1. 15 Apr


    Suede and swayed. Mine and mine. They’re homophones, right? No, wait — homonyms? Are homophone and homonym synonyms? And what’s the deal with homographs, anyway? How do they fit in?

    A handy guide to homophones, homonyms, and homographs

     

  2. 11 Apr


    Tips from old etiquette books: “Don’t say gents for gentlemen or pants for pantaloons. These are inexcusable vulgarisms.” “A little graceful imitation of actors and public speakers may be allowed. National manners, and the peculiarities of entire classes, are fair game. French dandies, Yankee bargainers, and English exquisites, may be ridiculed at pleasure.” Never ask a lady a question about anything whatever.” “In the company of ladies, do not labor to establish learned points by long-winded arguments. They do not care to take too much pains to find out truth.” 14 more antiquated rules… Photo from: Thinkstock

    Tips from old etiquette books:

    • “Don’t say gents for gentlemen or pants for pantaloons. These are inexcusable vulgarisms.”

    • “A little graceful imitation of actors and public speakers may be allowed. National manners, and the peculiarities of entire classes, are fair game. French dandies, Yankee bargainers, and English exquisites, may be ridiculed at pleasure.”

    • Never ask a lady a question about anything whatever.”
    • “In the company of ladies, do not labor to establish learned points by long-winded arguments. They do not care to take too much pains to find out truth.”

    14 more antiquated rules…

    Photo from: Thinkstock

     

  3. 4 Apr



    14 words that are their own opposites

    It’s all about context.

    • Oversight is the noun form of two verbs with contrary meanings, “oversee” and “overlook.” “Oversee,” from Old English ofersēon ’look at from above,’ means ‘supervise.’ “Overlook” usually means the opposite: ‘to fail to see or observe; to pass over without noticing; to disregard, ignore.’

    • Left can mean either remaining or departed. If the gentlemen have withdrawn to the drawing room for after-dinner cigars, who’s left? (The gentlemen have left and the ladies are left.)

    12 more…

     

  4. 11 Feb



    9 little translation mistakes that caused big problems

    • In the ’50s, when chocolate companies began encouraging people to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan, a mistranslation from one company gave people the idea that it was customary for women to give chocolate to men on the holiday. And that’s what they do to this day. On February 14, the women of Japan shower their men with chocolate hearts and truffles, and on March 14 the men return the favor. An all-around win for the chocolate companies!

    More…

     

  5. 25 Jan


    This Sunday is the birthday of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the English mathematician and writer whose most famous works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark. Such works featured Carroll’s specialty: coining blends and nonce words. Here are some of our favorites: BoojumThe boojum is “a particularly dangerous variety of ‘snark,’” an imaginary creature of Carroll’s invention. The word boojum has inspired the naming of everything from “a species of tree… native to Baja California, Mexico” (found in 1922 by plant explorer Godfrey Sykes, who proclaimed, “It must be a boojum!”); to a supersonic cruise missile that “was determined to be too ambitious a project… and was canceled in 1951”; to “a geometric pattern sometimes observed on the surface of superfluid helium-3,” as named by physicist David Mermin in 1976.Example: But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, / If your Snark be a Boojum!  For then / You will softly and suddenly vanish away, / And never be met with again!” — Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark, 1876  ChortleTo chortle means “to exclaim exultingly, with a noisy chuckle.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Carroll coined the word as a blend of chuckle and snort.Example: ”He chortled in his joy.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1871  Frabjous Frabjous means “great, wonderful, fabulous,” and is a blend of either fabulous and joyous, or fair and joyous. “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” cries the narrator of The Jabberwocky upon learning that the Jabberwock has been slain.Example: “‘O frabjous day!’ rejoiced Emma Dean, using her bath towel as a scarf and performing a weird dance about the room.” — Jessie Graham Flower, Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus, 1915 10 whimsical words coined by Lewis Carroll

