Some random dispatches from the Word Front:

— Listen and Learn. The recent confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh produced two words that were new to me: When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford whether she knew that an FBI investigation might find "exculpatory evidence," Ford responded that she didn't know what that meant, and neither did I.

"Exculpatory," derived from the Latin "ex-" (out) and "culpa" (blame) and pronounced "ek-SKUL-puh-tor-ee" is the adjectival form of the verb "exculpate," meaning "to clear from alleged fault or crime." So, in this case, evidence that supported Kavanaugh's innocence would be exculpatory.

Ford herself used another unfamiliar term when she referred to the "sequelae of sexual assault." Derived from the Latin verb "sequi" (to follow), "sequelae" (pronounced "sih-KWEL-ee") is the plural form of "sequela," a medical term meaning "the aftereffect or secondary result of a disease, condition or injury." A recent coroner's report, for instance, attributed the death of actor Verne Troyer to the "sequelae of alcohol intoxication."

— Bewitched, Mired and Encumbered. I recently encountered two passages that, while not exactly mixed metaphors, seem strangely illogical.

A scholarly article about British activist Emily Hobhouse described her as being "unwittingly mired in a scramble" among various religious denominations. Can someone be mired in a scramble?

Similarly, a newspaper story about truck drivers who don't get enough sleep reported, "Drivers are encumbered by the lack of available rest areas." Can someone be encumbered by something that doesn't exist?

— Archaisms Amongst Us. Is it just me, or is the archaism "amongst" beginning to replace "among"? I've noticed it everywhere lately, especially on TV news updates that crawl across the bottom of the screen, but it pops up in print stories as well.

The Boston Globe recently reported that a high school golfer was "looking to improve her game amongst her female peers," while The Denver Post noted that the original charter of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post "hangs on the wall amongst art mostly made by local veterans."

Alack and alas, methinks we should say "fie" to this rapscallion. True, "amongst" is widely used in Britain, but in the United States, it bears a whiff of affectation. And the same goes for the pretentious Brit favorites "whilst" and "amidst."

Stick with "among," "while" and "amid," old chap.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: at Pixabay