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Word Guy Goes Radio-Active Jul. 03, 2024
When I discussed grammar and usage on a rather zany and offbeat radio talk show program a while back... Read More
A Watched 'Pot' Sometimes Boils Jun. 26, 2024
My friend Myron from Montana asks me to take aim at the origin of "potshot." In not-so-merry olde En... Read More
Coulda, Woulda, Shouldn't Jun. 19, 2024
"If you would have told UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley six years ago that the LA Lakers would one... Read More
A Summer Feast for Wordies Jun. 12, 2024
While you're enjoying a deck, a dock or a daiquiri this summer, dip into the one of these new books ... Read More
Caught Between 'Among' and a Hard-Fought Place Jun. 05, 2024
Q: I often see this misuse in the newspaper: "between three people." Shouldn't it be "between two pe... Read More
Some Words Run on 'Fossil' Fuels May. 29, 2024
Sometimes a word's archaic meaning is embedded in its modern definition like a fossil in a rock. Whe... Read More
'Casus Belli' Ignites Linguistic Wars May. 22, 2024
Latin plurals have been a casus belli (justification for war) among English speakers for centuries. ... Read More
Peroxide Paradox: 'Blonde' or 'Blond'? May. 15, 2024
In American lingo today, "blonde" is a word to dye for. Recently published books include Laurence Le... Read More
This Column Is Aimed at the 'Likes' of You! May. 08, 2024
In an interview for a documentary about Bill Clinton, his White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers ... Read More
And Don't Call Me 'Sirly'! May. 01, 2024
Medieval aristocrats living in lofty castles looked down on the commoners around them, both literall... Read More
The Data Is/Are In: Latin Plurals Are Tricky Apr. 24, 2024
Datum or data? Medium or media? Stratum or strata? Here's a quick review of these double-dealers: &#... Read More
Why Admirals Use the Big, Big 'D' Apr. 17, 2024
In "The Secret Life of Words" (Harcourt, $24), Paul West becomes a tabloid gossip columnist, reveali... Read More
It's Just 'One of Those' Things Apr. 10, 2024
A recent editorial in the Washington Examiner included this clause: "Say you're one of those who is ... Read More
If I Were King of the Elves Apr. 03, 2024
Q. I'm always puzzled about which verb to use following a phrase starting with "if" or "as if." In o... Read More
Pilot Parlance: Fasten Your 'Speech'-belt Mar. 27, 2024
People in dangerous, high-pressure jobs sometimes relieve tension with proprietary humor. Nowhere is... Read More
A Brand-New 'Eephus' Fable Mar. 20, 2024
"Why do we say something is 'brand-new'?" asks Simon Kravetz of Canton, Connecticut. Now there's a b... Read More
Getting Obsessive About the Possessive Mar. 13, 2024
Q. A postcard states that a certain company has "over 50 years' experience" in a certain field. Is t... Read More
History Is a 'Foible' Agreed Upon Mar. 06, 2024
History repeats itself. After reading these sentences, taken from high school students' history pape... Read More
The Bridge Between Steel and Art Feb. 21, 2024
Three essential tools on every writer's workbench should be contrast, detail and imagery. Watch how ... Read More
Bumpkins Get Short End of the Sticks Feb. 14, 2024
"Stix Nix Hick Pix," proclaimed a 1935 headline in the entertainment newspaper Variety. Translation:... Read More
