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...

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

Caremongering? Quarantini? Zoom-bombing? The COVID-19 pandemic has already inspired its own lexicon of coined words.  Continue reading...

From cholera to Spanish flu to "Wuhan virus," what we call a disease reveals our fears and prejudices.  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...