A reader, reacting to a recent post about parsing, responded with this literary reflection: Two sentences from Dickens Bleak House, chapter one, confuse me as to how to parse them. [The rain in London has been heavy and the streets a running with mud.] “Dogs, undistinguishable in mire. Horses, scarcely better; splashed to their very … Read more
A reader questions the use of wind (rhymes with kind) in the following notation on the website of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA): After expediting your arrival and clearing you to the ramp, ATC has one last function. They will fill out a mandatory occurrence report (MOR), which will wind its way to … Read more
Commenting on my recent post about whence and thence, a reader asks, Don’t “whence” and “thence” have a third sibling, “hence?” “From where,” “from there,” and “from here?” And shouldn’t we meet their cousins, “whither,” “thither” and “hither?” Hence deserves a post to itself. This lovely word has several applications. Like thence, hence can refer to … Read more
This reader’s question relates to the word translatory. Before writing, he looked it up: Merriam-Webster definition: “of, relating to, or involving uniform motion in one direction.” Nothing about its clear parallel, translate. The Free Dictionary lists “translatory” as an adjective under its entry for translation. Oxford does not appear to list it as a … Read more
The verb dispute, like contradict, connotes disagreement. Unlike contradict, dispute does not work equally well with human and nonhuman referents. The following “clickbait” headline illustrates what I mean: 13 Facts That Will Dispute The Person Who Says Reagan was a Great President Facts or people may contradict, but only people dispute. The verb dispute entered … Read more
A reader questions the expression “good-paying jobs”: I’ve just come across ‘good-paying jobs’ in a report I’m editing by a highly regarded organization. (It has also been used by some politicians lately.) I was wondering if you could address the use of this phrase instead of what I would expect – “well-paying jobs.” I believe … Read more
A reader says, Your thoughts re “stress” and “emphasize” would be appreciated. As transitive verbs, stress and emphasize are used interchangeably with the meaning “to accentuate or draw attention to.” For example: Employers stress the need for communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Speakers Stress Need to Consult More Closely with Contributors of Peacekeeping Personnel Avian Influenza … Read more
The Oxford English Dictionary has rocked the English-speaking, word-loving world by proclaiming an emoji the OED “word of the year.” The emoji “face with tears of joy” has been declared the most popular “word” of 2015. I can see that this symbol might deserve the title “emoji of the year” or “universal symbol of the … Read more
Misused idioms on amateur blogs are not cause for surprise. When they appear in the writing of people who practice a profession, however, they probably warrant comment. Here are two expressions that people who use them in a professional context ought to know the meaning of. due diligence In law, “due diligence” refers to proper … Read more
A reader asks, What is it with eponymous? I never understand its use. Eponymous is the adjective form of the noun eponym. It derives from the Greek combination epi (upon) + onyma (name). eponym noun: one who gives, or is supposed to give, his name to a people, place, or institution. The earliest application of … Read more
The other morning I heard someone on NPR use the word liminal. He immediately referred to it apologetically as “a fancy word.” Granted, liminal is not an everyday word, but it is one that adult readers encounter if they progress very far beyond the Ayres List. (The Extended Ayres List is a list of 1500 … Read more
A reader has asked me about my use of the abbreviation Ex. Does [Ex.] mean ‘for example’? I’ve only known one abbreviation and that’s ‘eg’. If that is the case can you please explain where eg came from? Sometimes I use Ex. to mean “for example” or “an example.” Sometimes I spell out “for example.” … Read more