Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CHAFF

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: Today we'll see if we can free the word chaff from the cliché we always see it in, "to separate the wheat from the chaff." In other words, we're going to separate the chaff from the wheat-from-the-chaff. :D Speaking of wheat and chaff, let's recall the words winnow and thresh. Could you explain their figurative meanings? In other words, what does it mean to winnow ideas (or winnow ideas down), and what does it mean to thresh ideas (or thresh ideas out)? And if you're up for a challenge, see if you can explain why winnow looks like wind, and why thresh looks like thrash. (You'll find the explanations on the archives pages--just give the words a click.) make your point with... "CHAFF" "Chaff" has some slangy meanings, and some technical meanings, but we'll focus on the general one. Literal chaff is the husks from grains like corn--the part that you throw away. And figurative chaff is stuff that's worthless (that we have to get rid of so that we can get to the good stuff). Pronunciation: CHAF (rhymes with "laugh") Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the chaff," "this chaff," "its chaff," "such chaff," "no chaff," and so on, but don’t say "a chaff," "one chaff," or "chaffs.") Other forms: none How to use it: Most of us are familiar with "chaff" only in the phrase "to separate the wheat from the chaff," meaning to find the valuable parts of something (the "wheat") and get rid of the worthless parts (the "chaff"). So let's focus on using "chaff" outside of that phrase. Talk about sorting through the chaff, distinguishing the chaff, finding nothing but chaff, spotting something in the chaff, finding something hidden among the chaff, etc. Or, say that there's a lot of chaff (or only a little chaff) in a certain situation (such as a brainstorming session), or that there's more chaff than wheat in a situation (or vice versa, more wheat than chaff). You can also refer to things as "piles of chaff" or "heaps of chaff," or talk about tossing things into (or dumping things onto) the chaff pile, burning things with the rest of the chaff, saving things from the chaff-heap, etc. What kinds of things can we call chaff? Ideas, thoughts, reasons, and arguments; products, services, and creations (like books, stories, shows, movies, songs, and albums); and even people, such as candidates for a position. examples: Chaff accumulates along with the wheat as we get more and more seasons of The Simpsons. It's generally true--and beneficial--that about ninety percent of my crazy ideas get tossed in the chaff-heap. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "chaff" means when you can explain it without saying "rubbish" or "useless matter." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "You see (something) as chaff for the burn pile; I see (it/them) as fodder for _____." Example: "You see junk letters as chaff for the burn pile; I see them as fodder for practice in editing and rewriting." 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. Last month, we played with words by associating them with snippets of song lyrics. From our previous issue:  In "Sheezus," Lily Allen sings: "I am born again, now run along and tell All your friends to come and join us. Give yourselves to me, I am your leader. Let me be Sheezus. Let me be Sheezus." Do those lyrics call to mind the word DECALOGUE, MESSIANIC, or SCIOLISM? Why? Answer: MESSIANIC. It means "like a messiah: like an extreme, crazy leader who thinks she's a savior." Of course, Ms. Allen wasn't being serious--she was commenting on diva culture in the music industry. I think.  Next up, our January game: Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. Try this today: review today's word: 1. The literal and proverbial opposite of CHAFF is WHEAT. But another opposite of CHAFF could be A. POD. B. LIGHTNING. C. TREASURE. 2. As the saying goes, the king’s chaff is worth more than other men’s _____, meaning that _____. A. corn .. the perks at one job may be more valuable than the wages at another B. sweat .. personal connections and name-dropping can help more than hard work C. heads .. a government must be willing to pay for safety and security with human life 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. C 2. A