90S SLANG STILL ALIVE AND WELL
NEAR THE END OF THE 1990S I WAS—wisely, it turns out—debunking the Y2K Dread that gizmos were incapable of counting 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001…. I was driving a Morgan at … Continue reading
“GHOST WORDS” IN DICTIONARIES
THERE’S NOTHING SCARY ABOUT DICTIONARY “GHOST WORDS.” They’re the result of misreading, mistranscribing, and plain old editorial goofing. Here’s a selection gleaned from several Internet sources. Dord. Wikipedia recounts, “The … Continue reading
DO OUR LANGUAGES SHAPE US? OR DO WE SHAPE OUR LANGUAGES? PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE LEARNED OF A LANGUAGE that logically places the past in front of us (where it’s readily perceived) and the future behind us (because it cannot be seen). Today … Continue reading
DO OUR LANGUAGES SHAPE US? OR DO WE SHAPE OUR LANGUAGES? PART 1
ANSWER: BOTH, AS MANVIR SINGH DESCRIBES in “How Much Does Our Language Shape Our Thinking?,” The New Yorker, December 23, 2024. Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow, … Continue reading
MERRIAM-WEBSTER WORD OF THE YEAR 2024
MERRIAM-WEBSTER SURELY NAILED “POLARIZATION” as its Word of the Year 2024. As noted, it “happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on. Search volume … Continue reading
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND “BRAIN ROT” PART 2
YESTERDAY I RANTED ON ABOUT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE versus purist democracy, tied loosely with “brain rot” being named Oxford’s Word of the Year. Today, we focus on this and its … Continue reading
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND “BRAIN ROT” PART 1
GIVEN THAT 49.9 PERCENT OF U.S. VOTERS chose Trump, it comes as no surprise that “brain rot” has been named the Oxford Word of the Year. Here, in Parts 1 … Continue reading
CYBERTHUGS
NOT THAT I’M SEEKING THINGS to worry about in the coming Trump administration, but our past-and-pre-President has already declared enthusiasm for cryptocurrency: “I’m laying out my plan,” he says, “to … Continue reading
FUN WITH CLERIHEWS
“A CLERIHEW,” MATHEMATICIAN HOWARD EVES WROTE, “is a form of light verse, akin to the limerick, that became popular in England.” Edmund Clerihew, 1875–1956, English novelist and humorist, inventor of … Continue reading
アンダーグラウンド辞典 The Underground Dictionary Part 2
THERE’S GOOD LINGUISTIC FUN to be had with vintage international slang, in this case a 1971 Japanese underground dictionary. We continue here in Part 2, beginning below Fourteenth Street. going … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 