Search Content
'American Exceptionalism' -- What, Who, Why and Really? Nov. 13, 2019
Pundits, professors and presidents have been batting around the term "American exceptionalism" like ... Read More
Shoo, 'Of,' Don't Bother Me! Nov. 06, 2019
The seemingly harmless preposition "of" is the fly in the ointment of good writing. This pesky pest ... Read More
The 'Lynching' Controversy and the Death of Common Language Oct. 23, 2019
In the Bible, the people of Babel unite in fighting God; they decide to build a massive tower to cha... Read More
The Party of the Foul Mouths Oct. 17, 2019
WASHINGTON — The members of what was once called the "party of conscience" — that is to ... Read More
The Sincerest Remembrance Oct. 09, 2019
DEAR SUSAN: I find myself in an unbelievable situation. My fiance died three months ago after a long... Read More
Lock, Stock and Peril Oct. 02, 2019
— Answering a Loaded Question: President Donald Trump's recent description of the U.S. militar... Read More
Reading Between the Lines Sep. 25, 2019
Bing Crosby once crooned in a classic song, "You've got to accentuate the positive/ Eliminate the ne... Read More
Reader Offers a Clever 'Why's Crack?' Sep. 04, 2019
Q: Why is the adjective "crack" used to describe someone who's good at something, as in a "crack sho... Read More
Newspaper Nomenclature Has Nautical Nature Aug. 28, 2019
Q: I've noticed that the word "masthead" is often used to refer to the name on the front page of a p... Read More
Using 'Times Less' Subtracts From Clarity Aug. 21, 2019
Q: I see the following two phrases all too often: 1) "Three (or two or four) times less." I would th... Read More
'Trooper' Trope Troubles Troupers Aug. 14, 2019
Q: The lead character in the comic strip "Rex Morgan, M.D." recently referred to someone as a "real ... Read More
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Album Aug. 07, 2019
Q: Musicians used to "release" a new album, but now a new album is "dropped." What the heck is that?... Read More
When Modifiers Unbuckle, They Give Us a Chuckle Jul. 31, 2019
"Watch the birds as they hunt for fish using your own binoculars." Will the birds swoop down and gra... Read More
New Verb Provides an 'Other' Perspective Jul. 24, 2019
In a recent op-ed piece urging us to welcome and celebrate differences among people, Trinity College... Read More
Hopping Off the Merry-Go-Round Jul. 21, 2019
Dear Annie: I finally realized that I cannot change people or their behaviors. I can only change min... Read More
Things Haven't Always Been This Way Jul. 17, 2019
Here's a suggestion. How about setting up some high school rifle clubs? Students would bring their o... Read More
Full Speed 'Ahead'! Jul. 17, 2019
Some random dispatches from the Word Front ... — Off With Their "Aheads": When did "ahead of"... Read More
Space Age Lingo Is Still in Orbit Jul. 10, 2019
As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing blasts off, commentators will surely cite the spa... Read More
One Small Misstep for a Man? Jul. 03, 2019
Did Neil Armstrong flub the first sentence spoken on the moon? The audio transmission of his words s... Read More
Similes Swing Open Doors of Meaning Jun. 26, 2019
Well-placed similes are like well-oiled hinges, allowing readers to open doors of meaning with ease ... Read More
