Words, Words, Words
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English)
Is February (Valentine’s Day) the month for candy? Or is it October (Halloween)? Or is every month, the month for candy? 😏
One chart I reviewed showed that just before Halloween was the busiest week for candy sales, followed by just before Christmas. The week before Valentine’s Day came in third. By the way, the word, “candy,” comes from a shortening of “candied sugar.” You may recognize how close this phrase is to sugar cane.
Did you know that the chocolate market in the U.S. is almost 50 billion dollars!!! I’m sure you know that chocolate comes from the beans of the cacao tree (interesting how close in spelling cacao and cocoa are, eh?). The Aztecs called it “xocolatl.” The roasted beans are bitter – apparently, it took Europeans to add various types of sugar to make it taste the way it does today. But if you eat dark chocolate, you can still taste some of the bitter flavor. Why? Because dark chocolate has more cocoa in it than milk chocolate. Many researchers say that dark chocolate also has more antioxidants than regular chocolate.
Which is why it is (allegedly) good for you!! Yippee!
So, enjoy your February, eating for your health🍫🍫🍫🍫!
From The Blog
HR “Speak” – Part Two
In my October, 2025, blog post (“HR” Speak – BB’s Words), my HR expert friend, Maggie Peters, gave me some language that HR people use…
Animal Groups
In honor of National Pet Month (May), here are words for groups of animals (in case you want to adopt several animals 🤗🥰.) Did you…
Confusing Adjectives (or Nouns?)
American English puts adjectives before nouns. Okay. Not too confusing. We even add a LOT of adjectives in a row and finally get to the…
Books from Barbara P. Burke
Mr. Smiles® Stories
(Also available in Spanish)
Title World Tales™
More Great Books
Persuasive Communication™ Training
Do you have a lot of thoughts but can’t seem to put them together? As the “Thought Connector,” Dr. Burke will help you organize your thoughts to best convey your message to your customers or clients.









