16 Substitutes for “Because” or “Because Of”

Many words or phrases can be used to set up an explanation. The most common is because (or “because of”), but others have their uses. Here are alternatives and a discussion of their uses and their merits.

1. As: As is a direct synonym forbecause (for example, “He opted not to go see the movie, as it had gotten poor reviews”), but it’s inferior.

2. As a result of: This phrase is a substitute for “because of,” not because, as in “As a result of his intervention, the case was reopened and they were ultimately exonerated.”

3. As long as: This informal equivalent of because is used to express the thought that given that one thing is occurring or will occur or is true, another is possible, in such statements as “As long as you’re going, could you pick some things up for me?”

4. Being as (or being as how or being that): This phrase has the same sense — and the same formality — as “as long as.”

5. Considering that: This phrase is essentially identical in meaning to “as long as” and “being as” and its variants.

6. Due to: Like “as a result of,” “due to” is a preposition, rather than a conjunction like because, and is used in place not of because alone but instead of “because of.” It applies specifically to an explanation of why something occurred or will or will not occur, as in “Due to the large number of applications, we cannot respond individually to each applicant.”

7. For: This substitute for because is reserved for poetic usage, as in “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

8. Inasmuch as: This phrase is a very formal equivalent of because, as in “Inasmuch as his account has been discredited, I wouldn’t believe anything else he says.”

9. In view of the fact that: This phrase is identical in sense to “inasmuch as.”

10. Now that: This phrase informally connotes cause and effect, as in “Now that you’re here, we can proceed.”

11. Out of: This phrase applies to explanations of emotion or feeling — for example, “She asked out of compassion” or “Out of spite, I refrained from passing the message along.”

12. Owing to: This phrase is equivalent to “due to”; the two choices are more formal than “because of.”

13. Seeing that: This phrase is identical to “considering that.”

14. Since: This alternative to because is informal and is considered inferior because since primarily refers to elapsed time and the usage might be confused, as in “Since it had rained, we didn’t need to water the garden”; the reader might not realize until reading the second half of the sentence that the sense is causal rather than temporal.

15. Thanks to: This equivalent of “because of,” despite the wording, can apply to either a positive or a negative outcome; “Thanks to your meddling, we’re receiving much unwanted attention” demonstrates the latter sense.

16. Through: Through is a preposition; it takes the place of “because of,” as in “Through the efforts of these charities, the city’s homeless services have been reinstated.”

30 Idioms About Common Shapes

Figurative references to circles, squares, and triangles turn up in a variety of familiar expressions. Here’s a list of many of those idioms and their meanings.

1. To be a square peg in a round hole is to be someone who doesn’t fit in a particular environment, or in certain circumstances.

2. To go back to square one is to start over again because of a setback or an impasse.

3. The expression “Be there, or be square” alludes to often-lighthearted pressure to attend an event or suffer the consequences of being considered conventional and uninteresting.

4–6. To call something square, square something with someone, or square accounts is to agree with another party that neither party owes anything to the other one.

7. To circle around is to move in a circular motion to engage in reconnaissance or to figuratively evaluate a situation.

8. A circular argument is one in which the proposition is assumed to be true.

9. To come (or go) full circle is to figuratively return to one’s starting point.

10. Someone who could fight a circle saw is so tough that the thought of sparring with a deadly power tool does not faze him or her.

11. To say that something doesn’t cut any squares with one means that one refuses to be influenced.

12. To be fair and square is to treat everyone impartially.

13. To look someone square in the eye is to do so directly, indicating honesty.

14. A love, or eternal, triangle is a circumstance in which two people are in love with the same person.

15. To move in the same circles with someone is to have similar tastes and frequent the same locations.

16. Something on the square is done fairly, honestly, and openly.

17. To be out of square is to not be in agreement.

18. To run circles around (or run rings around) someone is to figuratively outcompete him or her to the extent that the other person seems to be standing still.

19. To run around in circles is to figuratively expend much effort with little result because of poor organization or planning.

20. A square answer is an honest one.

21. To square away is to rectify or put in order.

22. A square deal is a fair deal.

23. A square meal is a complete, nutritious set of food servings. “Three square meals” (often abbreviated to “three squares”) refers to the traditional daily schedule of breakfast, lunch, and dinner (or supper).

24. To square off is to prepare to fight or compete.

25. To square up is to settle or reconcile. It also means to confront someone or something courageously.

26. To square one’s shoulders is to literally straighten one’s shoulders before undertaking a difficult task or to figuratively prepare oneself for an effort.

27. To attempt to square the circle is to try to do the impossible.

28. To square something with someone means to obtain approval or permission

29. To speak or talk in circles is to discuss an issue or problem repetitively with no progress.

30. A vicious circle (or vicious cycle) is one in which solutions create new problems.

The Fifth Estate

A movie about Julian Assange, the man who founded a website devoted to leaking information that governments wish to keep secret, is called The Fifth Estate.

Most modern speakers associate the word estate with various types of property, for example,

• a grand house with extensive grounds
• the assets left by a deceased person
• a housing development

The word estate in the expression fifth estate originates from a much earlier use of the word:

An order or class regarded as part of the body politic, and as such participating in the government either directly or through its representatives.

