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...

Are you physical distancing or social distancing? Either way, there's a euphemism to distract you during these unprecedented times.  Continue reading...

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the merger of four railroads in the United States to create the longest railroad in the world by number of miles served. I note the anniversary as an item of linguistic curiosity, in light of the many ways that railroads and trains have made their way into popular and figurative English.  Continue reading...

Rejoice! There's a new candidate for Euphemism of the Year, Drivel of the Decade, and Malarkey of the Millennium.  Continue reading...

Here's a look at the OED's latest quarterly update to see if there are any euphemisms. If not, I'll suggest how some of the terms could be euphemisms. After all, this column is an offering to the Malarkey Gods.  Continue reading...

In many ways, Prohibition was a social and legal failure, but in one respect it succeeded wildly: It vastly enriched our lexicons of slang and marketing, often to lasting effect.  Continue reading...