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Don't Waver in Heeding 'Wave/Waive' Distinction Dec. 09, 2020
"These guys never waiver in supporting me." When I read that sentence recently, I thought, "What a w... Read More
A Glimpse Into the Kitchen of Language Oct. 14, 2020
We often create words in the same way we prepare delicious foods: We slice them, dice them, season t... Read More
Studying History on Its Own Terms Oct. 07, 2020
"The British are coming! The British are coming!" Ah, how Paul Revere's historic call to arms still ... Read More
Give These Sentences a CAT Scan Sep. 30, 2020
Cats have nine lives, and this quiz on verb use has nine questions. Choose the correct verbs and you... Read More
A Canny Question Proves Uncanny Sep. 16, 2020
I had just been thinking about the odd words "canny" and "uncanny" when an email from a friend arriv... Read More
From Prison to Purge: The Linguistic Origins of 'Cancel Culture' Sep. 02, 2020
The term "cancel culture" has been batted around like a volleyball during the past few weeks. It ref... Read More
And Now a Few Words From Our Sponsor Aug. 26, 2020
"God sees everything," says George Wilson, the disconsolate husband in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "... Read More
And Now for Some Literary 'Critter'cism Aug. 12, 2020
Edith Frankel of Hannawa Falls, New York, sent me this sentence from Science News: "An array of crit... Read More
Heading for the 'High' Ground Jul. 15, 2020
Why do we say that people enjoying an opulent, elegant lifestyle are living "high on the hog"? The t... Read More
Will You 'Cotton' to These Word Origins? Jun. 24, 2020
"I don't cotton to that idea," a friend said the other day. The idea he wasn't "cottoning to" was my... Read More
Find What's Weak, and Make a Tweak Jun. 17, 2020
Sentences, like radios, often require fine-tuning. Misplaced modifiers, ambiguous pronoun references... Read More
'Gregarious' and 'Ruminate' Share Beastly Origins Jun. 10, 2020
Whenever a minister speaks of a congregation as a "flock" — the last time this happened, by th... Read More
When Being 'Correct' Can Lead to a Wreck Jun. 03, 2020
A newspaper reporter recently wrote that an Edgar Degas exhibit was "up for fewer than 10 days." I d... Read More
Classic Ann Landers May. 31, 2020
Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to pub... Read More
Are You A-Where of These Regional Terms? May. 20, 2020
Despite the homogenization of American language during the past century, many delightful words uniqu... Read More
Are You Game for Some Word Games? May. 06, 2020
What is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any U.S. state? What do the city of Pari... Read More
All's 'Fare' in Love and 'Commuting' Mar. 04, 2020
Q: Why do we call someone who travels back and forth to work a "commuter"? — Chris Ryan, New Y... Read More
Sitting in the Cat Word Seat Jan. 29, 2020
On an evening dark and dreary, I was pondering possible topics for my next column when my gray tabby... Read More
Dad Fires Up His 'Range' Rover Jan. 22, 2020
My 23-year-old daughter called me the other day to tell me that her landlord had provided a "new ove... Read More
Bristle While You Work Jan. 15, 2020
One of the occupational hazards of writing a language column (other than introducing myself and havi... Read More
