Hi Students!
In this post, we shall examine the word ‘tick’. Perhaps, the onomatopoeia [sound word] “tick tock” might come to your mind. If you are not thinking about clocks, then you might associate this word with the bug that lives on animals.
This post is neither about clocks nor bugs. It’s about explaining to you on how the word ‘tick’ can be used express something that works. I shall use the Newsweek article (October 26 2012) to demonstrate this.
In the above article, the headline reads “What Makes Taylor Tick.” In this case, the headline tells us that the article is about what makes singing sensation Taylor Swift so successful as a singer. In other words, it tells us what are the elements that actually make stardom work for Taylor Swift.
How does the article present this?
Interview:
In the interview section, she actually reveals that she has both male and female fans. In addition, her songs appear to strike a chord with many because it deals with common issues such as bullying and relationships.
Statistics:
The statistics column offers reader friendly, bite sized information on her recent successes. This includes a whooping 18.4M albums sold in the United States.
In conclusion, when we say that something ‘ticks’ we are actually suggesting that it actually works and has become successful.
Thinking Thoughts 