What would Halloween be without a touch of the macabre? So in the true spirit of All Hallows' Eve, we’ve dug up the grim origins of some of our most common expressions.  

Premature burial was once a very real possibility. ‘Saved by the bell’ – when a last minute intervention saves you from disaster – is thought to derive from the 17th century practice of morticians tying a bell to the toe or finger of a corpse. So if not actually dead, the ‘body’ could ring it inside the coffin and hopefully be dug up.

The saying ‘Money for old rope’, which means an easy way to make cash, may have been an ancient term for when the hangman’s noose was sold to the crowds as a memento after a public execution.

‘Warts and all’ supposedly alludes to puritan Oliver Cromwell’s request to be painted exactly the way he was, without any flattering retouches.

To ‘have your guts for garters’ – with its lovely rhythmic alliteration – means a threat of a serious reprisal. This began in the Middle Ages, when disembowelment was a common form of torture and execution.

It’s also been suggested that ‘A skeleton in the closet’ – a secret source of shame which a person or family makes efforts to conceal – comes from the notorious, pre-19^th century body snatcher era, when doctors needing cadavers to examine concealed illegally acquired skeletons in cupboards.

‘Between the devil and the deep blue sea’ could point to the bygone practice of ‘paying’ in wooden ships. This was the dangerous task of using hot tar to waterproof the beams on the deck of a boat – between the ‘devil’ (the large wooden beam that supported the deck) and the ship's side. The process involved lengths of rotten rope that rained hemp fibre into your eyes and burning hot tar all over your body – as well as the possibility of being thrown overboard by the rolling ship.

English is a funny old thing. With so many words that sound the same, but are spelt differently, it’s easy to confuse your deserts and desserts. So here’s a handy little guide to help keep any confusion at bay – especially when writing in a hurry.

Compliment vs Complement
A cracking Chardonnay complements your food. But if it compliments the food (“what a lovely Dijon dressing you have on today”), you’re probably in a Disney film.

Bear vs Bare
Bear in mind, if you’re out in the bare Alaskan wilderness and a big, furry thing spelled ‘bear’ is coming at you with that gleam in its eye – it’s no good running, unless you’re bearing arms…

Dessert vs Desert
You just polished off a 72 hour, slow-cooked rib of beef – and are slightly vexed when the ‘desert menu’ (sic.) reads “Kalahari £7.95, Gobi £8, Mojave £8.95”. And if the Sahara’s the world’s largest dessert, where’s the giant cherry on top?

Palate vs Palette
It wouldn’t do much good to use your palette at a wine tasting – unless you brought an easel and a canvas too (good on you). We’d much rather use our palate to pick up on some big, bold flavours.

Effect vs Affect
Quite simply, effect = put into action/create an outcome, affect = act on/moves the mind. So you put a plan into effect, say something to that effect, or ‘his silence, in effect, confirmed the rumours’. As opposed to the weather, which affects your mood or the crops.

Practice vs Practise
“Let’s put our ideas into practice” said the noun. The verb scoffed and replied, “I’d rather practise juggling to be honest”.

Rain vs Rein vs Reign
During the reign of king Ferdinand, the rain in Spain stayed, erm, mainly in the plain. But reins help you hold your horses.

Stationery vs Stationary
How fitting these two are so similar… if only the stapler (stationery) would stay stationary on your desk and not disappear.

It can take time to develop a tone of voice for your brand – a way of speaking that belongs to your business. But once you’ve got it pinned down, how can you get it to work harder and stretch further?

As holiday season approaches, now seems a good time to take a look at hotel and luxury brands. The most effective brands make the most of every guest ‘touch point’ so that their personality shines through in all their communications. It’s not just about the brochure and website, it’s the signage, welcome page, toiletries, laundry card and more…

It’s the little things…

Smaller boutique hotels can be particularly good at extending their tone of voice throughout their communications and beyond. Berlin’s Michel Berger hotel has a distinctive tone of voice – cool, friendly and playful – just like the place itself. And it’s everywhere to be seen, from the ‘do not disturb’ signs – that read ‘we are snoozing/ talking/ moonwalking/debating/ shagging…and the list goes on – to the labels on the complimentary bottles of water. Michel Berger’s voice comes through loud and clear.

Closer to home, The Halcyon in Bath (with a little help from Ink) uses cheeky, down-to-earth copy to show it’s a hotel that’s city savvy.

Making your voice heard

Larger groups are getting in on the act too, such as Malmaison, the self-styled ‘hotels that dare to be different’. Their bespoke toiletries are, quite literally, crying out to be taken home. In fact, the labels tell you to do just that.

With this in mind, why not use your tone of voice to shout about your brand in more unlikely places…

If you need help getting your tone of voice to work harder, call Ink on 01225 731 373.

If you’re heading abroad this summer, a phrasebook is probably high on your list of things to take. But, even with a handy guide, you could still come across words that simply don’t exist in English. Here’s our short guide to some foreign words that defy translation.

Mamihlapinatapei

Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego, South America)

Meaning: The wordless, but meaningful look shared by two people who want to initiate a relationship but are both reluctant to make the first move.

Jayus

Indonesian

Meaning: A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that a person can’t help but laugh at it.

Kyoikumama

Japanese

Meaning: A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement.

Tartle

Scottish

Meaning: The act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.

Prozvonit

Czech

Meaning: To call a mobile phone and let it ring once so that the other person will call back, saving the first caller money.

Kamaki

Greek

Meaning: From the Greek word meaning ‘harpoon’ or ‘trident’, it’s a man who spends most of his free time trying to seduce tourists. Shirley Valentine, eat your heart out.

We never cease to be amazed by the ways technology can help our writing – and keep die-hard word nerds entertained. Here we take a look at some of the most clever and fun word apps and features out there.

Lasso that word!

You’re happily trawling the web on your iPad and you come across the word ‘sanguine’. Sang-what? If you happen to be using the search engine Bing, Microsoft has introduced a new lasso feature. This allows you to circle the word in question and then bring up a definition. No more copying and pasting. Now that’s something to be sanguine about.

Rhyming rap and Shakespearean taunts anyone?

For all you budding poet laureates or up-and-coming rappers, the Rhyming Dictionary is the app for you. Struggling to find a rhyme for Captain Picard? No problem! Bodyguard? Debarred? Leotard? A fun little limerick is already starting to take shape...

Or, if you’re looking to jazz up your taunts, there’s nothing like throwing in a little Shakespearean flair. The app iNsult generates the most peculiar sounding insults you’ve probably ever heard. Know anyone who’s a bootless tickle-brained lout? Or an unmuzzled hasty-witted gudgeon? Neither do we, but it does make for funny reading.

Fun and (word) games

From old classics to new creations, there’s plenty of fun to be had on your mobile. Here are some of our favourite word game apps:

• Word Solitaire

As you might have guessed, this is Solitaire – but with words. So instead of matching card suits, each card has a letter which you use to create words.

• Words with Friends

Words with Friends is basically Scrabble – but free. And because you link up to play against other users, it’s even been dubbed ‘the new Twitter’. High praise indeed.

• Crostix

A cousin of crossword puzzles, in this addictive game you rearrange the letters of the clues and answers to form quotes from famous people.

So whether you’re lounging on the beach this summer or indulging in a spot of café culture – these apps will help you while away a few sunny afternoons.