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Misuse of 'Frequent' is Frequent
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 …Read more.
'Whom' is Where the Heart is
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 …Read more.
Why Are These Sentences Loony?
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 …Read more.
Phrase Origins Served Piping Hot
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 …Read more.
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Does a Scoreless Game Have a Score?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 subtleties and, oh yeah, commercials. Both commentators have scored here. That's because "score" has two applicable meanings: the tally of points or runs scored in a game, thus "the score is 0-0"; and the scoring of a point or a run, hence "there is (or has been) no score since the game began." Everyone knew what Kay meant, of course; people say "there's no score" all the time to describe 0-0 games. But, as a nitpicking word nut, my instinct is to side with Singleton — there was indeed a score: 0-0. Technically, Kay should have said, "There has been no scoring." Q. "Onomatopoeia" is a well-known term for words that sound like their meaning, such as "buzz," "splash," "zap," etc. But is there a term for words that sound UN-like what you would expect, given their definition, such as "pulchritude"? — Matt McClimons, East Hampton, Conn. A. Similarly, "defenestration" sounds like some kind of dainty decoration or analytical, cerebral process when in fact it refers to being pushed out of a window. KERSPLAT! And I've always thought the name "dogwood" was barking up the wrong (lovely) tree. Alas, after searching high and low, I can't find any literary or linguistic term for a word sounding like the opposite of what it means. So, rather than resort to defenestration, I'll turn to you, my pulchritudinous readers, for help: 1. Do you know of an existing term for such words? 2. Can you invent a term for such words? 3. Can you provide examples of such words? In a few weeks, I'll provide a full report on your responses. Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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