WHAT DO “TROUSERS” TROUSE ANYWAY?
ETYMOLOGIES OF SWEATERS, SNEAKERS, AND PEDAL-PUSHERS are clear. Even skorts. But what of trousers? Here’s what I learned from Merriam-Webster, the O.E.D., the Internet, and other sources. The Merriam-Webster entry … Continue reading
LAUGH IT UP—ONLINE OR OFF
WHAT WITH ONE THING AND ANOTHER, there seems to be little to laugh about these days. But what is laughter? Why do we laugh? And how do we laugh in … Continue reading
YOOPER BANISHMENT, WORDWISE
BEING AS I AM SENTIMENTALLY CONNECTED with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I read with interest Lake Superior State University’s “2024 Banished Words List.“ Background. The university has been coming up with … Continue reading
AHOY YE MATIES!
TRUTH IS, I’VE HAD ONLY A FEW sea-faring adventures, but its lore seems to attract itself to me. Here are a couple more tidbits together with some St. Thomas recollections. … Continue reading
KISSOFF 2023
WRAPPING UP THIS YEAR, I will focus on the pleasurable rather than the problematic. Here’s a selection of SimanaitisSays 2023, the particular research, composition, and presentation of which gave me … Continue reading
ON FAITH, FANCY, POETRY, LOVE, AND ROMANCE
IN 1897 VIRGINIA O’HANLON WROTE a letter to The Sun, a New York City newspaper: “Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: EIGENGRAU—AND OTHER STUFF HERE AND THERE
I LEARNED AN OPTICAL TERM from the WordDaily website that jogged my memory in other ways: The word “eigengrau” defines “the dark gray color seen by the eyes in perfect … Continue reading
GRANDPA IS HEP
I AM INHERENTLY HEP, STRIVING TO BE au courant with our English language, from Beowulf to Chaucer to, like, y’know, jive talk. Being grandfather of two teens, I read with … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGICAL FUN
WORDS ENTER A LANGUAGE BY A VARIETY OF MEANS: onomatopoeia (identifying a sound), evolution (derived from an earlier word), immigration (imported from another language), and, adding to the fun, downright … Continue reading
MAURO CALDI, PILOTA STRAORDINARIO
THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF Classic & Sports Cars introduced me to the motoring comics of Denis Lapière (writer), Michel Constant (illustrator) and wife Béa who colors Michel’s illos. Amazon … Continue reading
