About Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff is the language columnist for the Hartford Courant, as well as a teacher, editor and writer. His column  appears regularly in several newspapers across the country.

A native of Armonk, N.Y., Kyff earned a BA at Amherst College and an MA in American Studies at the University of Minnesota. In Minneapolis, he served as director of public information for a social-service agency and edited the employee magazine for a national retail chain.

He has taught English and history at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford since 1977 and also served as the school's director of public affairs, editor of its alumni magazine and advisor to the student newspaper.

His essays have appeared in many newspapers, including the Washington Post,

Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Baltimore Sun, and his articles have appeared in Reader's Digest,American History and Northeast. He contributed to

Speaking Freely -- A guided Tour of American English from Plymouth Rock to Silicon Valley, published by Oxford University Press in 1997.

He has published two books: Word Up! - A Lively Look at English (Writers Club Press, 2000) and Once Upon a Word - True Tales of Word Origins (Tapestry Press, 2003).

He lives in West Hartford, Conn., with his family.

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Hi-Yo, 'Silver Bullet'! Feb 25, 2026

"AI Fires Silver Bullet for Creating New Life," read a recent newspaper headline. The story below it reported that molecular scientists are using AI to design new organisms that destroy lethal bacteria such as Escherichia coli. Let's send that... Read More

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Misdirection Leads to Sentence 'Path'ology Feb 18, 2026

What makes these sentences foul? The garbage dump smells foul the air. The basketball player fouled out of anger. The witch stated her foul intentions were justified. Each sentence includes phrasing that momentarily misleads or confuses the reader. ... Read More

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One Man's 'Meat' Is Another Man's Boysenberry Feb 11, 2026

Imagine a bizarre world where vegetarians eat meat, corpses come alive, a ceiling is a wall and a deer is a mouse. This may seem like a 1950s horror flick based on "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," but it actually represents something even scarier ... Read More

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'Safe Haven' Ain't Misbehavin' Feb 04, 2026

"Isn't the expression 'safe haven' redundant?" asks Anthony Cannella of New Britain, Conn. "Isn't a haven by its very nature safe?" Condemning "safe haven" as a redundancy has long provided a safe haven for beleaguered language commentators. Their st... Read More