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A Case for Banning the Word "Natural"
Ben and Jerry aren't the only ones guilty of using the vague word "natural."; Maybe because it means everything-and nothing-at the same time.
Read & DiscussHow Did Hipsters Become So Uncool?
Are you a hipster? Of course you're not. Maybe partly because no one can agree what one actually is.
Read & DiscussIt's a Man's Word: A Linguistic Fix for Fears of Unmanliness
From man caves to man Spanx, a word trend grows a pair.
Read & DiscussDo You Speak College Slang?
Swagger Jackers and Harlot Davidsons Get the Ews! Ah, college... What memories. I was the chicken-finger-eating champion of my dorm. I...
Read & DiscussHere Come the Gleeks!
The funny and punny language of superfandom, from Trekkies to Gleeks.
Read & DiscussFacebook's Aggressive Trademark Hunt
The site's trademark bullying raises questions about who owns words. Hide your face and your books! That ravenous social monster Facebook is on...
Read & DiscussThe Rampant Misuse of "Orwellian"
Nightmare or fantasy? A look at the often used (and often misused) insult. A recurring theme of this column is that language is a giant organic...
Read & DiscussWhat Is a Double-dip Recession, Anyway?
A colorful term with curious meanings takes on the recession. When you’re as financially clueless as I am, it takes a lot to get your...
Read & DiscussWhat Do Wikiality and Leaked Secrets Have in Common?
The marriage of two concepts that err on the side of sharing information. The recent publishing of the Afghan War Diary on WikiLeaks put that...
Read & DiscussThe Lingo of Futurama
If it has invented more new words than any other show on television, why hasn't the Futurama language caught on? I was among the legions of...
Read & DiscussA Sarah Palin Retrospective
From Hockey Mom to refudiate, a look back at the linguistic gymnastics inspired (and invented) by Alaska's finest. Love her, hate her, mock her,...
Read & DiscussWhat Do You Call an Assassination?
A euphemism round-up. While on a recent first date with a fellow dog person, I made a confession. If my dog were sick and dying, and—through...
Read & DiscussThe Renaming of LeBron James
Cataloging the punny plays on the basketball star's name. When you call yourself King James and arrange a one-hour TV special to end your free...
Read & DiscussWhere the Robots Came From
Exploring the sci-fi (and simply sci) roots of the word. Robots are in the air, and I don’t just mean flying robots like the self-assembling,...
Read & DiscussVuvuzela! A Beautiful Word for a Nightmare of a Horn
At times, it seems like there is little that brings us together: Conflicts over religion, race, and resources never seem to end, and the common...
Read & DiscussAdventures in Expletives
With William Shatner's new show readying for primetime, a look at the creative ways we bleep. Are you ready for the new William Shatner show...
Read & DiscussBlatantly Pompous: Turning BP's Initials Against It
In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill, people are turning to a familiar form of folk protest: messing with acronyms and initialisms. In...
Read & DiscussThe Poetry of Rhyming Compounds
Flap and zap, doom and gloom, cuff and stuff: the allure of rhyme in the workplace. Rhyme gets a bad rap, partly because of bad rap—not to...
Read & Discuss"Hella" Gets Huge
How a Facebook campaign might formalize the biggest slang word yet. Words for measurements and numbers often move from science to slang, as you...
Read & DiscussAnatomy of a "Smart" Word
Spiders, mobs, and power: An intelligent word trend takes off. I’ve seldom been told I dress smartly, but I have always felt like a smart guy....
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