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Why U.S. History Is Peppered With Silly Terms Jan. 08, 2025
As we prepare to celebrate our nation's 250th birthday next year, this secret can now be revealed: D... Read More
Flag These Errors for Roughing the Passage Jan. 01, 2025
It's NFL playoff time or, as I call it, "Cabin Fever Consolation." You be the referee. The following... Read More
'Pled' on Trial: Guilty or Not Guilty? Dec. 25, 2024
"She pled guilty." That sentence in a newspaper article stirred Sara Solomon of Roscoe, Pennsylvania... Read More
Take a Gander at These Goose Eggs Dec. 18, 2024
Readers have sent me a fresh batch of bloopers from newspapers and magazines. Can you spot the blots... Read More
The Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth Dec. 11, 2024
"I have been to the endodontist and the periodontist (and had dinner with my cousin, an orthodontist... Read More
Coming to 'Terms' With 2024 Dec. 04, 2024
'Twas twenty two four, and all through the nation, The buzzwords were flying, to much consternation.... Read More
Twain Caught Twang, Twinkle of American Speech Nov. 27, 2024
We celebrate Noah Webster as a founding father of American English because his 1828 dictionary was t... Read More
Joy to the Word! Nov. 20, 2024
There's no place like tome for the holidays! These new books will delight the word lovers on your sh... Read More
Should a Happy Clam Go on the Wagon? Nov. 13, 2024
Why is a clam happy? Why is someone who stops drinking alcohol said to be "on the wagon"? Why do peo... Read More
'Weeding' Out the Origins of 'Pot' Nov. 06, 2024
With the help of Tom Dalzell's deliciously wicked book "The Slang of Sin" (Merriam Webster, $20), le... Read More
Raiders of the Lost 'R' Oct. 30, 2024
The mail carrier was juggling a passel of parcels. In a way, that sentence is redundant. For "passel... Read More
Where're You At on Ending With 'At'? Oct. 23, 2024
You've probably heard the joke about a Southerner visiting Harvard for the first time. When he asks ... Read More
Why Are We So Mad at Low-Hanging Fruit? Oct. 20, 2024
There's a saying you've probably heard a thousand times: "Don't go for the low-hanging fruit." You s... Read More
Speaking of the 'Devil' Oct. 16, 2024
It's the season of Halloween, so this column is going straight to the "devil." Even though "devil" s... Read More
Tarnation! Some Words Can Be Ornery Varmints Oct. 09, 2024
What in tarnation is the origin of "tarnation"? You might be surprised to learn that "tarnation" is ... Read More
Get Thee to a 'Nonword'-ery! Oct. 02, 2024
They lurk like menacing demons on the fringes of our linguistic campfire. Watching and scowling from... Read More
Readers Offer Advice, Adverbs, Aviation Argot Sep. 25, 2024
Today, some feedback on recent columns... In a July offering on early American speech, I blithely wr... Read More
'Floundering' and 'Foundering' in the Sea of English Sep. 18, 2024
Q: What's the deal with people using "flounder" when they really mean "founder"? Has it become such ... Read More
Facile Fossils Reveal Long-Lost Meanings Sep. 11, 2024
Today, renowned paleontologist U. Stew Mean enters his laboratory to examine linguistic fossils R... Read More
What's Your Take on 'Bring' and 'Take'? Sep. 04, 2024
Several readers have asked me to clarify the proper use of "bring" and "take." Newcomers to New Engl... Read More
