You’ve heard it said that two are better than one. It is often true in regard to brainpower (two heads together think better than one alone) or laboring (some wisdom from King Solomon) and is always true in regard to cookies (at least, for me). But this rule is not…
Over the weekend, we had the joy of visiting with dear friends—friends who indulge my love for language by contributing entries for Which Word Wednesday. After coming across some discussion about the difference between naked and nude, they knew it was just the sort of WWW match-up I like. Let’s…
You’ve likely been inundated with news about our government’s little sabbatical (ahem), the reasons for which are many and complex. I do not claim special insight or analysis. Instead, I’m dedicating today’s Which Word Wednesday to the whole debacle by looking at delusion and illusion. I want to make sure…
As I looked over my workload for today, my first reaction was a sigh. Not because I don’t like my work, but because I was seeing it as a task list—things I had to do, things that were keeping me from other things I wanted to do (read, play, nap,…
Although fall doesn’t officially kick off for another 11 days, I tend to think of Labor Day as the beginning of the season. School has started, football is on, the leaves are changing, and—my favorite: There are cross country meets to watch. It’s part nostalgia, part love for running that…
Over the past few years, my sweet maternal grandmother has endured several strokes and other health ailments. Each time, she has bounced back. She had another episode earlier this month, and once again, she rallied. I wanted to say she was a fighter, a tough cookie, a spunky gal. The…
Tomorrow is our chance to celebrate our nation’s birth with parades, fireworks, and feasting. My guess is that many celebrations will include charring some meat products on a hot grill—something we call a barbecue . . . or is it barbeque? That’s the inspiration for today’s Which Word Wednesday. A…
You may be wondering how in the world someone might mix up these two terms. In common, everyday usage, an orphan is a parentless child; a widow is a woman whose husband has died. But these terms are also used in the editing world to describe less-than pleasant text layout….
Years ago, I decided that when each of my nieces turned 16, I would treat them to a day of fun. Niece Julia was first; we ventured to Chicago to see Phantom of the Opera—it was completely magical. Now it’s niece Isabelle’s turn. And today’s the day. We’re taking the…
You know what I love about my friends? They know I’m a word nerd and they still talk to me and even feed me potential cases for Which Word Wednesday. I am one blessed gal. This week’s entry of preventative and preventive comes from friend Melisa. Her inquiry sent me…
recent comments