The New York Times runs an article titled “Words We Love Too Much,” which highlights certain words that are being used and used and used again in NYT articles. I find it fascinating to see how a word like kerfuffle went from one use in 1990 to 12 uses in…
In a previous Which Word Wednesday match up—when we looked at vim vs. vigor—I mentioned that some word pairs become so attached that we rarely use one without the other. I listed flotsam and jetsam as one such pair, and today we will take a closer look at this duo….
Some words have been so linked that together they form a phrasal expression. (Think of pairs like warp and woof, flotsam and jetsam, kith and kin, etc.) Today’s Which Word Wednesday features one such pair: vim and vigor. Why is it that vim always gets to go first? Why don’t…
To err is human. Just don’t err around some linguists. They get rather crabby when people use irregardless or heighth or unloosen. The fear of using the wrong word in the presence a crabby linguist can make people rather tongue-tied. I know this, because recently several dear friends have commented…
In real estate, the rule is location, location, location. That rule is also helpful for the word quandary in this week’s Which Word Wednesday discussion between the word bring and take. Location is key, because it helps you decide which word fits for the meaning you intend to convey. Here’s…
Welcome to the first Which Word Wednesday of 2011! [I can hear your cheers echoing through the blogosphere!] Today’s word quandary comes from a submission made via Facebook last month (hello, Bill!). I tucked the suggestion in my idea folder and decided to haul it out for the first WWW…
Some of my friends have wondered when the word duels for Which Word Wednesday will be exhausted. I’m sure someday WWW will have its last posting . . . but I have some good news! I just received a book stocked with examples to choose from. I think we’ll be…
The variations in American English and British English are curious to me. There are the vocabulary differences (boot vs. trunk, etc.). Then there are distinct pronunciation differences (accent enhanced, I’m sure). We say advertisement with four syllables (ad-ver-TISE-ment); the Brits say it with three (AD-vertis-ment). They pronounce often with a…
It’s time for another course of Which Word Wednesday! Has your appetite grown after missing last week’s serving? My apologies—I was busy with Turkey Day prep, so WWW was put to the back burner. So glad to have you back at my table—and if you are feeling stuffed from last…
For some time now, grammar geeks have debated the correctness of the typical signage at grocery store express lanes—you know, the ones that say 10 Items or Less. Most language lovers prefer 10 Items or Fewer. And so we have another word debate on our hands for Which Word Wednesday….
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