flu
fluː
Being fluent and catching the flu run in the same stream
The picture Water running on and on with nothing blocking it. Words running is fluency, the stream rising and falling is fluctuation, water seeping into someone else is influence. flu is running on with nothing in the way; sta is standing still and holding ground.
Where the picture shows up in flu
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Words running unblocked
She's fluent in three languages.
ʃiːz ˈfluːənt ɪn θriː ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒɪz
She speaks three languages fluently.
Words leaving the mouth in one unbroken stream.
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What runs through the body
Drink plenty of fluids.
drɪŋk ˈplenti əv ˈfluːɪdz
Drink plenty of water.
What you drank running its round through the body.
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Flowing into someone
His advice had a big influence on me.
hɪz ədˈvaɪs hæd ə bɪɡ ˈɪnfluəns ɒn miː
His advice really shaped what I did.
Someone else's words seeping in and coloring you.
in (into) + flu (flow): flow into another person and you have influence.
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Rising and falling like a wave
Prices fluctuate every week.
ˈpraɪsɪz ˈflʌktʃueɪt ˈevri wiːk
Prices go up and down every week.
Prices riding up and down on a wave.
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The illness that flowed in
I'm off work with the flu.
aɪm ɔːf wɜːrk wɪð ðə fluː
I'm off work with the flu.
Illness running into the body like water and spreading.
People once believed illness flowed in from the stars — hence influenza.
All of it in one picture
flu is one picture: something flowing, nothing blocking it. Let words run unbroken and it is fluency; let it run through the body and it is fluid; let it seep into someone else and it is influence. Let the stream rise and fall and it is fluctuation; let the illness run in and it is the flu. Anything with flu in it keeps that feel of a stream nobody has dammed.