Fictional eponyms are a new frontier for brand naming, and the territory is quickly becoming well populated. A partial list includes Amazon's Alexa, the health insurance company Oscar, the "intelligent oven" June, and the mattress brand Eve. The first-name brand isn't your boss – it's your buddy.
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Fictional eponyms are a new frontier for brand naming, and the territory is quickly becoming well populated. A partial list includes Amazon's Alexa, the health insurance company Oscar, the "intelligent oven" June, and the mattress brand Eve. The first-name brand isn't your boss – it's your buddy.
Continue reading...
Evasive Maneuvers
Euphemisms old and new
Carbon-restrained Health and Lifestyle Lunacy
August 9, 2017
We can't resolve the fate of the planet today, or probably ever, so let's escape into the amusing, bonkers world of euphemism.
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Language Lounge
A Monthly Column for Word Lovers
Help for Harried Justices
August 1, 2017
Though it may have gone unnoticed by you, there is a specter haunting the American court system, and that specter is the dictionary.
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Word Count
Writers Talk About Writing
Why the Best Writers Have the Most Emotional Intelligence
July 19, 2017
People with the ability to identify, understand and assess their own and others' emotions have greater mental health, increased happiness, and more powerful leadership skills. They're also better writers.
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Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text
using the Visual Thesaurus VocabGrabber.
January 18th is celebrated as Thesaurus Day to honor the birthday of the author of the first thesaurus, Peter Mark Roget. Get into the spirit by reading our two-part interview with Roget biographer Joshua Kendall here and here. Also check out an ode to the thesaurus penned by Franklin P. Adams here and Johnny Carson's hilarious "Funeral for a Thesaurus Editor" sketch here.
On the first Monday in September, the United States observes Labor Day, while Canadians celebrate Labour Day. If you want to know why labour is the accepted spelling in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries like Canada, while Americans prefer labor (and color, favor, honor, humor, and neighbor), check out this classic Word Routes column by Ben Zimmer.
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Re-accommodating the Latest Euphemistic Twaddle
May 5, 2017
- 8 Comments
Stats Meet Lit in an Insightful New Book About Writing
April 19, 2017
- 1 Comment
Can't Write? Can't Draw? Here's Why You Should Doodle.
April 17, 2017
"Word by Word" is a Funny, Revealing Look at the Life of a Lexicographer
March 30, 2017
- 1 Comment
Fact Checking in an Evidence-Free Environment
Click here to browse all the articles in our archive by date.
March 8, 2017
- 5 Comments
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RECENT COMMENTS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS
Meet the New Eponyms
Nancy Friedman said,
"Dan: I've heard the IBM story, too, but have never seen it substantiated. The official story is that HAL stands for Heuristically programmed..."
- Tuesday August 15th, 7:07 PM
Dan F. said,
"I heard years ago that there's a reason "HAL" was chosen as the name of the duplicitous computer on the Discovery One. "H,' "A," and "L" are the..."
- Tuesday August 15th, 6:23 PM
Carbon-restrained Health and Lifestyle Lunacy
James M. said,
"Let in the sharks?!? 1. I appreciated both the root and "eupha-mysticism" of "income volatility", in a lot less time than it took to parse the..."
- Monday August 14th, 12:14 AM
Why the Best Writers Have the Most Emotional Intelligence
Wendy P. said,
"Oh well, that (list of attributes) leaves me out! DANG!"
- Tuesday August 8th, 6:17 PM
Phil said,
"Excellent article. I have made a word list from this credited it to you. Hope that is ok."
- Tuesday August 8th, 1:47 PM
Breadcrumbing Challenges in the Environmental Park
Adolf V. said,
"Environmental Park - this is a good one! Thanks for sharing. One of the best ones that I've ever heard was: "Jerked to Jesus", i.e. hanged."
- Monday July 31st, 7:36 AM
sally L. said,
"Thank you for this interesting article on the world we live in."
- Sunday July 30th, 8:25 AM
Why the Best Writers Have the Most Emotional Intelligence
Daphne Gray-Grant said,
"Thanks for your kind words, Donetia!"
- Wednesday July 19th, 4:18 PM
Donetia M. said,
"Simply beautiful and true !"
- Wednesday July 19th, 3:08 PM
Academic Vocabulary and the New Wave of Testing
Mr. Scott said,
"Interesting comment by Peter C. with whom I tend to agree. I also agree with Lyn that the intention of the writer (context) is obviously needed along..."
- Sunday July 16th, 3:06 PM
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Stage Directions: the Vocabulary of Theatrical Delivery
November 1, 2013
How can interpreting the language of stage directions enhance students' comprehension of drama?
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