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'Biannual' vs. 'Biennial' Distinction Is for the Birds Sep. 03, 2025
Q: A headline stated that seasonal bird migration (which occurs twice a year) was a "biannual" event... Read More
Use Your Head To Reap 'Capital' Gains Aug. 27, 2025
What do these words have in common?: "captain," "capital," "capitulate" and "precipice." If you know... Read More
Take Me Out to the Call Game Aug. 20, 2025
As the Major League Baseball season rolls into the critical month of September, let's examine the fa... Read More
Feeling Trapped? That's the First Step Toward Freedom Aug. 15, 2025
Do you sometimes feel like you're trapped? Are you ever haunted by the sense that the walls are clos... Read More
Four Words Derived from Four-Legged Friends Aug. 13, 2025
Did you know there's a donkey behind "easel"? This word for a frame supporting an artist's canvas co... Read More
Keep Your Eye on 'Graveyard Shift' and 'Gimlet' Jul. 30, 2025
We call an overnight flight from coast to coast "the red eye" because its passengers disembark with ... Read More
One Good 'Turn' Word Deserves Another Jul. 23, 2025
In ancient times, new words were formed at every turn. When the Greeks won a battle, for instance, t... Read More
Beware of the 'False Twins'! Jul. 16, 2025
Because a prude is prudent when it comes to sexual matters, you might assume that "prude" and "prude... Read More
Where the 'H' Did That Come From? Jul. 09, 2025
It's "H" hour! Can you choose the correct derivation for each word beginning with "h"? 1. harbinger:... Read More
Where Does THAT Fit In? Jul. 02, 2025
Will Shortz, puzzle master of The New York Times, has devised a new type of word game. It's so much ... Read More
Misuse of 'Unique' Seems 'More Inevitable' Jun. 25, 2025
Q: I've sometimes heard a future event described as being "more and more inevitable." Are there actu... Read More
Can We Agree With One Another on 'Each Other'? Jun. 18, 2025
Q: Is it correct to use the phrase "each other" only when it refers to two individuals and "one anot... Read More
Mispronunciation of 'Nuclear' Goes 'Noo-kyoo-lur' Jun. 11, 2025
President Donald Trump deserves credit for having one talent that many previous presidents have lack... Read More
Straight From the Horse's Mouth Jun. 04, 2025
Q: Is it "champing at the bit" or "chomping at the bit"? I'm champing/chomping at the bit to know! &... Read More
Gifts of Gab for Grad or Dad May. 28, 2025
If there's a grad or dad on your giving list this June, consider one of these new books about words.... Read More
Pangrams Pack Punch From A to Z May. 21, 2025
What do these oddball sentences have in common? "Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz"; "The five b... Read More
Why Teachers Race Through the 'Curriculum' May. 14, 2025
As the spring semester ends, many teachers are frantically rushing through the curriculum as if they... Read More
Does 'Money' Make the Words Go Round? May. 07, 2025
Is there any "money" in alimony? Anything "holy" about "halo"? And why do we say a gun has been fire... Read More
Let's Tariff These British Imports! Apr. 30, 2025
Call it the British Invasion. No, it's not the war that started 250 years ago. It's the current all-... Read More
Show Your 'Wile' When Using 'While' Apr. 23, 2025
Dear Word Guy, I have a lot of time on my hands now, what with being expelled from the U.S. Congress... Read More
