THE CONFIDENCE-MAN, COMPLETE WITH HYPHEN PART 2
THERE WAS literary justice in the first appearance of Herman Melville’s The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade being on April Fool’s Day, 1857: This Melville novel recounts the happenings on that very … Continue reading
THE CONFIDENCE-MAN, COMPLETE WITH HYPHEN PART 1
WHAT FOLLOWS is a meta-review. That is, a review of reviews, in this case of The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade, one of only a few books coming to mind that have … Continue reading
MOB TALK, SELF-SELECTED PART 2
THIS CELEBRATION of mob vernacular has turned out to be more compelling than I expected. Yesterday, I didn’t even get through the C’s. Today in Part 2, I will be … Continue reading
MOB TALK, SELF-SELECTED PART 1
MY MOB experience is modest indeed. I enjoyed The Godfather, 1972, but have viewed it only once. I saw neither Godfather Part II, 1974, nor Godfather Part III, 1990. I … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: AT SIXES AND SEVENS
THE WORLD, it has been said, is “at sixes and sevens.” On the other hand, researching this phrase gave me some comforting insight into the practice of etymology and, indeed, … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: HOIST ON ONE’S OWN PETARD
THERE APPEARS to be no shortage of Etymology for our Times words and phrases: To name a few, there are buffoon, charlatan, mendacity—and today’s “hoist on one’s own petard.” What … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: FROM PHONY TO FAWNEY TO FANNY PART 2
MAYBE THE words phony and fawney are related to the word “fanny”? With regard to fanny, though, be forewarned: This word has two distinct meanings, one English and the other … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: FROM PHONY TO FAWNEY TO FANNY PART 1
THERE ARE times when etymological searches take unexpected turns: I started off with “phony,” certainly an appropriate entry in my Etymology for our Times (EfoT) series. This led, in a … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: CRONY, CRONYISM
MERRIAM-WEBSTER nails cronyism as “partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard to their qualifications.” Furthermore, M-W defines a crony as “a … Continue reading
HOAX: A REAL ETYMOLOGY
IN MY continuing Etymology for our Times, I offer the word “hoax,” often tweeted by Trump to describe things with which he disagrees or possibly misunderstands. Merriam-Webster says the verb … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 