Epistemology vs Agnotology
Once upon a time, I encountered the word epistemology and its forms only in academic writing. Lately, I’ve been seeing […]
“Become” and a Question of Syntax
A sentence in a biographical piece in the Washington Post about the gifted librettist Randy Rainbow got me thinking about […]
Code-switching Is Not Cultural Oppression
Until recently, I thought that most English teachers shared my view that mastering a standard form of English is the […]
Autogolpe —Another Word for Seizing Power
During the recent unsettled times, I have come across a new word (new to me) to describe an extralegal maneuver […]
“To Cow” and “To Kow-tow”
Although the idiom to be cowed has nothing to do with Elsie the Cow, the use of corralled in a […]
Addicted “to,” not “with”
Some verbs and participle adjectives are followed by a specific preposition. Different from phrasal verbs, which can be replaced by […]
Do You Mean Limbo or Purgatory?
A while back, I made a note of a radio announcer’s comment that Edward Snowden, who had been granted asylum […]
Gifts of the Magi—Linguistically Speaking
A ubiquitous symbol of the Christmas season is the image of the Magi, the “wise men from the east” mentioned […]
Double-Parking, Straddle, and To Seek Out
I find language fodder everywhere. This post was prompted by a Facebook video clip. Situation A woman is loading her […]
Words To Describe Disasters
The past few weeks have seen a surge of fevered rhetoric in the media. Here are a few examples: Senator […]
Five Linguistic Oddities in the Media
Here are five usages that caught my attention recently. aye and yea Both aye [pronounced “I”] and yea [pronounced “yay”] […]
Uses of the -ing Participle
A reader has questions about the following type of sentence: “the education chief’s sudden resignation left him scrambling to find a replacement”. […]