as a password, a kind of test of correct pronunciation: people who mispronounced it gave themselves away as enemies and were killed. Yikes.
Shibboleth shares its Hebrew origin with be____th (something that reminds you of a beast with incredible strength and size) and le_____an (something, often a ship, that's enormous and/or powerful enough to remind you of a sea monster).
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"SHIBBOLETH"
We'll focus on this word's two most common meanings.
First, a shibboleth can be something about you (like a food, a habit, or a tradition) that lets everybody know that you belong to a specific group of people.
Second, a shibboleth can be an important word, phrase, or idea--often one that you hold onto tightly and unthinkingly--that lets everybody know that you belong to a specific group of people.
Pronunciation:
SHIB ul luth
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 shibboleth or multiple shibboleths.)
Other forms:
Just the plural, "shibboleths."
How to use it:
You can say that something is a shibboleth or is becoming a shibboleth. Or, talk about a person's shibboleths, or a group's shibboleths.
Or, say that something is a shibboleth of some culture (or cultural concept): "It is a shibboleth of American culture that anyone can rise to fame and fortune." "That the average citizen must exercise his right to vote is a shibboleth of democracy."
And, you can talk about people invoking a shibboleth, conjuring a shibboleth, voicing shibboleths, insisting on shibboleths, turning something into a shibboleth or making something their shibboleth, being misled or blinded by their shibboleths, challenging or attacking shibboleths, dismantling or destroying their shibboleths, etc.
examples:
Shiner Bock is the shibboleth by which the Texan can be known.
Kohn's article, "Five Reasons to Stop Saying 'Good Job!,'" is an attack on the shibboleth that kids need praise all the time.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "shibboleth" means when you can explain it without saying "mark of group membership" or "outmoded excluding idea."
try it out:
Fill in the blank: "I was taught that _____, but later I questioned that shibboleth."
Example: "I was taught that Christopher Columbus was a hero, but later I questioned that shibboleth."
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, see if you can associate a snippet of song lyrics with a word we’ve studied before. For example, here's Dave Matthews: "Wasting time, let the hours roll by doing nothing for the fun. A little taste of the good life." Those lyrics call to mind the word LOTUS-EATING.
From our previous issue:
In "Ghost," the Indigo Girls sing:
"And the Mississippi's mighty
But it starts in Minnesota
At a place that you could walk across
With five steps down."
Do those lyrics call to mind the word FOUNTAINHEAD, IMBROGLIO, or WATERTIGHT? Why?
Answer: FOUNTAINHEAD. A fountainhead is a place where a stream begins and flows out, or, figuratively, the main source of something that seems to flow out continuously. (The Indigo Girls continue, "And I guess that's how you started, like a pinprick to my heart.")
Try this today:
In "She's Always a Woman," Billy Joel sings:
"And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden.
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding...
She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel."
Do those lyrics call to mind the word AEGIS, ELUCIDATE, or MERCURIAL? Why?
review today's word:
1. A near opposite of SHIBBOLETH is
A. ANATHEMA.
B. DOMESTICITY.
C. LOVE LETTER.
2. _____; we can't seem to shatter this shibboleth.
A. The mug must have been forged in the fires of Mount Doom
B. She keeps control over routine tasks that could easily be delegated
C. Even college students still believe that an essay must have five paragraphs
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. C
The Hebrew word shibboleth in its most literal sense is a flood or an ear of corn. In the Old Testament, specifically in Judges 12:4-6, the word shibboleth was used as a password, a kind of test of correct pronunciation: people who mispronounced it gave themselves away as enemies and were killed. Yikes.
"SHIBBOLETH" We'll focus on this word's two most common meanings. Part of speech: Other forms:
Shiner Bock is the shibboleth by which the Texan can be known.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "shibboleth" means when you can explain it without saying "mark of group membership" or "outmoded excluding idea."
Fill in the blank: "I was taught that _____, but later I questioned that shibboleth."
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.
1. A near opposite of SHIBBOLETH is
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. |