Tag Archives: history

Let’s veterinarian this word

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

Earlier this week, I got an out-of-the blue phone call from a friend calling from his work. He was wondering how to spell vet when used in the sense of methodically considering a person or idea. I’m not perfect and … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, etymology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The King James Bible gave English some awesome phrases

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Regardless of your faith, or lack thereof, it is simply astonishing to learn the number of common English phrases that come from the King James Bible. “A drop in the bucket,” “the root of the matter,” “fight the good fight,” … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, literature | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Yo mama’s so fat a hyperbole couldn’t even exaggerate her weight.

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

Lesson: Spotting hyperbole in literature, pop culture, and politics. hyperbole: an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” –dictionary.com Hyperbole is a tool used in literature and rhetoric when you … Continue reading →

Posted in literature, story time | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ye Old Mispronunciation: The long forgotten letter “thorn”

Posted on July 26, 2011 by

We’ve all seen those kitschy, old-timey business signs like “Ye Old Curiosity Shop,” or “Ye Old Hat Shop,” or “Ye Old Beer Stand.” Shockingly, this whole time we have been mispronouncing these names. In these cases, ye is not pronounced … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is that irony in your pocket? I couldn’t tell without a punctuation mark.

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

Think the interrobang is strange? Well, the nonstandard punctuation department is hardly a lonely place. For centuries, humans have been toying with squiggly lines and dots, trying to get them to do more than the jobs of standard punctuation. One … Continue reading →

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Interrobang: Is this the coolest name for a punctuation mark ever‽

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

In writing, sometimes it is necessary to express both excitement/surprise and disbelief at the same time. The most accepted method of showing these emotions through punctuation is to use both a question mark (?) and an exclamation point (!). Examples: … Continue reading →

Posted in punctuation, story time | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

One space or two?

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

Lesson: One space or two after a period   This recent Slate article reignited an old battle for typographers, punctuation geeks, and old-school users of typing instruments: Is it one space or two after a period? I hate to break … Continue reading →

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Studying Yogi-isms, but instead of “all over again,” it’s for the first time, at least on this blog

Posted on January 20, 2011 by

Lesson: Reducing redundancy and contradiction Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was as well known for the RBIs he made while wearing a Yankee’s jersey as he was for his off-field RBIs, or “Real Berra Intelligence.” (Wow. I can actually hear your … Continue reading →

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