Effusive (ĭ-fyū’sĭv) is an adjective used to describe someone expressing his emotions excessively or enthusiastically. Such emotions could be gratitude, approval, praise, pleasure and so on. The opposite of effusive is restrained. Some would dismiss Mr. McGreevey’s ever-effusive enthusiasm as political self-promotion. (NY Times) Front-running Democrat Hillary Clinton, a New York senator seeking to be … Read more
Sometimes the inclusion or omission of a single letter can completely change the meaning of your word, phrase or sentence. Take the word tic, for example. It’s a noun that refers to those visible twitches that suggest nervousness or stress. Merriam Webster defines it as: ‘a local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially … Read more
The indefinite articles a and an both mean the same thing. The definite article the refers to a particular thing (“Give me the ring! The wedding ring!”) while a and an refer to any item of a certain type (“Please hand me a nail, any nail.”) But when do you use a and when do … Read more
Egalitarian (ĭ-găl’ĭ-târ’ē-ən) refers to systems or societies where people are treated equally and have the same political, civil, economic and social rights. The word comes from the French égalité, which means equality. Japan is one of the most egalitarian of the world’s rich societies, yet it now has one of the largest shares of “working … Read more
Many writers use continuous and continual as if they were exact synonyms, but my English teachers taught their students to distinguish between them. Both adjectives describe duration. Continuous indicates duration without interruption. Ex. The continuous humming of the fluorescent lights gave him a headache. Continual indicates duration that continues over a long period of time, … Read more
What is the “correct” pronunciation of the word Celtic? Boston Celtic fans prefer the soft c sound, but Irish dancers tend to go with the hard c sound. I prefer the /k/ sound. I like the way the word feels as I say /kel tik/. A less frivolous reason is that I learned to pronounce … Read more
The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults). This article is a follow up on Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should Know. Jewish scriptwriters introduced many Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings drastically. You might be surprised to learn … Read more
‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,’ it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’ ‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’ ‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master – that’s all.’ … Read more
Dislodge (dĭs-lŏj’) means to remove someone or something from a previously occupied position. You could put your feet on the table, for instance, dislodging the papers that were present there. Republicans agreed Thursday to let Democrats push debates on overtime pay and other economic priorities in an effort to dislodge a stalled tax cut for … Read more
The other day I listened to a radio interview in which the subject continually pronounced the word tentative without one of its ts. Tentative has three ts: ten-ta-tive (not ten-a-tive). Another “t word” that often has its medial t messed with is tenterhook. It’s an old word derived from cloth-making, but it remains current in … Read more
One of the key issues when crafting any piece of writing is who your audience is. If you’re writing for a newspaper or magazine, you’ll probably be able to find some statistics about your readership profile. Most publications rely on advertising to keep them going, and in order to get the best ads, they need … Read more
Last night, not for the first time, I heard someone refer to a man as a “widow.” Not only did I hear this usage, I saw it headlined across a Powerpoint slide at the presentation I was attending. In English a widow is a woman whose husband has died. A man whose wife has died … Read more