Just a quick tip from me today – we’re off to Scarborough for a few days, so I’ve got some last minute bits of packing to do. I thought I’d tell you about a few of the handy tools that are hidden in the Google search bar.
There’s lots you can do in Google as well as searching for particular web pages. You can also get it to convert units by typing, say, “250 US dollars in pounds” or similarly with distances, weights and so on. I use that one a lot, actually.
You can type in any calculation, and it’ll work it out for you. Or type in “Cat in German” for a quick translation.
But there’s one you might not have tried before.
On my shelf at home, I’ve got a book of word origins. I find some of them fascinating… and sometimes surprising.
But now if you type the word you’re curious about, then a space, then etymology into Google, then click to search, it’ll tell you the origins of that word. I admit, it’s not necessarily something you’ll use a lot, but it could be interesting if you’re ever wondering about a peculiar word!
Typing thesaurus after the word instead brings up a list of synonyms and antonyms, or if you want the works – meaning, synonyms, antonyms, etymology, even usage over time – type in the word define instead. These dictionary searches are provided by Oxford Languages (of “Oxford English Dictionary” fame), so you can trust them to be accurate!
And one last mention of our new Facebook book before I stop banging on about them
The Facebook book that I’ve been talking about, and its companion about Messenger, Twitter, etc, will be available to the general public from next week – so I’m not planning to mention them again in my emails.
If you’re on the fence, thinking about maybe getting a copy or wondering whether they might help you, now is the time to decide. Or at least to decide to have one on free trial so you can see what the fuss is about for yourself.
The full info (and how to order) is here – or you can just call us on 01229 777606 if you prefer.