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Have Tour Guides 'Taut' Us a Big Lie? Jan. 26, 2022
Insidious invaders have infested the homestead museums and historic houses across our great land. No... Read More
Origin of 'Dumbbell' Rings True Jan. 19, 2022
Q: Why are hand weights called "dumbbells"? — J. H., West Hartford, Connecticut A: It's hard t... Read More
'Historic' or Jan. 12, 2022
Q: We have seen signs that read "Historical Site" as well as "Historic Site." Which is correct? R... Read More
Coming Clean on Word Origins Dec. 29, 2021
"It's as clean as a whistle," my father would often say after washing the family car. I always thoug... Read More
'Gazebo Effect' Is Bitter Pill To Swallow Dec. 22, 2021
The ever-vigilant members of the Word Guy Blooper Patrol have sent me these errors from newspapers a... Read More
Prep Perps, Potboilers Make Me Want To 'Flea' Dec. 15, 2021
Today, some random dispatches from the Word Front ... — Prep School — A while back, I sc... Read More
Ladling Out Some Alphabet Soup Sep. 29, 2021
Loyal readers have just scooped up the latest batch of errors in newspapers and other publications. ... Read More
Prefixes 'En' and 'In' Battle for Dominance Aug. 25, 2021
Q. When should "enclosed" be used vs. "inclosed"? Is there a difference in meaning? — Katherin... Read More
Linguistic Changes Foster Respect, Inclusion Aug. 18, 2021
Spinster. Gypped. Grandfather clause. These are among many terms now deemed racist, sexist, ageist o... Read More
Night of the Living Deadbeat Aug. 11, 2021
I recently applied for a refinance of my home mortgage. You know the drill: Scour your files to find... Read More
This Reader and I Are 'Like' Minded Aug. 04, 2021
Q: I know that the sentence "He looks like me" is correct usage. Does the same apply in sentences su... Read More
Loons, Moons and Loony Toons Jul. 28, 2021
As I write this, I'm watching two loons float calmly across a mountain lake in the northern Adironda... Read More
Teachers Savor Students' 'Mist Queues' Jul. 21, 2021
Sometimes, when grading my students' papers and tests, I encounter errors that disarm me because the... Read More
These Derivations Are on the Money Jul. 14, 2021
"The rich are different from us," F. Scott Fitzgerald supposedly told Ernest Hemingway. "Yes," Hemin... Read More
Teacher's Story: At 88, Bob Gardiner Answers the Bell One More Time Jul. 13, 2021
Bob Gardiner hoped for a career in aeronautics until advanced mathematics at Colgate University inte... Read More
Pet Peeves Pounce on Prancing Prey Jul. 07, 2021
I occasionally ask readers to unleash their pet peeves about grammar and usage. While at first, thes... Read More
Olympics Terms Can Test Your 'Medal' Jun. 30, 2021
Let the games — and names — begin! Here's a handy guide to the origins and meanings of S... Read More
An Upscale Version of a Noteworthy Event Jun. 23, 2021
Did you ever wonder why the names for the notes of the musical scale are "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, t... Read More
Meaning of 'Moot' Is a Moot Question Jun. 16, 2021
It's 11:45 a.m. at the faculty lunch table. A heated argument breaks out when an art teacher asks: "... Read More
Is Converting Adjectives to Nouns an Automatic? Jun. 09, 2021
The linguistic purist Tradition Al discusses an alarming trend with his more permissive friend Open ... Read More
