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  1. Word Routes

     Where Did We Get "The Whole Nine Yards"?
    Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2009
    Among the idioms of modern American English, few are as puzzling to unpack as the expression "the whole nine yards," meaning 'the full extent of something.' Though it is of relatively recent vintage, etymologists have yet to discover a credible historical explanation for what the "nine yards" might refer to — there are a multitude of theories, some quite fanciful, but none are supported by documentary evidence. In the past few years, however, some significant progress has been made to unearth early examples of the idiom, which may eventually help to smoke out where those "nine yards" originally came from.

  2. Candlepower

     Telling the Brand Story
    Mon Mar 10 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    "A corporate brand is meant to be an organizing principle and filter for all actions, behavior and product development of an organization," explains author and veteran branding expert Scott Lerman. The former president of Siegel & Gale and CEO of Enterprise IG, Americas, Scott founded the consultancy Lucid Brands in 2005 to help organizations shape and develop their "brand story." We had a fascinating conversation with Scott about his work:

  3. Word Count

     Five Ways to Find More Time for Reading
    Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011

    "I love your idea of reading 52 books a year," said a colleague last week. But the modifier  "theoretically" hung in the air. "How do you ever manage it?" she added.

    In truth, I adore reading so much I don't find it difficult. I was the kind of kid who read the backs of cereal boxes at breakfast.

  4. Evasive Maneuvers

     Farmyard Confetti and Other Blonde Situations
    Wed Jun 08 00:00:00 EDT 2011

    A few months ago, New Yorker cartoonist and SXSW attendee Drew Dernavich wrote a tweet so full of euphemisms it made me fall out of my sitting tool. Sitting tool? Here’s the tweet:

    Just sat in chair whose creator said it was a "sitting tool" with a "learning curve" which stimulated the "conception vessel."

  5. Word Count

     Why You Should Think of Yourself as an Orange
    Wed Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    Stuck with your writing? Hitting a roadblock? Feeling you just can't go any further? Here is a game to help. It will sound a little crazy but, trust me, it works.

  6. Word Count

     Good Grammar Leads to Violence at Starbucks?
    Tue Aug 17 00:00:00 EDT 2010
    Did you hear about the professor of English who was removed by police from a New York Starbucks over a bagel-related language complaint? A more mild-mannered professor of English, Dennis Baron of the University of Illinois, investigates.

  7. Candlepower

     3 Questions Every Marketing Piece Must Answer
    Sat May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2007
    Each week I come across countless examples of marketing and PR writing that are wonderful to read. The grammar is impeccable. The phrases are inventive. The words sing. But does that mean the resultant sales letter, web page, or press release will meet objectives? The answer, of course, is no.

  8. Blog Excerpts

     The Troubled History of "Refugee"
    Wed Sep 16 00:00:00 EDT 2015
    On Minnesota Public Radio, our executive editor Ben Zimmer explored the problematic history of the word refugee, now frequently heard in media accounts of the European migration crisis.

  9. Word Routes

     Where Did Biden Get His "Bunch of Malarkey"?
    Fri Oct 12 00:00:00 EDT 2012
    In last night's vice-presidential debate, there was one clear winner: the word malarkey. Joe Biden used it not once but twice against Paul Ryan. First, in responding to Ryan's criticism of the Obama administration's handling of last month's attacks in Benghazi, he told Ryan, "With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey." And then later, Biden euphemistically called Ryan's rhetoric "a bunch of stuff" before clarifiying, "We Irish call it malarkey."

  10. Word Count

     15 Minutes to Writing Fame
    Mon Apr 23 00:00:00 EDT 2007
    While standing in the checkout line at the grocery store the other day, I spotted the magazine Real Simple. It wasn't just the cutesy name that caught my attention. (How can the editors live with themselves, basing a magazine name on a grammatical error? But I digress...) The eye-catching cover line that grabbed me by the eyeballs was: What can you do in 15 minutes?
156 157 158 159 160 Displaying 1571-1580 of 3460 Results