Saturday, April 25, 2009

"Try and Remember A Time in September"

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Consider this notice I saw posted recently: "Be sure and remove your papers from the table before leaving the room....
1 comment:
Wednesday, January 09, 2008

I Need a Place to Quiess My Weary Head

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Information Technology people love to make up words. In a recent technical change deployment guide, that I had the privilege to vet, the fol...
5 comments:
Monday, September 19, 2005

Can Legs Ever Be Akimbo?

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The official answer is no. Never. Can't happen. That is because the word akimbo, strictly speaking, may only refer to a position of ...
2 comments:
Sunday, August 28, 2005

What is a Candlelight Vigual?

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I have no idea what a vigual is. I hear a word pronounced as vij-ooo-all from time to time by intelligent and otherwise thoughtful, observa...
6 comments:
Monday, August 22, 2005

Isn't the Word Herb Prounounced "Hurb"?

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Well it depends on whether you are referring to Herb the person or herb the plant. It also depends on how old you are (at least in Toront...
Thursday, August 11, 2005

How do You Prounounce the Word Victuals?

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If you're like me, you have often wondered why, even though you have seen this word from time to time in print, you have never actually ...
4 comments:
Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Why Does J.D. Salinger use the Word Crumby?

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Because he can. It was perfectly ok in the 1940s, when he wrote Catcher in the Rye, to use the word crumby to mean something miserable, fi...
Thursday, July 28, 2005

"Lay. Lie. You've Got Me on My Knees. Lay. Lie." - Eric Clapton

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Of all attempts at writing and speaking good English I have the most trouble with the words lay and lie and all the variations thereof. N...
3 comments:
Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Is There Something Wrong with Writing I Should of Taken the Road Less Travelled?

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Um. I am afraid so. Yes. The construct should of is completely and utterly meaningless. I know. You use it all the time in e-mails. Your co...
4 comments:
Saturday, July 23, 2005

Do Discreet and Discrete Mean the Same Thing?

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No. They are completely different words, but are sometimes confused because they sound the same. Discreet is an adjective which is used i...
Friday, July 22, 2005

How Do I Pronounce Slough?

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You've got my sympathy if you are not entirely sure about this word. It just so happens that slough has several meanings depending on...
3 comments:
Tuesday, July 19, 2005

When Did the Millennium Start?

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To answer this question, think about when the first millennium started. Was it the year 0 or the year 1? As it turns out we don't count ...
Monday, July 18, 2005

Are i.e. and e.g. Interchangeable?

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No. They are not. But they are often used as though they are. The abbreviation e.g. is Latin for exempli gratia . It means for example an...
1 comment:
Friday, July 15, 2005

What is The Difference Between a Pandemic and an Epidemic?

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I am not sure, to be honest. I personally have a lot of trouble with these two words. I sometimes wish one of them would be thrown away or o...

What is the Etymology of Paparazzi?

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In 1959 the Italian filmmaker Fredrico Fellini made a movie called La Dolce Vita (meaning the sweet or good life). It's about a gossip...
Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Does Punctuation Really Matter?

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Yes. A year ago I noticed a sign put up at my local dry cleaner. It read: If you like our service Tell a friend If you don't tell us ...
1 comment:
Sunday, July 10, 2005

Can I Use the Word Irregardless in Scrabble?

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Absolutely not. It is not a word. It does not mean anything. Do not use it anywhere. If you utter this word aloud in any group of people, th...
1 comment:
Thursday, July 07, 2005

What is the Difference Between Enquire and Inquire?

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The root e comes from the Latin (and Greek) ex which means "out of" or "from". The root i comes from the Latin in wh...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005

What is the Etymology of Curfew?

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The common meaning of curfew is a designated hour at which adolescents are required to be home in the evening by order of their parents or w...

What is the Difference Between Entomology and Etymology?

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The next time that you are at a party discussing the West Nile virus and the mosquitos that carry it, you could be engaging in entomology, t...
Monday, July 04, 2005

What is a Skeptic and How is it Spelled?

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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a skeptic is someone who has "an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either ...
Saturday, July 02, 2005

What is Poetic Licence*?

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Language is ever evolving and changing. Its changes reflect the dynamic and creative progress of culture and society. I am all for experimen...
2 comments:

What's the Plural of Criteria?

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Criteria is already plural as in : According to what criteria will you choose a new car to buy? By way of this example, you would use more ...

What is The Difference Between Between and Among?

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The word between should only be used when referring to the relationship of two things. Among refers to the relationship of three or more t...