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These Quirky Words Are Spellbinding Oct. 13, 2021
Today, I serve up an alphabet soup of lettery lore. Letter rip! "Strengths" is the longest word in E... Read More
Ladling Out Some Alphabet Soup Sep. 29, 2021
Loyal readers have just scooped up the latest batch of errors in newspapers and other publications. ... Read More
The Shot Heard Round the World of Words Sep. 22, 2021
Seventy years ago, on Oct. 3, 1951, New York Giants outfielder and second-baseman Bobby Thomson blas... Read More
I Know There's a 'Rifle' in There Somewhere! Sep. 15, 2021
I was riffling through my mailbox the other day, when I came across this letter from John Daigle of ... Read More
Prefixes 'En' and 'In' Battle for Dominance Aug. 25, 2021
Q. When should "enclosed" be used vs. "inclosed"? Is there a difference in meaning? — Katherin... Read More
Loons, Moons and Loony Toons Jul. 28, 2021
As I write this, I'm watching two loons float calmly across a mountain lake in the northern Adironda... Read More
These Derivations Are on the Money Jul. 14, 2021
"The rich are different from us," F. Scott Fitzgerald supposedly told Ernest Hemingway. "Yes," Hemin... Read More
Pet Peeves Pounce on Prancing Prey Jul. 07, 2021
I occasionally ask readers to unleash their pet peeves about grammar and usage. While at first, thes... Read More
Olympics Terms Can Test Your 'Medal' Jun. 30, 2021
Let the games — and names — begin! Here's a handy guide to the origins and meanings of S... Read More
A Word to the Wise -- About Words Jun. 24, 2021
For most of us, our daily interactions with others are based on common words, phrases and understand... Read More
Example: The Best Teacher Jun. 23, 2021
This little poem crossed my desk recently, and it exposed a great truth: I lost a very little word J... Read More
An Upscale Version of a Noteworthy Event Jun. 23, 2021
Did you ever wonder why the names for the notes of the musical scale are "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, t... Read More
Refills from a Blessed Cup Jun. 11, 2021
It was hard for my dad to describe to me what he did at work when I was little. He was a mechanic in... Read More
I'll Have a Quarantini; Better Make That 40 Jun. 02, 2021
As many of us have discovered during the past year, being in quarantine can really do a number on yo... Read More
Language Books for the Summer Hammock May. 26, 2021
"Summer made her light escape / Into the Beautiful," wrote Emily Dickinson. Make your own light esca... Read More
U.S. Builds Barriers To Stop 'Title' Wave May. 19, 2021
"All kings is mostly rapscallions," Mark Twain wrote in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Twain'... Read More
Where Never Is 'Herd' a Discouraging Word May. 12, 2021
This spring, we've all been stampeding like panicky buffalo toward herd immunity. But what is it? Wi... Read More
Conversation Techniques Jan. 13, 2021
DR. WALLACE: I read somewhere that you should never use the word "you" when you are upset with someo... Read More
Wordcestery.com -- Which Words Share a Common Lineage? Jan. 13, 2021
Is "spray," meaning "an arrangement of flowers," related to "spray," meaning "particles of water"? B... Read More
Keeping Up With Peter and Lazy Susan Jones Dec. 23, 2020
Did the expression "peter out" begin with a guy named "Peter"? Who are those Joneses we're always ke... Read More
