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English and I -- or Maybe Me Apr. 18, 2025
I have no facility with languages. I'm incoherent in Latin, French, Spanish and, far too often, in E... Read More
These Lemons Need To Be Squeezed Apr. 16, 2025
The Word Guy Blooper Patrol has plucked the ripest, juiciest mistakes from newspapers and magazines.... Read More
Can't Keep Quiet: 100 Columns and Counting Apr. 16, 2025
This is the 100th Raffel Ticket weekly column I've written. How the heck did that happen? The underl... Read More
The Evidence for Easter Apr. 15, 2025
If you think politicians make outlandish claims, consider what Christians celebrate at Easter. They ... Read More
How to Meditate -- for the Chronically Anxious Apr. 12, 2025
Mindfulness meditation: It's all the rage. If you've been anywhere, talked to anyone or visited any ... Read More
After a Century, Eloquence of 'Gatsby' Still Enchants Us Apr. 09, 2025
F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," published 100 years ago this month, endures as a cherished... Read More
Richard Glossip's Twisted Journey Through America's Courts Apr. 08, 2025
Richard Glossip's twisted journey through the criminal justice system is both amazing and horrifying... Read More
Customer Disservice: No One Can Hear You Scream Apr. 04, 2025
The bill was for two unspecified injections weeks earlier. I remembered getting a free flu shot and ... Read More
A-E-I-O-U and Sometimes Why Apr. 02, 2025
Q: Are there any other words besides "facetious" that contain all the vowels in alphabetical order? ... Read More
When Sellers Linger: Your Inspection Rights Matter Apr. 01, 2025
Dear Monty: We have had a lot of difficulty getting contracts back from the seller through email. We... Read More
The Signalgate Text Thread Continues Mar. 29, 2025
SMALL GROUP RE: TEXT THREAD CONCERNING STRIKE ON HOUTHI REBELS IN YEMEN Waltz: Hi, team. Creating a... Read More
We All Join the Inner Circle Mar. 28, 2025
Two days ago, I went out to get trash bags because I needed trash bags, a prescription because I nee... Read More
All Human Thought: Pre-AI Addition Mar. 28, 2025
In college, before becoming an English major — and therefore borderline unemployable —I ... Read More
Illuminating a Linguistic Blind Spot Mar. 26, 2025
A reader from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, writes with a question about road signs that read "Blind Driv... Read More
How I Drove Meghan Markle and Prince Harry out of Montecito Mar. 25, 2025
Recently, I did something despicable. Apparently. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly mov... Read More
The Middle Ground to Happiness Mar. 22, 2025
If you trust surveys (and if you are an American, of course, you do not), you may be surprised to le... Read More
Diary of a Young 'Whip'-persnapper Mar. 19, 2025
During my college years, I alleviated the tedium of a summer job flipping burgers by concocting word... Read More
For Non-Depressing, Non-Political News -- Turn to Science Mar. 15, 2025
Maybe you're getting a little stressed out. Let's say it's increasingly difficult to ignore the poli... Read More
Brain Damage: Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is? Mar. 14, 2025
A while back, I was speaking on an Asian cruise when I realized I could no longer figure out what th... Read More
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sects Mar. 12, 2025
Have you ever wondered how Protestant denominations acquired their names? I'll tell you anyway. As a... Read More
