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These Words Are Based on 'Sound' Judgment Aug. 30, 2023
"Bar-bar-bar." That's what the speech of strange, foreign tribes sounded like to the ancient Greeks.... Read More
Latin Root 'Caper' Has Got Your Goat Aug. 23, 2023
Picture a taxi cab leaping through heavy traffic like an acrobatic billy goat. In fact, the word "ca... Read More
Voulez-Vous Help Your Brain? Jul. 28, 2023
I live in South Florida, which is frequently referred to as the home of the silver tsunami. This phr... Read More
Life Reimagined Jul. 07, 2023
Wouldn't it be nice to think of getting older as exhilarating rather than terrifying? Learning to ac... Read More
Can a Lady Ever Use the F-Word? Jun. 29, 2023
I asked my dear friend Mimi whether a lady can ever use the F-word. Mimi is a product of old guard p... Read More
Pronoun Choice Can Lead to Double Bogey May. 31, 2023
Which sentence is correct? "My husband likes golf more than I," or "My husband likes golf more than ... Read More
Legislature's $82 Million Outlay for Early Childhood Education Is a Big Boost May. 25, 2023
The state Legislature has made some pretty bone-headed decisions in recent days when it comes to Mis... Read More
Marxian Education Apr. 26, 2023
Some schools are ditching traditional grading. Instead, they use "labor-based grading," an idea prom... Read More
Phonics Groundhog Day Feb. 15, 2023
"Can you imagine if someone told you that everything you've been taught in school and everything you... Read More
Why the Redefinition of the Word 'Woman' Matters Dec. 16, 2022
Samuel Johnson's "Dictionary of the English Language," first published in 1755, defines the word "wo... Read More
Some Words Are Older Than You'd Think Dec. 14, 2022
What's the lowdown on the commuter with the nifty T-shirt? You might peg that sentence as a slice of... Read More
Phrase Origins? Let's Cut to the Chase! Oct. 26, 2022
Let's see how many readers' questions about word origins I can answer in 90 seconds! No. 1: "The who... Read More
There's No Beast in These Beauties Aug. 17, 2022
The "fish" in "crayfish" has nothing to do with fish. There's no pig in "piggyback," and no cat snoo... Read More
Is There a Fossil on Your Tongue? Aug. 10, 2022
Have you ever wondered why "bravado" means a FALSE sense of courage? "Bravado" is a linguistic fossi... Read More
'Primrose' Path Leads to 'Buttery' Slope Jul. 27, 2022
Did you know there's no "linger" in "malinger," no "butter" in "buttery" and no "rose" in "primrose"... Read More
Tales From a No Sabo Wife Jul. 17, 2022
I never "learned" English or German; both languages are a part of who I am. However, learning a new ... Read More
'Women' Shall Not Be Erased Jul. 12, 2022
Last time most of us looked, "bodies with vaginas" could be more simply described as women. Same wen... Read More
Shifting Letters Create Whole 'Nother' Words Jul. 06, 2022
In English, what you say is often what you get. During the 1300s, for instance, a protective cloth w... Read More
The Last Name I'll Ever Have Jun. 29, 2022
Several readers have recently inquired about the pronunciation and origin of my last name. So, I fig... Read More
