Let's isolate the word quarantine and learn what separates it from the crowd.  Continue reading...

Even in horrible times, you can always count on euphemisms. Evasive language never takes a day off.  Continue reading...

Do the profound insights made by J. L. Austin and Paul Grice have any application to "conversations" in which the traffic in words is by definition all or nearly all one-way?  Continue reading...

Before the 20th century, generational names were rare or nonexistent. What changed? And what do the names of generations tell us about history and identity?  Continue reading...

This inescapable (literally) fact that we're all spending a lot of time at home these days got us thinking about words for house and home. Many of those words — such as domestic, domicile, and domain — share a common root with a long and interesting history.  Continue reading...

Most people will spend five years and four months on social media over their lifetime. Are you addicted to your smartphone, and has it gotten worse than ever?  Continue reading...