Have a lollapalooza new year
It’s a new year and a re-start on my Word of the Week posts. Why not start off with a neologism—a made-up word. One that I hope characterizes the year ahead: lollapalooza.
Let’s Compare
Tis the season…for comparison shopping. Thanks to the convenience of the Internet, we can still let our fingers do the walking and save ourselves from the crowds.
Thankful? Count the ways to say it.
I’m taking a page from the folks at Daily Writing Tips who occasionally write a post on all the synonyms for a certain word, and adding my own twist to the exercise so many are involved in this month—posting 30 days of thankfulness. How many ways are there to say “thank you” or express thankfulness?
On Muffins and Risk Aversion
Rarely does anything good come out of a container that’s been in the back of the refrigerator longer than, say, a month. I'm sure I'm not the only person to occasionally discover leftovers whose origins are but a dim memory. Moldy and smelly, they quickly end up in the disposal. If the mold weren't enough to disgust me, the smell would make me vomit.
Word of the Week – flagrant
Referees and umpires call them; athletes deny them; politicos charge them: flagrant violations or infractions of the rules. These are the offenses that are obvious even to the armchair spectator. They are disgraceful, monstrous, immoral. They are glaring—meaning they shine in the harsh light to which they are exposed—an appropriate synonym since the original meaning of the Latin flagrāre was to burn, blaze.
Word of the Week – edit vs. editorialize
Every writer needs an editor or at least a proofreader. Even experienced writers benefit from another pair of eyes reviewing what they have written before it goes to press.
To Apostrophe or Not – 3 Simple Rules
According to the Chicago of Manual of Style, the apostrophe has three primary uses: to show possession, to indicate missing letters (i.e. in contractions), and, “…rarely, to form the plural of certain expressions.” Perhaps the most egregious apostrophe error is its overuse.
Word of the Week – Lickspittle
In all the ink spilled this week over Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the Washington Post, my favorite line comes from Gene Weingarten in an open letter to his new boss.
No Illusions: The Skinny on Allude and Elude
Today let’s tackle another pair of easily confused words: allude and elude. And for good measure, let’s throw in delude.
Word of the Week – bedlam
Many now common English words evolve from proper nouns. Gerrymandering—the practice of creating electoral districts that favor a particular political party takes its name from the Massachusetts governor, Elbridge Gerry, who approved such a move in 1812. Californication found its way into the lexicon in the 1970s. It refers to the unchecked, haphazard development that was occurring in southern California at the time, but now can describe any sprawling, unplanned metropolis. Technology contributes its share of neologisms: googling, meme, and photoshop, to name a few. And from the sports world—Tebowing—referring to quarterback Tim Tebow’s prayer stance following a touchdown.