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Language Lounge
Of Pit Bulls and Bar Mitzvahs
Tue Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Back in the old days (pre-Internet), when life was simpler, dictionaries were thought to carry a certain authority. People consulted them in order to learn or verify the proper and accepted meaning of words, to resolve disagreements, and sometimes to find an authoritative hook on which they could hang arguments. Today, the Internet and other technological developments make those scenarios a little less dependable and straightforward.
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Blog Excerpts
Celebrating Labor (and Labour) Day
Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
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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Blog Excerpts
"Sinister Buttocks" and the Dangers of Thesaurus Flipping
Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Earlier this month, the Times Higher Education reported on the practice of "Roget-ing," in which plagiarism is disguised by swapping synonyms found in Roget's Thesaurus for words used in the copied paper. Though untraceable, the resulting language ranges from not quite right to cataclysmically horrible.
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Word Routes
A Little "Lagniappe" for Language Lovers
Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014
A few weeks ago I started a regular feature on the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley called LinguaFile, in which I present the hosts with a word and have them try to guess its origins. Last time it was discombobulate, and for this week's episode I went with another one of my favorite words, lagniappe, meaning "a bonus gift (as given to a customer from a merchant)."
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Word Count
When Are You "Anxious" And When Are You "Eager"?
Wed Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Here is the latest in a series of tips on usage and style shared by Mignon Fogarty, better known as Grammar Girl. With students returning to school, Mignon asks if they're best described as "anxious" or "eager."
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Candlepower
New Names from (Very) Old Words
Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 EDT 2014
In the world of branding, coined and contorted names often hog all the attention. Less commented-on are the successful contemporary brand names with long pedigrees: "real" dictionary words that have been used by English speakers for centuries.
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Word Count
The More We Change...
Fri Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the single most enjoyable way to improve your writing is to read good books. Take a moment waiting for the bus one day and think, "What's a classic that I know by name but have never read?" If one strikes your fancy, get it, open it to page one, and start reading.
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Blog Excerpts
"YOLO" Enters Oxford Dictionaries
Fri Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Among the new words just added to Oxford Dictionaries is "YOLO," an acronym for "You Only Live Once." Loyal readers will recall that our own Ben Zimmer has been on the YOLO beat for a couple of years. Read his August 2012 Word Routes column, "Further Adventures of YOLO," here, and read about how his Boston Globe column helped put the word on the map here.
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Word Count
7 Tips for Making Quotes More Believable
Wed Aug 13 00:00:00 EDT 2014
If you write copy, have you ever had to "make up" quotes for your boss? This is not such an unusual thing in the world of corporate communications. Bosses are busy and they often don't have time to be interviewed by their own PR or public affairs person.
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Word Count
Nowadays, "Like" Just Means "Uh-Huh"
Mon Aug 11 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Like has a new meaning. The word used to mean 'feel affection for,' 'take pleasure in,' or 'enjoy.' Now, thanks to Facebook, like can also mean, "Yes, I read what you wrote," or just a noncommittal "uh huh."
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