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Today we talk
about a word that is a feeling as well as a place. That word is “home.”
Long ago in the 1700s, “home” was used as a verb, meaning “to be guided
to a destination.” So, when you home in on something you get closer to
your target. For example, you could say, “Police are homing in on the
suspects."
That is also where we get homing pigeons -- pigeons that can find their
way home after being released.
But today, “home” is more often used as a noun. And it has a very
emotional connection for American English speakers. You can remember the
meaning of the word by the expression “home is where the heart is.”
That expression means home is anywhere you feel love and comfort. It is
a place where you belong, and often a place you consider your origin.
You can also simply the carry of feeling of home with you -- that is, a
feeling of love and loyalty to your family and places that are dear to
you.
In other words, “home” is not simply a building where you live -- that’s
a house. There is a big difference between a house and a home. Writer
Lord Byron expressed this thought in his long poem Don Juan.
He enter'd in the house - his home no more,
For without hearts there is no home; and felt
The solitude of passing his own door
Without a welcome
Simply said, a house is not a home.
Another writer, Thomas Wolfe, had a different idea about home. In 1940,
his book “You Can’t Go Home Again” was published. This title has worked
its way into the English language. We use it to mean that the ideas and
feelings you had as a child often change when you are an adult. So, even
if you return to the place where you grew up, time and distance have
changed your perspective. You may not be able to re-create even your
closest relationships.
Rock-n-roll singer Jon Bon Jovi does not agree with this expression. In
this song he and Jennifer Nettles sing “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”
What they mean is yes, they can go back to a childhood home and be
perfectly happy. This is especially true if you've become successful and
have made a lot of money.
Some people find that returning to a childhood place brings only joy and
delight. When these people return to their childhood homes, they may say
"Home Sweet Home!"
Of course, you can say this anywhere. A single woman living alone in her
first apartment may come home after a tough day at work and sigh, “Ah,
home sweet home!” If she loves her apartment she might also say:
“There’s no place like home.”
There’s no place like home is a famous line repeated over and over by
the character of Dorothy in the classic American film “The Wizard of
Oz.”
She learns that she did not need to leave her home in order to find what
she was seeking. Dorothy’s adventures ended right back in Kansas, where
she was from.
But what about those people who must stay away from their homes for a
long time? They still want to feel connected to a place they can depend
on.
Hotels know this about travelers. Many advertise that they will be a
home away from home. This expression describes a place where everything
is familiar and comfortable.
Friends can also give you a home away from home. When you visit them,
they may say to you: “Make yourself at home!”
This common expression means someone wants you to feel relaxed and
welcome.
However, let’s say you make yourself too at home. You eat everything in
the refrigerator! Your friend then may say, “I’m happy to have you stay,
but please don’t eat me out of house and home!”
Sometimes, when we travel for a long time -- especially if we are in a
strange place -- we can begin to feel sad. We miss our friends, family
and usual environment so much that we become homesick.
Some people become so unsettled when they are away from home that they
quit leaving the house altogether. They become homebodies. A homebody
usually prefers to do things quietly around the house -- such as cook or
knit or sit by the fire reading a book. For a homebody, going out night
after night or visiting a busy city for a long period of time would be a
nightmare.
But you don’t have to be a homebody to relax and enjoy a peaceful moment
-- no matter where you are. For example, let’s say you have been working
on a stressful assignment for a year. Now, the work is almost done. You
can say you are in the home stretch.
This expression comes from horse racing. Horses in the home stretch are
near the finish line. So, if you are in the home stretch of a very long
project, you are almost finished.
Glossary:
comfort – n. contented well-being origin – n. the place, social situation or type of family that a
person comes from solitude – n. a state or situation in which you are alone usually
because you want to be perspective – n. a mental view or prospect; point of view delight – n. a high degree of gratification familiar – adj. being free and easy; marked by informality comfortable – adj. free from stress or tension relaxed – adj. being at rest or at ease; easy of manner; informal nightmare – n. something (as an experience, situation or object)
having the monstrous character of a nightmare or producing a feeling of
anxiety or terror
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