The 2010 Word of the Year
Earlier today, Merriam-Webster announced their Top Ten Words of the Year, based on user lookups. The #1 word this year is austerity, meaning “enforced or extreme economy.” You’ve no doubt heard of austerity measures in Europe, and perhaps you’ve enacted some austerity measures in your own household. The Word of the Year is not a [...]
i.e., e.g.—Oh My!
We all have certain silly little things that we have to look up all the time. My weakness here (one of them, anyway) is the difference between i.e. and e.g. I’m always almost sure I know which one to use when, but being almost sure isn’t good enough. So I look these little abbreviations up. [...]
The Origins of “Turncoat”
I have a strange passion for mystery novels set in early England. Brother Cadfael, Matthew Shardlake, and Adelia Aguilar* are some of my favorite characters. I do try to remove my editing hat when I read for pleasure, but once in a while I run across a word or phrase in one of these tales [...]
Affect vs. Effect
These two words are very commonly confused, and while there are many accurate online explanations of the distinctions between them, most of those explanations only tell part of the story. The part that is most often told goes like this: Affect is a verb meaning “to produce an effect on.” Effect is a noun meaning, [...]
The Lofty Origins of Slapstick
I don’t know why we enjoy watching other people pretend to beat each other up for a laugh, but we do. Sure, some of us claim to be too intelligent and cultured to find any value in such cheap theatrical antics—at least that’s what we say in public (secretly, though, we just added a stack [...]
Holly Mackerel!
Some spelling mistakes are more distracting than others. A couple of weeks ago, I was reading an online article in which the writer meant “holy mackerel” but actually wrote “holly mackerel.” I stopped reading at that point. Sure, adding one extra letter is easy to do; that’s a forgivable mistake that I’m sure we’ve all [...]
Politics: The Grammar Effect
Here’s a question to consider as you prepare to cast your vote next week: Have you thought about the candidates’ grammar? According to a recently published study, you may have thought about it, even if only subconsciously. Two psychologists had college students read statements about made-up political candidates and then rate the candidates’ electability. Sadly [...]
Discreet vs. Discrete
Here’s another entry from the file of commonly confused words. Discreet means “showing good judgment; capable of observing prudent silence.” She made a discreet exit once she realized she was at the wrong funeral. Discrete means “individually distinct.” Several discrete blobs of icky goo were clearly visible in the water column.
The Origins of “Basket Case”
A “basket case” is someone or something that is totally messed up and unable to function. According to The Phrase Finder, the term originated during or shortly after World War I and described soldiers who’d had both their arms and legs amputated and needed to be carried around in baskets. Interestingly, two of the three [...]
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