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Peroxide Paradox: 'Blonde' or 'Blond'? May. 15, 2024
In American lingo today, "blonde" is a word to dye for. Recently published books include Laurence Le... Read More
This Column Is Aimed at the 'Likes' of You! May. 08, 2024
In an interview for a documentary about Bill Clinton, his White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers ... Read More
And Don't Call Me 'Sirly'! May. 01, 2024
Medieval aristocrats living in lofty castles looked down on the commoners around them, both literall... Read More
The Data Is/Are In: Latin Plurals Are Tricky Apr. 24, 2024
Datum or data? Medium or media? Stratum or strata? Here's a quick review of these double-dealers: &#... Read More
Why Admirals Use the Big, Big 'D' Apr. 17, 2024
In "The Secret Life of Words" (Harcourt, $24), Paul West becomes a tabloid gossip columnist, reveali... Read More
It's Just 'One of Those' Things Apr. 10, 2024
A recent editorial in the Washington Examiner included this clause: "Say you're one of those who is ... Read More
If I Were King of the Elves Apr. 03, 2024
Q. I'm always puzzled about which verb to use following a phrase starting with "if" or "as if." In o... Read More
Pilot Parlance: Fasten Your 'Speech'-belt Mar. 27, 2024
People in dangerous, high-pressure jobs sometimes relieve tension with proprietary humor. Nowhere is... Read More
A Brand-New 'Eephus' Fable Mar. 20, 2024
"Why do we say something is 'brand-new'?" asks Simon Kravetz of Canton, Connecticut. Now there's a b... Read More
Getting Obsessive About the Possessive Mar. 13, 2024
Q. A postcard states that a certain company has "over 50 years' experience" in a certain field. Is t... Read More
History Is a 'Foible' Agreed Upon Mar. 06, 2024
History repeats itself. After reading these sentences, taken from high school students' history pape... Read More
Will Barbie Be a Nervous Nellie at the Oscars? Feb. 28, 2024
Why is the doll (and movie) called "Barbie"? Why is Nellie nervous, and why is a statuette named Osc... Read More
The Bridge Between Steel and Art Feb. 21, 2024
Three essential tools on every writer's workbench should be contrast, detail and imagery. Watch how ... Read More
Bumpkins Get Short End of the Sticks Feb. 14, 2024
"Stix Nix Hick Pix," proclaimed a 1935 headline in the entertainment newspaper Variety. Translation:... Read More
Share and Snare a 'Like' Feb. 07, 2024
Today, two meaty questions involving comparison ... Jeanette Lendl of Delmont, Pennsylvania, isn't s... Read More
A 'Soup'er Bowl Packed With Pigskin Palaver Jan. 31, 2024
The lingo of American football is a soup bowl bubbling with terms from almost every realm of life, f... Read More
Why the Letter 'B' Is Deeply in 'Debt' Jan. 24, 2024
Have you ever wondered why we don't pronounce the "b" in debt, the "c" in indict, the "p" in receipt... Read More
'Recouping' Gives Reader Paws Jan. 17, 2024
Today, some questions from readers ... Curt Guenther of Memphis asked me to vet this sentence descri... Read More
A January Jaunt With Blooper Snoopers Jan. 10, 2024
The Word Guy Blooper Patrol, which has plenty of cachet, has cashed in on a cache of errors. Can you... Read More
Why a 'Bass' Can Sing or Swim Jan. 03, 2024
An amusing compilation titled "Why English Is Hard To Learn" has been bouncing like a beach ball aro... Read More