    This Sunday is the birthday of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the English mathematician and writer whose most famous works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark. Such works featured Carroll’s specialty: coining blends and nonce words. Here are some of our favorites:
    1. Boojum
      The boojum is “a particularly dangerous variety of ‘snark,’” an imaginary creature of Carroll’s invention. The word boojum has inspired the naming of everything from “a species of tree… native to Baja California, Mexico” (found in 1922 by plant explorer Godfrey Sykes, who proclaimed, “It must be a boojum!”); to a supersonic cruise missile that “was determined to be too ambitious a project… and was canceled in 1951”; to “a geometric pattern sometimes observed on the surface of superfluid helium-3,” as named by physicist David Mermin in 1976.
      Example: But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, / If your Snark be a Boojum!  For then / You will softly and suddenly vanish away, / And never be met with again!” — Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark, 1876
       
    2. Chortle
      To chortle means “to exclaim exultingly, with a noisy chuckle.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Carroll coined the word as a blend of chuckle and snort.
      Example: ”He chortled in his joy.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1871
       
    3. Frabjous 
      Frabjous means “great, wonderful, fabulous,” and is a blend of either fabulous and joyous, or fair and joyous. “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” cries the narrator of The Jabberwocky upon learning that the Jabberwock has been slain.
      Example: “‘O frabjous day!’ rejoiced Emma Dean, using her bath towel as a scarf and performing a weird dance about the room.” — Jessie Graham Flower, Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus, 1915

     

  6. 23 Jan



    50 collective nouns to bolster your vocabulary

    You’ve heard of a “flight of stairs,” “a board of trustees,” and a “school of fish.” But a “business of ferrets” is probably a new one. 

    • Mustering of Storks
    • Shrewdness of Apes
    • Smack of jellyfish
    • Kindle of kittens
    • Worship of writers

    45 more…

     

  7. 17 Jan



    19 regional words all Americans should adopt immediately

    Traveling around the United States, it sometimes can feel as if the locals are speaking a whole different language…

    whoopensocker (n.), Wisconsin — You know when something’s wonderfully unique, but the words “wonderful” and “unique” don’t quite cut it? That’s why Wisconsinites invented whoopensocker, which can refer to anything extraordinary of its kind — from a sweet dance move to a knee-melting kiss. 

    snoopy (adj.), Maryland, Pennsylvania — A more interesting way of saying someone’s picky, especially with regards to food. 

    chinchy (adj.), South, South Midlands — Not as direct as “cheap,” and less erudite than “parsimonious,” this useful word perfectly describes your stingy friend who never chips in for gas.

    More words… 

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  8. 15 Jan



    14 wonderful words with no English equivalent

    Koi No Yokan (Japanese) — The sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall in love.

    Zeg (Georgian) — It means “the day after tomorrow.” Seriously, why don’t we have a word for that in English?

    Rhwe (Tsonga, South Africa) — College kids, relax. There’s actually a word for “to sleep on the floor without a mat, while drunk and naked.”

    More words…

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  9. 30 Nov



    Lawn Mullet: A neatly manicured front yard and an unmowed mess in the back

    19 outstanding words you should be working into conversation (via Mental_Floss)

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  10. 8 Oct


    The exclamation comma and the question comma: Now you can be excited or inquisitive without having to end a sentence!  13 little-known punctuation marks we should be using  (via Mental Floss)

    The exclamation comma and the question comma: Now you can be excited or inquisitive without having to end a sentence! 

     

  11. 23 Aug



    Tell McCaskill your standing with Todd Akin.
    — 

    Rep. Todd Akin, struggling to revive his battered campaign, launched a page on his website asking supports to rally behind him. “I made a mistake,” he said, referring to his preposterous claim that victims of “legitimate rape” can’t get pregnant. “I used the wrong words in the wrong way.” Above the quote, the campaign asked fans to “tell McCaskill your standing with Todd Akin.” Giddy critics immediately spotted the error and tweeted their glee to the world, ribbing Akin for “using the wrong word” to “apologize for using the wrong words.” The campaign quickly corrected the error, or tried to, spelling it “your’re,” before trying a third time and getting it right. 

    11 embarrassing political typos

     

  12. 27 Oct


    The Exclamation Comma. “Just because you’re excited about something doesn’t mean you have to end the sentence.” That’s true. 13 little-known punctuation marks we should be using

    The Exclamation Comma. “Just because you’re excited about something doesn’t mean you have to end the sentence.”

    That’s true.

    13 little-known punctuation marks we should be using