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Why the Throes Can Be the Pits Apr. 30, 2014
"I couldn't finish my paper because my family is in the throes of moving," a student told me last we... Read More
Watch the Little Verbies Hatch Apr. 23, 2014
"We won't let you Detroit us with taxes and debt." "Sarah Collins sunscreens husband Ryan on a Calif... Read More
Fiends With Benefits Apr. 16, 2014
I get by with a little help from my fiends (word fiends, that is) — the readers who send me de... Read More
'An Hotel' Draws Many Reservations Apr. 09, 2014
Q: I notice that the word "hotel" is often preceded with the word "an," as in "We searched for an ho... Read More
Countdown to Controversy Mar. 26, 2014
If David Letterman can devise top 10 lists, we letter men and women can do it, too. Here are today's... Read More
Archie
Mar. 24, 2014
Wizard of Id
Mar. 20, 2014
What Hath God 'Fraught'? Mar. 19, 2014
Q: Would you please discuss the proper usage of the word "fraught"? I had an English teacher who tol... Read More
Linguists at the End of Their Rope Mar. 12, 2014
Can you find 25 usage errors in the following story about a tug of war between the Prescriptivists a... Read More
Is There a Cure for 'Curate'? Feb. 26, 2014
Once upon a time, "curate" was a nice, quaint little word. Derived from the Latin "cura" (care), it ... Read More
Too Much of a 'Good' Thing Feb. 19, 2014
Today, some random dispatches from the Word Front ... —Goodie-Goodies — We all know tha... Read More
Unscrambling Some Common 'Eggs'pressions Feb. 12, 2014
Is there any connection between the phrase "egging someone on" (inciting someone to action) and actu... Read More
Giving Letters the Silent Treatment Feb. 05, 2014
Should you pronounce the "t" in "often"? The "l" in "almond"? Though "often" was pronounced with a "... Read More
Extra! Extra! Headlines Take Headers! Jan. 29, 2014
Readers often send me collections of funny headlines, but I don't use them in my column because I ca... Read More
Peevish Readers Grow 'Pet'ulant Jan. 22, 2014
Every once in a while, I ask my readers to unleash their pet peeves — a snarling collection of... Read More
Coming Clean About 2013 Jan. 08, 2014
As the new year dawns, it's time for me to fess up to the mistakes I made in my column last year. C... Read More
Taking a Stand on 'Podium' Dec. 04, 2013
Q: I've noticed many writers and reporters are using the term "podium" when they mean &quo... Read More
Can We Agree on Agreement? Nov. 27, 2013
Politicians may not always reach agreement, but we should always seek agreement — between subj... Read More
