Q: Is "leave him be" an acceptable substitute for "let him be"? — J. K. via email

A: To some ears, "leave him be" sounds less elevated than "let him be." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary notes that "leave it be" is a mostly spoken idiom disliked by some commentators. (Imagine the Beatles singing, "Leave it be"? No way.)

But some authorities believe "leave" may be substituted for "let" in some phrases using "be" ("leave him be"), and Fowler's Modern English describes the two verbs as interchangeable: "leave (or let) somebody or something be."

Usage expert Bryan Garner notes a slight distinction between "leave me alone," which means "leave me by myself," and "let me alone," which means "stop bothering me."

And most commentators condemn the use of "leave" for "let" in phrases that don't include "be" or "alone," e.g., "leave him go," "leave us sit down." If Elsa of "Frozen" had sung "Leave It Go" instead of "Let It Go," she would have sounded more proletarian.

Q: A U.S. senator recently said he wanted the Trump administration to provide a more "fulsome" report on the Iran War. Holy Kamoly! Let us address this. — Betty Anderson, Avon, Conn.

A: First, let us address this: Is it "Holy Kamoly!" or "Holy Camoly!"? I'd go with "Kamoly" for no other reason than to avoid confusion with "cannoli." (Ya' gotta do what ricotta do.)

As for its derivation, "Holy Kamoly" is apparently a variation of the rhyming slang term "Holy Moly," which probably originated as a sanitized version of "Holy Moses!"

Now, to your concern about "fulsome." The traditional meaning of "fulsome" is quite negative: "excessively complimentary and effusive; overdone." Picture a chocolate cake covered with candy and chocolate syrup.

If I, for instance, had described Betty's question as "the most insightful, incisive and inspired query I've ever received, an erudite, scholarly and ingenious springboard for lexical exploration," that would have been "fulsome praise."

True, one meaning of "fulsome" is "abundant, complete, full," and that's undoubtedly the meaning the senator had in mind. But, because no one knows whether a writer or speaker intends the smarmy "fulsome" or the positive "fulsome," this word should be used with care.

Garner calls "fulsome" a "skunked word" because the foul odor of its "excessive" definition taints its "abundant" definition.

Thus, If you were to you praise your boss for delivering a "fulsome" speech, you might find yourself in "fulsome" prison. Holy Kamoly!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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