The Ins and Outs of High and Low

The Ins and Outs of High and Low The Ins and Outs of â€Å"High† and â€Å"Low† The Ins and Outs of â€Å"High† and â€Å"Low† By Mark Nichol High and low are such versatile terms that several hundred compound words employ one or the other and one idiomatic adverb consists of both: â€Å"high and low,† a synonym for â€Å"everywhere.† (â€Å"I’ve looked high and low for my new shoes.†) They usually come first in compounds (â€Å"high chair,† â€Å"low blow†), but sometimes they trail another word (â€Å"contact high,† â€Å"record low†). The compound can be open (â€Å"high jump,† â€Å"low bid†), hyphenated (high-grading, low-minded), or closed (highlight, lowland). A compound can differ in firm depending on the part of speech (low-down as an synonym for contemptible; lowdown as another meaning for â€Å"inside information†). High or low can be part of a compound literal (â€Å"high heels,† â€Å"low score†) or figurative (â€Å"high horse, low-key). Sometimes, a nonstandard spelling is acceptable. For example, a high hat is a pair of cymbals facing each other on a pole that a drummer clashes together with a foot pedal; it’s also spelled hi-hat. And hi-fi is a slang abbreviation of â€Å"high fidelity†; by extension, lo-fi refers to the opposite extreme of audio quality. â€Å"High tech,† short for â€Å"high technology,† is sometimes spelled hi-tech, and the antonym may be altered accordingly (lo-tech). Hijack, the verb referring to commandeering of or stealing from an airplane or a ground vehicle (it can also be a noun), has an alternate spelling of highjack, but that’s rare. On the other hand, hijinks is the variant of â€Å"high jinks,† a synonym of antics. Highfalutin is a rare instance of a word with a clipped ending suggestive of a drawl, considered a regular form despite its informal appearance. This synonym for pretentious is even sometimes spelled hifalutin. Check the dictionary when using phrases including high or low to confirm or correct your guesses not only about whether the preferred spelling is the full word or the short form but also whether they’re part of an open, hyphenated, or closed compound. Hyphenation, especially, can be tricky: High-and-mighty, for example, is an adjective that is hyphenated even after a noun or a pronoun (â€Å"He’s been all high-and-mighty since his promotion†), and â€Å"low earth orbit† has no hyphen, even though low and earth (which, in addition, is not capitalized in this usage) modify orbit. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About TalkingHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsHow Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

Flood Types and Classifications in U.S

Flood Types and Classifications in U.S Floods that occur in the United States and abroad can be classified in multiple ways. Theres no steadfast rule for categorizing  flooding along a floodplain or after a tropical cyclone. Instead, broad types of flood labels are applied to any type of water inundation that results in damages. Flooding is one of the most dangerous types of all natural disasters. Flash Floods Floods can be most broadly classified as either river floods or flash floods. The main difference is in the onset of the flooding. With flash floods, there is often little warning that flooding will occur. With river flooding, communities can prepare as a river nears its flood stage.   Flash floods are usually the most lethal. Heavy downpours, often in mountainous highlands, can lead to surges of water that turn dry river beds or flood plains into raging torrents  within minutes. Local communities usually have little time to flee to higher land, and homes and other property in the waters path can be totally destroyed. Vehicles crossing roadways that are dry or barely wet in one moment can be swept away in the next. When roads and railways are made impassable, delivery of aid can become much more difficult. Slow Onset Floods   Slow onset floods, such as those that hit Bangladesh almost every year, can also be lethal but they tend to give people much more time to move to higher ground. These floods are a result of surface water runoff. Flash floods can also be the result of surface water runoff, but the terrain is a larger factor in the severity of the flood. They often occur when the ground is already saturated and simply cannot absorb any more water. When deaths occur during slow onset floods, they are much more likely to come about due to disease, malnutrition or snakebites. Floods in China displaced tens of thousands of snakes into neighboring areas in 2007, increasing the risk of attacks. Slower floods are also less likely to sweep away property, although it may still be damaged or destroyed. Areas are likely to remain under water for months at a time. Storms, tropical cyclones, and other maritime extreme weather can also produce deadly storm surges, as happened in New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, Cyclone Sidr in November 2007, and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May 2008. These are most prevalent and dangerous along the coasts and near large bodies of water. Detailed Flood Types There are numerous other ways to classify floods. Many types of floods are a result of the location of the rising waters or other environmental factors. FEMA has a broad classification of flood types as follows: Riverine floodsUrban floodsGround failures, such as dam breaksFluctuating lake levelsCoastal flooding and erosion In addition, flooding can result from ice jams, mine accidents, and tsunamis. Remember that there are no steadfast rules for determining exactly what type of flood may be associated with any given area. Getting flood insurance and following the guidelines for flood safety are critical to keeping yourself, your family, and your property safe during a flood event.