The earliest reference to this meaning of estate in the OED is dated 1380 when John Wyclif asserted that people belong to three categories ordained by God: priests, knights, and the “commons.”

The concept evolved differently in different European countries, but the essential idea was to view society in terms of who had a voice in government.

In England, the three estates came to be defined as Lords Spiritual (high-ranking clergy like bishops), Lords Temporal (nobility), and Commons.

In France, the three estates were Clergy, Nobles, and Townsmen.

A few European countries, like Sweden, recognized four estates, but it’s the three-estate concept that explains the development of the English expressionfifth estate,

A fact to keep in mind about the medieval third estate is that it did not include everyone who did not belong to the first two estates. The third estate was made up of wealthy landowners and merchants. The portion of the population that lacked rank or wealth lacked a political voice as well.

The term fourth estate was coined in the 18th century as a figurative expression to label the sector of the population that exists outside the circle of established political power.

Nowadays, the fourth estate has become a synonym for the Press, but in 1752, Fielding identified the fourth estate with “the Mob.” Various individuals and groups were referred to as “the fourth estate” before the term finally settled on the Press. Newspapers won the term because they were perceived as the voice of the politically or socially disenfranchised.

If newspapers have sold out and become a part of the Establishment, then strictly speaking, the coinage “fifth estate” is unncessary. The mantle should simply be taken from the traditional Press and passed on to the Internet.

However, maybe the term does represent something new. Perhaps the role of the fifth estate is not to provide everyone with a voice in government, but to provide a means of undermining government.

So far, the meaning of fifth estate remains blurry. The earliest reference to its use in the OED refers to the medium of radio and is dated 1932. In a 1955 reference, the fifth estate is equated with trade unions.

Only ten uses of fifth estate occur in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) for the years 1990-2012. Six of those citations refer to the title of a television program.

The Assange movie will doubtless have the effect of turning fifth estate into a buzz word. How the term’s figurative meaning will evolve remains to be seen.

40 Idioms with First

Many expressions include the word first, often referring to beginnings or initial experiences. Here is a list of idiomatic phrases featuring the word, and their meanings.

1. First aid: medical care for minor injuries such as mild abrasions, cuts, bruises, and burns

2. First among equals: the sentiment that a leader is merely the premier person among his or her colleagues

3. First base: the first step or stage in a process or procedure, from baseball terminology

4. First blood: referring to the rite of passage of a hunter making a first kill

5. (At) first blush: referring to reconsideration of one’s initial thought

6. First call: the right to priority in use of something

7. First cause: the philosophical concept of the original self-created cause of which all other causes are by-products

8. First chair: the lead musician among those playing a particular instrument in an orchestra (such as first violin)

9. First class: the best category of travel accommodations, or the best in terms of performance or quality

10. First come, first served: the principle that the customer who arrives first is given priority

11. First cousin: a son or daughter of one’s aunt or uncle

12. First crack: the earliest chance or opportunity

13. First dance: the tradition of the guests of honor being the first couple on the dance floor to start a ball or other dance event

14. First dibs: see “first call”

15. First down: the first in a series of plays in American football after one team takes possession of the ball from the other team

16. First edition: the initial publication of a book

17. First estate: the clergy as the highest of the three orders of society in the Middle Ages and for some time afterward (the others were the nobility and the common people)

18. First floor: the ground floor (in American English usage) or the second floor (in British English usage)

19. First flush (of success): an initial period of achievement (the term is also used technically to refer to the initial runoff of rainwater after a storm)

20. First glance: a superficial examination or review

21. (At) first hand: with direct experience (as an adjective, firsthand)

22. First impression: the initial evaluation of information or an experience, generally before having time to consider or ponder

23. First lady: the wife of a government’s leader

24. First leg: the first part of a journey

25. First light: the earliest part of day

26. First night: the evening of a premiere performance, or the premiere performance itself

27. (In the) first place: in the beginning, or as an initial consideration

28. (Right of) first refusal: the privilege of being able to accept or reject an offer or proposal before anyone else is given consideration

29. (Love at) first sight: the sentiment of an instant romantic connection

30. (The) first step (is always the hardest): the notion that starting a task is the most difficult part

31. (Cast the) first stone: used to refer to hypocritical behavior akin to
throwing a stone at someone as punishment for a crime when the thrower may be culpable for the same crime or another one

32. First string: the group of athletes who participate from the beginning an athletic competition, as opposed to players who may substitute for first-string teammates at some point; by extension, the best among any group

33. (Don’t) know the first thing about: the model for an expression stating that someone is unacquainted with even the basics of a certain procedure or topic

34. First things first: refers to the importance of considering the relative priority of steps

35. First-timer: someone engaging or participating in some activity the person has not done before

36. First water: the highest quality, especially in gems but also said figuratively of people of high character

37. First world: the developed, industrialized nations

38. (If at) first you don’t succeed (try again): the sentiment that one should persist after initial failure

39. Ladies first: a sentiment that, according to proper etiquette, females should have priority in passing through a doorway or into another area

40. Shoot first (and ask questions later): referring to the supposed wisdom, in a confrontation, of disabling a potential adversary first and then ascertaining whether the person is in fact a foe