PUSILLANIMOUS, CRAVEN, DASTARDLY: ETYMOLOGIES, WITH EXAMPLES PART 2
THIS ALL STARTED with my seeking descriptions of certain U.S. Senators participating in the Trump sequel to his first impeachment. The nickel word “pusillanimous” came to mind in Part 1; … Continue reading
PUSILLANIMOUS, CRAVEN, DASTARDLY: ETYMOLOGIES, WITH EXAMPLES PART 1
I WAS AT a loss for words while I listened to Senator Mitch McConnell and other Republicans during this past week’s impeachment hearings. But then three words came to mind: … Continue reading
THE FIRST HUMANIST PLAYWRIGHT
SHAKESPEARE: THE INVENTION of the Human, 1998, is a classic book by Harold Bloom, 1930–2019, who is oft cited as “the most influential English-language critic of the late 20th century.” … Continue reading
ON REMARKABLE DIARIES
I’VE NEVER KEPT a diary. As one of Wife Dottie’s relatives said (while flipping the car’s rearview mirror out of the way), “What’s past is past….” On the other hand, … Continue reading
SECONDHAND BOOKSHOPS I HAVE LOVED
BACK WHEN TRAVEL was important to my life, secondhand bookshops were important to my travel. The search was as entertaining as the acquisition, and the surprises could be terrific. Here’s … Continue reading
THERE’S A WORD FOR THAT
CHANGING TIMES CALL for changing terms. Science magazine, published weekly by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, asked young scientists “What new word or phrase would you add … Continue reading
LRB LETTERS AND ….
THE LONDON REVIEW of Books can be highly literary and illuminating, occasionally obtuse to us Yanks, invariably entertaining, and at times an outright hoot. Here are tidbits collected from a … Continue reading
FUNNY I SHOULD ASK….
WIFE DOTTIE RECOGNIZES me as an inquisitive sort, as shown by two gift books under our Christmas tree. By the way, just in case you’re inquisitive as well, here’s our … Continue reading
ON DICTIONARIES
ONE OF MY more obscure secondhand bookshop acquisitions was a French-Greek dictionary. It’s not completely useless, as I know a little French, albeit much less Greek. Perusing it got me … Continue reading
ON IMMANUEL KANT ET AL
I WAS PERUSING my secondhand copy of The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, this time around, getting around to reading its editor Clifton Fadiman’s introductory notes (for the first time, … Continue reading
