Grammar Clinic

(1) floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; (2) unimportant material; (3) debris or remains Example: (2) The speech was long, boring, and filled with a lot of flotsam and jetsam

Secret or hidden Example: And for how long do you think you can keep the fact about your pregnancy a covert affair?

Lasting a very short time Example: I thought our love was forever, but it turned out to be ephemeral. It was just like the morning dew, here one second, gone the next.

Too weak or gentle; not strong or strict enough Example: Whatever you may accuse Arsenal of, you have to agree that they were not namby-pamby in their game against Barcelona.

(1) a word or phrase that describes a person or thing; (2) an offensive term of abuse or insult Example: The term, “A woman’s place is in the kitchen and bedroom” is a derogatory epithet that should never be encouraged in any sane society.

A small fight or argument about something that is not important, especially between friends and lovers Example: It was obvious they were having a lovers tiff, from the extra care they took to avoid each other.

A theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by powerful people or groups Example: There’s a conspiracy theory that Ibos are being intentionally left out of President Buhari’s cabinet.

To understand or explain wrongly Example: Being naturally kind and trusting, she misconstrued these fine qualities in Bayo for weakness and stupidity.

(1) Not telling or revealing all the information that could be revealed; (2) Making a pretense of shyness or modesty that is intended to be attractive Example: Stop pretending you have never done this before. Don’t be coy with me!  

Very sudden or fast;  marked by very quick success. Example: Olajumoke’s meteoric rise from bread seller, to model and international sensation is the stuff dreams are made of.