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Show Your 'Wile' When Using 'While' Apr. 23, 2025
Dear Word Guy, I have a lot of time on my hands now, what with being expelled from the U.S. Congress... Read More
These Lemons Need To Be Squeezed Apr. 16, 2025
The Word Guy Blooper Patrol has plucked the ripest, juiciest mistakes from newspapers and magazines.... Read More
After a Century, Eloquence of 'Gatsby' Still Enchants Us Apr. 09, 2025
F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," published 100 years ago this month, endures as a cherished... Read More
A-E-I-O-U and Sometimes Why Apr. 02, 2025
Q: Are there any other words besides "facetious" that contain all the vowels in alphabetical order? ... Read More
Illuminating a Linguistic Blind Spot Mar. 26, 2025
A reader from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, writes with a question about road signs that read "Blind Driv... Read More
Loose App Links to Security Lapse: Consequential Mistake? Mar. 26, 2025
The news hook title isn't as crisp as World War II's "Loose Lips Sink Ships." It does send the relev... Read More
Diary of a Young 'Whip'-persnapper Mar. 19, 2025
During my college years, I alleviated the tedium of a summer job flipping burgers by concocting word... Read More
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sects Mar. 12, 2025
Have you ever wondered how Protestant denominations acquired their names? I'll tell you anyway. As a... Read More
Friendship Lost to Texting Mar. 06, 2025
Dear Annie: I've known my friend "Ella" for over 50 years. In the last few years, for whatever reaso... Read More
'Roo' the Day You're on the Spot Mar. 05, 2025
If you've ever been "on the spot" in a "kangaroo court," I'm glad you survived the ordeal to learn t... Read More
He Needed Me, but I Let Him Down Feb. 27, 2025
The "he" in this case was Rusty, an ornery old mutt who didn't do the cute doggy things that get cli... Read More
As We Move Forward, Let's Go Back Feb. 26, 2025
A good friend of mine wonders about this sentence from a billing statement she received: "Beginning ... Read More
The Hidden Figures Behind Figures of Speech Feb. 19, 2025
Today, we interview the coiners of two of our most overused cliches. Our first guest is Polly Anna D... Read More
Is There a Fossil in Your Phrase? Feb. 12, 2025
And now the renowned linguistic paleontologist Professor U. Stew Mean examines verbal fossils to dis... Read More
The Bird Is the Word Feb. 05, 2025
Get your binoculars ready for some linguistic birdwatching! The Latin word for bird, "avis," still s... Read More
Burn Your Candle at One End Jan. 29, 2025
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to introduce the renowned motivational speaker Ward Back ... Read More
Family Boundaries and Open Communication Jan. 22, 2025
Dear Annie: I'm 58 years old and have seven grandchildren who mean the world to me. One of my sons, ... Read More
Take Their Word for It Jan. 22, 2025
When English lacks the precise word to convey a subtle or complex concept, it often smuggles in a wo... Read More
Friend or Thief? Jan. 17, 2025
Dear Annie: I have a very dear friend who is like family. I am 20 years older than she is, and at ti... Read More
Can I Cut Out My Brother? Jan. 15, 2025
Dear Annie: I spent my early childhood years with a loving foster family, and today, at age 75, I ha... Read More
