Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GRIST

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explore the archives: Grist is a bunch of grain (like corn) to be ground--figuratively, it's raw material to be put to good use. Let's take grist and file it away in our minds along with thresh and winnow. Could you explain why? That is, what idea unites these three words? make your point with... "GRIST" Literal grist is grain to be ground, usually corn. (Grist can be the grain itself, or the entire batch of grain.) Consider how raw grain becomes extremely useful after you grind it. Figurative grist is anything that you use to your own advantage, even though it seems like a neutral or even bad thing. Pronunciation: GRIST (rhymes with "wrist") Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "education," 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 education," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many educations." Likewise, talk about "the grist," "this grist," "our grist," "such grist," "no grist," and so on, but don’t say "a grist," "one grist," or "grists.") Other forms: "Grist" is also a verb, but it's used only literally, as in "to grist the corn." How to use it: Talk about something being grist for (or to) someone or something: "the scandal was grist for chatty radio hosts." (Use "the" before "grist" if you need to be more definite: "all these offenses will be the grist for his case.") You don't have to use "for" or "to" after "grist." You can simply refer to things as grist: "Fiction writers turn to their heartaches for grist." "She used her latest heartache for grist in this story." Often we'll say that something is grist for (or to) your mill, or that someone or something brings grist to your mill: "All these setbacks were grist for his mill; they made him work harder than ever." "These hardships only brought grist to her mill." You can extend that and talk about bringing grist to the mill of someone or something: "it brought grist to the mill of the liberal activists." But that's so clunky! Surely a re-wording would be smoother in most cases: "it fueled the liberal activists." examples: Sure, it's rude, but if you're complaining about a product by posting directly on its Facebook ad, then you're bringing grist to the company's mill. Now they know what to fix. Because they lack life experience, some kids struggle to find a writing topic. Besides the pets they aren't allowed to have or the vacations they really want to take, what else can provide these young writers with grist? study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "grist" means when you can explain it without saying "raw material" or "disadvantages that you can turn into advantages." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(A certain difficulty, challenge, or failure) can/could provide grist for (someone or something)." Example: "Even studies that find no significant results can provide grist for future investigations." 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. Our game this month is "What's the Difference?" I’ll give you two terms. Without using Google or a dictionary, explain how they’re different. Go beyond saying, "well, I know the difference, but I can’t explain it," or "show me an example and I'll tell you which it is." In your explanations, try to focus on features, not comparisons. For example, what's the difference between climate and weather? A good explanation focuses on features: "climate is what’s going on in the atmosphere over long periods of time, and weather is what’s going on in the atmosphere at a particular place and time." A weaker explanation focuses on comparisons: "climate is more concerning than weather." The game will get harder as the month goes on: we’ll start with objects—natural first, then man-made—then switch to concepts. Let’s do this! From yesterday: What's the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise? Answer: They belong to different families and have many different features, but the most obvious difference is that dolphins have beaks and porpoises don't. Try this today: What's the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave? review today's word: 1. The closest opposite of GRIST is A. FODDER B. LIABILITY C. INSURANCE 2. Ajay found grist for his _____ in _____. A. kids .. their willingness to extend kindness to strangers B. songs .. the hostility of our political climate C. recipes .. healthier substitutions 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. B 2. B