Current phrases with otherwise archaic words

One of the things I adore about language study is finding out intriguing facts like this: 

Fossil word: A word that is broadly obsolete but remains in current use due to its presence within an idiom.

Words fall in and out of usage, or change definitions, but the idea that there are eddies where a word can take refuge is so gratifying. 

Additionally, it is amusing to look over the list of phrases containing archaic words. Some of my favorites are:

• Figment of imagination
• Inclement weather (referenced in this Paul McCartney song)
• Wreak havoc

Can you think of any others?

Maybe there's more to filler words than first um?

Not that you should salt your speeches with fillers, but researchers who study speech patterms say there's a reason for such conversational mileposts.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/the-secret-life-of-um/547961/

A Two-Minute Master Class in Eye Contact and Facial Expression

Dolly Parton, an astonishingly good American treasure, gives a two minute Tonight Show performance. Watch how she sells her song Travelin Man. Can you sell your next speech this effectively?

Strange Words That Will Enchant Your Club

Ever wonder about words like "scan" or "cleave" -- a word that can mean both one thing and it's opposite?

Scan can mean to look at something quickly, or to closely examine something.

Cleave can mean to split something in two, but it can also mean to cling to each other.

Check out this article that examines these types of words, nicknamed "Janus words", for the ancient Roman god that looked both into the past and the future (It's where we get the name January)

https://www.etymonline.com/columns/post/janus-words

Could you use it as a topic for a speech, or an extended Grammarian/Word of the Day highlight?

Foreign Filler Words

The European equivalents to um, er, ah
and
The European equivalents of "thing"

Grandiose Speeches

These Table Topics prompted some over-the-top speeches. Try them at your next meeting!

• You've won the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Amazing! How did you achieve this recognition?
  
• It's a sunny May day and you're feeling warm in your academic robe. You've just been awarded an honorary PhD at [prestigious university]. What will you say to the eager students, proud parents, and bored faculty in your Commencement address?
  
• You've just been exonerated for a major crime. Relieved, you address the court one last time. What do you say?
  
• Incredibly, your startup company grew to $10 million in revenues and 20 employees in one year. Tell the interviewer from Fast Company magazine how you did it.
  
• The applause is deafening, the audience glittering, the theater magnificent. You've just won an Oscar at the Academy Awards. Let's hear your acceptance speech!
  
• It's been an unbelievable journey. But, as you look over the record crowds at the National Mall, you cannot wait to begin your Inauguration speech.
  
• You're on a T.V. talk show promoting your surprise best-seller. "What was your book about?" the host asks eagerly, leaning forward.
  
• It's your funeral. Sorry, you're dead, but the person who knows you the best gives your eulogy. What do they say?

I paired this with a slideshow depicting the actual audiences a presenter would see at the above events. Perhaps it stimulated the participants, because this Table Topics session was a hit! 

Silences can be as Strong as Speech

Stop and listen -- on the Windsor Trail near Santa Fe Ski basin

An absorbing meditation on listening, and the importance of silence: an interview with Acoustic Ecologist Gordon Hempton