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Why Do We Hate the Word “Moist”?
The strange linguistic phenomenon of word aversion There is so much hate in the world. People hate smoking, Starbucks, American Idol, air...
Read & DiscussWhy Swearing Is Good for You
When popping a pill doesn't work, try dropping an F-bomb. Like the music of Celine Dion, swearing is a noisy phenomenon some people enjoy more...
Read & DiscussWhat, Me Sorry?
What made Mark Sanford and David Letterman's public apologies work. There are many great things about not being a celebrity. One is that I am...
Read & DiscussIn Slang, to “Gay Marry” Is Legal
Accepting gay marriage in language is more than just wordplay. Eventually, according to my crystal ball, gay marriage will be legal everywhere....
Read & DiscussThe Success of Fail
A new twist on the ubiquitous fail meme makes it political. Unlike many language hounds, I try to value the life of all words. I really,...
Read & DiscussNot Your Grandma's Online Dictionary
A huge new resource that (finally) improves on Webster and Wiktionary Dictionaries have been struggling in recent years. In print, they often...
Read & DiscussOur Syndrome Syndrome
From jargon to slang, a useful word catches on and spreads Some words just don't do a lot of work. Frankly, it's a disgrace. Take snorkel. In...
Read & DiscussRock You Like a Furacane?
A guide to our language for seasonal storms. Though I prefer to focus on linguistic developments that are humorous or at least harmless-like...
Read & DiscussWordgeddon
In times of panic, suffixes of doom run riot-and help us cope. Hyperbole has never gone out of style, but the tools of the exaggerator change...
Read & DiscussThe Super Bowl of Spelling
A primer on the brutal and captivating Scripps Howard Spelling Bee To some, spelling may seem like a useless, old-fashioned skill, like...
Read & DiscussThe Poetry of Slang
Michael Adams's new book explains how slang helps us fit in and stand out. Slang has long been one of those "I know it when I see it, but hell...
Read & DiscussStar Trek: New Words, New Civilizations
Star Trek's many contributions to the English language This is going to come as a stunner, but there's a certain movie hitting the screen, a...
Read & DiscussTortured Language
The harsh and brutal cowardice of newspapers In the age of Dubya, it was hard to say whether enemy combatants or the English language were...
Read & DiscussPirates! A Word That Doesn't Work
The English language is an imperfect instrument. Actually, it isn't really an instrument at all. English (like any language) is more like a...
Read & DiscussYour Love Is Like Bad Venison
The musical misunderstandings called mondegreens As an English teacher and language columnist, I know as well as anyone that the world is full...
Read & DiscussThe Global War on Whatchamacallit
Terrorism euphemisms of the Obama Era As the economy-along with most prospects for the future of humanity-nosedived off the cliff during the...
Read & DiscussPreserving Our "Freedom"
The once-potent word has emerged from the wash a little worse for wear. That loud whew you heard last week was a collective sigh of relief, as...
Read & DiscussWhat’s in a Name? Sometimes, A Job
The Synchronous World of Aptronyms Have you heard about the gardener named Alan Bloom or the defense attorney Scott Free? How about the...
Read & DiscussWhat to Call This Econo-geddon?
The Great Recession, the global financial meltdown, and the many other names for our national nightmare Sometimes naming is easy. When Nadya...
Read & DiscussSynergy-related Sacking: The Lingo of Unemployment
How to can employees in a humane and deceitful manner Unemployment is a national disease, and I just want you to know that I feel your pain,...
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