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Reader Offers a Clever 'Why's Crack?' Sep. 04, 2019
Q: Why is the adjective "crack" used to describe someone who's good at something, as in a "crack sho... Read More
Newspaper Nomenclature Has Nautical Nature Aug. 28, 2019
Q: I've noticed that the word "masthead" is often used to refer to the name on the front page of a p... Read More
Using 'Times Less' Subtracts From Clarity Aug. 21, 2019
Q: I see the following two phrases all too often: 1) "Three (or two or four) times less." I would th... Read More
'Trooper' Trope Troubles Troupers Aug. 14, 2019
Q: The lead character in the comic strip "Rex Morgan, M.D." recently referred to someone as a "real ... Read More
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Album Aug. 07, 2019
Q: Musicians used to "release" a new album, but now a new album is "dropped." What the heck is that?... Read More
When Modifiers Unbuckle, They Give Us a Chuckle Jul. 31, 2019
"Watch the birds as they hunt for fish using your own binoculars." Will the birds swoop down and gra... Read More
New Verb Provides an 'Other' Perspective Jul. 24, 2019
In a recent op-ed piece urging us to welcome and celebrate differences among people, Trinity College... Read More
Full Speed 'Ahead'! Jul. 17, 2019
Some random dispatches from the Word Front ... — Off With Their "Aheads": When did "ahead of"... Read More
Space Age Lingo Is Still in Orbit Jul. 10, 2019
As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing blasts off, commentators will surely cite the spa... Read More
One Small Misstep for a Man? Jul. 03, 2019
Did Neil Armstrong flub the first sentence spoken on the moon? The audio transmission of his words s... Read More
Similes Swing Open Doors of Meaning Jun. 26, 2019
Well-placed similes are like well-oiled hinges, allowing readers to open doors of meaning with ease ... Read More
This Word Sails to Many 'Ports' of Call Jun. 19, 2019
Like a wandering sailor, the Latin root "porto" has a girl in every ... well, port. "Porto" means "c... Read More
Are You Booked for the Summer? Jun. 12, 2019
If you're bound for the beach, boardwalk or boat this summer — or just the back porch — ... Read More
Dogged Readers Snarl at Pet Peeves Jun. 05, 2019
Every so often, I like to unleash my readers' pet peeves, aka 'pete noires, 'cur'sed terms and 'dog'... Read More
Unzipping the Origin of 'Fly' May. 29, 2019
Why is the opening on men's trousers called a "fly"? Before your speculation starts to soar too high... Read More
Who Was That Masked Mantis? May. 22, 2019
Picture a mosquito with a musket, a mantis with a crystal ball, and a larva wearing a mask. Entomolo... Read More
Can You Catch 40 Winks? May. 15, 2019
Can you find and replace each of the 40 usage errors in this account of my spring-cleaning? (The num... Read More
Spanish Is No. 1 May. 10, 2019
DR. WALLACE: I just returned home from Santa Barbara, California. Five of us spent a fun week there ... Read More
FDR's Prose Crackled with Clarity May. 08, 2019
Jill Lepore's new book "These Truths," a delightfully quirky and informative romp through U.S. histo... Read More
Reader Bludgeons 'High Dungeon' May. 01, 2019
Q: I was watching a news program, and one of the guests said someone "was in high dungeon" instead o... Read More
