The Word Guy from Creators Syndicate

Space Terms Blast Off -- Egads! for 07/08/2009

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The term "astronaut" (literally, "star sailor") was in use as early as 1880. Alan Shepard never used the term "A-OK" during his first space flight. "Sojourner," the first Mars rover, was named for the African-American leader Sojourner Truth.

These are some of the fascinating facts you'll learn in Paul Dickson's new book "A Dictionary of the Sp ...

Updated: Wed Jul 08, 2009

How Do You 'Plead'? for 07/15/2009

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q. When I was in law school, we were taught to say that your client had "pled" guilty or not guilty. I'm just wondering what has happened to "pled." It seems everyone uses "pleaded" now. — Chuck Fowler, Lorton, Va.

A. Traditionally, "pleaded" has been the preferred past-tense form of "plead." "Pled," which emerged as a dia ...

Updated: Wed Jul 15, 2009

A Word -- or Two -- about Usage for 07/22/2009

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

"We do our best everyday." "It's all together too difficult." "We see that kind of behavior alot."

Each of these sentences contains an error involving a choice between one word or two words. Though we do our best to avoid these mistakes EVERY DAY, making the correct choice is ALTOGETHER too difficult, so we see incorrect choices A LOT.

"Everyday, ...

Updated: Wed Jul 22, 2009

Do Meteorologists Predict Meteor Showers? for 07/29/2009

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Welcome to "My Space." Let's examine the origins of two sets of words based on celestial objects.

— "Meteor"-ology: The word "meteor" originally denoted any kind of atmospheric occurrence. Rain, hail and snow were "aqueous meteors"; breezes and gales were "airy meteors"; and shooting stars were "fiery meteors."

Tha ...

Updated: Wed Jul 29, 2009

Basically, Mistakes Were Made for 08/05/2009

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bernard Madoff said he "made a mistake." Well, at least he didn't resort to an even wormier cliché — "made a poor decision."

Here's a quick look at the current crop of overused terms. Call them "Ponzi screams."

— Energizing the "Basis." Newscasters have recently been touching all the "bases." They're continually updatin ...

Updated: Wed Aug 05, 2009

Summer Visitors -- and Some Aren't for 08/12/2009

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Henry James once remarked that the two most beautiful words in the English language are "summer afternoon." If he had experienced the weather in the Northeast this summer, he might have found another phrase even lovelier: "It's stopped raining!"

The English word "summer" derives from the Sanskrit term "sama," which meant "year" or "s ...

Updated: Wed Aug 12, 2009

Do the Right -- and Left -- Thing for 08/19/2009

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q. What blunder really ticks you off?

A. People who don't use their turn signals! … Oh, you mean VERBAL blunder? As I said, people who don't use their turn signals!

Huh?

Transitions —- words and phrases such as "however," "similarly" and "therefore" — are the turn signals of language. By indicating the relationship between the previ ...

Updated: Wed Aug 19, 2009

Caution: Verbal Congestion Ahead for 08/26/2009

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

And now a morning drive with Traff Trendspeak, the poster boy of cliche-spouting TV and radio traffic reporters:

Word Guy: Will we encounter any delays on the interstate this morning?

Traff: Looks like YOUR morning commute will be smooth sailing in YOUR car on YOUR route to YOUR job.

WG: But what about everyone else's morning commute? Do you think they'll encounter any dela ...

Updated: Wed Aug 26, 2009

Does a Scoreless Game Have a Score? for 09/02/2009

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q. I was watching a Yankees versus Blue Jays game last week, and after the second inning, Michael Kay announced that there was no score. Ken Singleton countered that there was a score: nothing to nothing after two innings. Who's right? — Walter Nohstadt Jr., Columbus, N.J.

A. One reason I love baseball is that those pauses between innings allow time for reflection on linguistic sub ...

Updated: Wed Sep 02, 2009

Parker, Colo. -- Land of Happy Mediums! for 09/09/2009

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

From near and far come bloopers bizarre. Can you spot the errors?

1. "Parker, Colo., has one of the highest medium household incomes in the United States." Its fortunetellers are very wealthy. (Spotted by Christina Gore, Wichita, Kan.)

2. " ... big ticket items including an $80,000 road grater." Works well on roads that look like Swiss cheese. (Janice Mastriano ...

