A.Word.A.Day --lion's share

A.Word.A.Day

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Dec 19, 2014

This week's theme
Terms with apostrophes

This week's words
dog's chance
gentleman's agreement
cat's cradle
who's who
lion's share

The lion's share

Photo: Louise Restell

This week's comments
AWADmail 651

Next week’s theme
Words from science that have different senses in everyday use

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

lion's share

PRONUNCIATION:

(LY-uhnz shair)

MEANING:

noun: The largest part of something.

ETYMOLOGY:

From the Aesop's fable in which the lion claimed all of the spoils instead of sharing with other animals who took part in the hunt. Earliest documented use: 1790.

USAGE:

"Enterprise, the largest firm, with about 40% of the world market ... in America it has the lion's share of the market for the cars that insurers lend to policyholders after crashes."
Hire Purpose; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 13, 2014.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

And the evil is done in hopes that evil surrenders / But the deeds of the devil are burned too deep in the embers / And a world of hunger in vengeance will always remember. -Phil Ochs, folksinger (1940-1976)

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