ETYMOLOGY: SYNCRETIZE
THE WORD GENIUS WEBSITE offers an interesting word in “syncretize.” It’s a verb, originating from Latin in the 17th century, meaning “an attempt to amalgamate or reconcile (differing things, especially … Continue reading
THE CASE OF THE KERNLESS “f” AND MISFIT “?”
SOME BOOK REVIEWS ARE JUST AS MUCH as I want to know. Others, like Gill Partington’s “Every Watermark and Stain,” London Review of Books, June 20, 2024, encourage me to … Continue reading
[sic] [sic]
NO DOUBT YOU RECOGNIZE THE BRACKETED “[sic],” the citer stressing that the word, even though exactly as cited, is incorrect: “My county [sic], ’tis of thee.” It’s a good way … Continue reading
AS NOTEWORTHY AS “SEE ALSO”
I WAS RESEARCHING “AS THE BISHOP SAID to the actress” only to find that SimanaitisSays had already cited this thought-provoking phrase. However, one source for it was Brewer’s Dictionary of … Continue reading
HUMPTY DUMPTY—LINGUIST EXTRAORDINAIRE
EXPLAINING WORDS LIKE “SLITHY” AND “MIMSY” to Alice, Humpty Dumpty says, “You see it’s like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.” And, of course, Alice would … Continue reading
A NEW PARLOUR GAME (AT LEAST TO ME)
A FRIEND IN ANACORTES INTRODUCES me to a new parlour game (or for any other locale one has these days): Take a well-known expression in a foreign language, change a … Continue reading
LRB LETTER WRITERS—AN ARTICULATE GROUP
THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS IS EVIDENTLY WELL COMPOSED, and articulate as well are its “Letters” column respondents. To me they serve a double purpose: reminding me of something previously … Continue reading
ALOHA, HOALOHA
HAWAIIAN IS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE of our 50th state; so is English. (The only other U.S. states with multiple official languages are Alaska including 20 Alaska Native tongues and South … Continue reading
WHATS GOIN ON AT ST MARYS WALK? OR WATERSTONES? OR VONS?
JENNY GROSS WRITES IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, May 10, 2024, “An English Town Drops Apostrophes From Street Signs. Some Aren’t Happy.” “Malcolm Wood, an English teacher in North Yorkshire, … Continue reading
DISSIN’ FOR FUN
BACK IN OCTOBER 2022, MY BOOK REVIEW of Colin Jarman’s Barbed Quotes: Mudslinging, Backstabbing, and Celebrity Dishing offered only one quote concerning politicians. I guess I thought Trump would just … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 