Updated: Wed Sep 09, 2009

'Grammar' Gets a Makeover for 09/16/2009

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The word "glamour" is the Susan Boyle of English. Though "glamour" is now a dazzling celebrity, the word began, astoundingly enough, as the nerdy, erudite word "grammar."

Derived from the Latin "grammatica" and, ultimately, from the Greek word "gramma" (letter), "grammar" originally referred only to the study of language and lit ...

Updated: Wed Sep 16, 2009

I Do! I Do! for 09/23/2009

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

On my desk, behind a pile of old maps and erudite notes to myself ("Pick up milk!"), I recently found a year-old letter from Richard Carey of Somers, Conn., which raised three very good questions:

1. Why do people sometimes write a double "do," as in "they do do that?"

2. Which is correct: "I have drank too many" or "I have drunk too ma ...

Updated: Wed Sep 23, 2009

When Modifiers Wander, Readers Wonder for 09/30/2009

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

What happens when a writer puts a word or phrase in the wrong place?

It's not pretty. Consider these examples spotted by readers in newspapers and magazines . . . or, that readers have spotted in newspapers and magazines:

— "Bring a blanket for sitting on the floor and your friends." Plenty of baby sitters available. (Spotted by Dick Wenner, West Hartford, Conn.)
Updated: Wed Sep 30, 2009

Here's Whom to Tell It to for 10/07/2009

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q: Years ago, during an argument or dispute, a popular expression was, "Tell it to Sweeney!" Who was "Sweeney"? Real or fictitious? A friendly bartender, or the "Dear Abby" of that time? — Ed Lukaszewski, New Britain, Conn.

A: "Tell it to Sweeney," originally meaning "tell it to someone naive or ignorant enough to believe it," is a ...

Updated: Wed Oct 07, 2009

Correcting the Errors of Your 'Ways' for 10/14/2009

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q. I am writing regarding a recent newspaper headline: "It Is Way Better To Feel Good Than To Look Good." When I was growing up, I would have been told to use the adverb "much" instead of "way" in that sentence. Could you please comment on this usage? — Rob Pease, Hartford, Conn.

A: The use of "way" as an intensifying adverb, meaning "to ...

Updated: Wed Oct 14, 2009

How to Avoid a Splitting Headache for 10/21/2009

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Q: Is it technically correct to say, "This will allow us to better serve you," rather than "This will allow us to serve you better"? — Joyce Nunge, Charlottesville, Va.

A: Ah, the split infinitive question. Perhaps no other grammatical issue incites more righteous indignation, most of it unjustified.

Just what is a split infinitive? An infinitive is the t ...

Updated: Wed Oct 21, 2009

Phrase Origins Served Piping Hot for 10/28/2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Mel Kopel of Windsor, Conn., writes to ask why food is served "piping hot" and a car fresh from the showroom floor is "spanking new" (as opposed to the "clanking old" clunker you traded in for it).

You could conjure up several tactile or visual explanations for "piping hot." After all, various types of pipes contain hot water, hot steam or hot toba ...

Updated: Wed Oct 28, 2009

Why Are These Sentences Loony? for 11/04/2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

What's wrong with these sentences?

1. Like the duck, the loon's nest is built near the shore.

2. The loon is a Bow Lake resident, on which several other loons live.

3. The baby loon is four times smaller than its mother.

That's right; they're loony — illogical, confusing, puzzling. We think we know what the writer is trying to say, but something sounds wrong.
Updated: Wed Nov 04, 2009

'Whom' is Where the Heart is for 11/11/2009

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The "who/whom" dilemma is the health care debate of grammar. The issues involved are so complicated and convoluted that no one really understands them.

That's why the late William Safire threw up his hands in 1992 and advocated a kind of single-payer system: Use "who" when you're sure it's correct; when you're not sure, rewrite the sentence to avoid using "whom.& ...

Updated: Wed Nov 11, 2009

Misuse of 'Frequent' is Frequent for 11/18/2009

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Q: Does "frequented" imply often? I have heard "they occasionally frequented" and even "they rarely frequented." Is that possible? — David Markowitz, West Hartford, Conn.

A: What's next? "They rarely frequented it occasionally"? I'm reminded of the Yogi Berra-ism, "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

You might assum ...

Updated: Wed Nov 18, 2009