Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LILT

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explore the archives: A lilt is a rhythm, usually a cheerful or bouncy one; so, a sound or movement with a lilt is ca___t, or pleasantly rhythmic. make your point with... "LILT" Originally a Scottish word for "merry tune," a lilt is a light, musical rhythm, and to lilt, or to lilt something, is to say it in a light, rhythmic way. Pronunciation: LILT (rhymes with "built") Part of speech: It's both a noun ("a lilt," "the lilt," "his lilt") and a verb ("to lilt something" or just "to lilt"). Other forms: lilted, lilting How to use it: For the noun, talk about the lilt of someone's voice, a lilt in someone's accent, or simply someone's lilt. Often we add an adjective: a British lilt, a Reggae lilt, a southern lilt, a wistful lilt, the strange lilt in a bird's song. Although it's usually sounds that have a lilt, you can also talk abstractly about, for example, the lilt of a story or the lilt of a line of thought. The verb is less common, but you can talk about voices lilting or lilting out, voices lilting things, or voices lilting things out: "Her voice lilted from the open window," "Her voice lilted the song," "Her voice lilted out from the open window." For the adjective, "lilting," talk about someone's lilting accent or lilting voice, a lilting description or account of something, lilting conversation, a lilting speech, a lilting intonation, a lilting song or poem, lilting harmonies, or even a lilting movement, like a lilting walk or a lilting bounce. examples: Distracting at first, the phonetically written dialect in The Cay eventually fades into the background as it brings to life Timothy's West Indian lilt. The house at naptime is oddly quiet without my daughter's lilting chatter.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "lilt" means when you can explain it without saying "jaunty rhythm" or "say in a rhythmic way." try it out: Think of someone who speaks (or sings) with energy and rhythm. Fill in the blanks: "In (his/her) (certain type of) lilt, (Someone) (chatted about, described, explained, read, or sang) _____." Example: "In her energetic lilt, Nancy read the poem to her students." 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: A robbery that's planned and executed in an especially clever and skilled way is a ____ _____. (Two words, one syllable each. Clue: use this word.) Answer: deft theft. Try this today: A careless and embarrassing mistake made as you're plotting a linear function is a _____ _____. (Two words, one syllable each. Clue: use this word.) review today's word: 1. The opposite of LILT could be A. BUOY B. MONOTONY C. UNIFICATION 2. Any old idea sounds respectable, even sophisticated, in his lilting _____. A. erudition B. punctuation C. British accent 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. C