“THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH” PART 1
AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT Thornton Wilder called The Skin of Our Teeth “the most ambitious project I have ever approached.” And no wonder. The play mixes the early 1940s with prehistoric times, … 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
WHENCE U.S. OIL THESE DAYS?
WHAT WITH the world at sixes and sevens (now there’s a phrase to investigate!), it’s worth identifying the sources of petroleum and its products imported into the U.S. Recent data … Continue reading
MY BENTLEY GARAGE FIND
THIS GARAGE find of mine isn’t a car—It’s a book. And what a find! Here are a few tidbits gleaned from this book. W.O. Bentley and the Red Baron had … 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
THE BRASHER DOUBLOON CAPER
EPHRAIM BRASHER, prominent colonial silversmith, lived in the fashionable Cherry Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. George Washington lived next door. It was 1787. That year, Brasher and John Bailey, a fellow … Continue reading
LET’S HEAR IT FOR CHROMESTHESIA!
WHAT COLOR is Mozart’s Ein Kleine Nachtmusik? How about The Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction? Or Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade? Synesthesia is the experience of one sensory input leading involuntarily to another. … 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
VPS (VIKING POSITIONING SYSTEM) PART 2
MEDIEVAL VIKINGS sailed much of their known world, and even portions of that still unknown, with practical navigation. Yesterday, we learned from an article in The New York Times, April … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 