Master for Webs

Archive for the ‘Dictionary’ Category

Today we mark the anniversary of the passing of James Parkinson on December 21, 1824. The Parkinson we honor today was not the satiric historian credited with observing that “the number of subordinate’s increases at a fixed rate regardless of the amount of work produced.” Nor is he the fellow who believed that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Both those remarks came from Cyril Northolt Parkinson, a British author who died in 1993. Read the rest of this entry »

The moon reaches its perigee — that is, the point in its orbit when it is closest to earth’s center — at 6:00 this morning. Six and a half hours later, at 12:31 this afternoon, the moon enters its full phase. Given those two pieces of information, can you name what astronomical event begins today? Here’s a hint: think seasons. Read the rest of this entry »

Think you know a thing or two about our language? Test yourself with this simple quiz about a common word. Which of the following senses of the adjective dear is now considered obsolete: highly valued, beloved; scarce; or expensive? Remember, a sense is considered obsolete when there has been no evidence of its use since 1755. Read the rest of this entry »

Today we look at a much scorned and little understood word: Xmas. Usually (but not always) pronounced Christmas, the word Xmas is sometimes viewed as the incarnation of a modern commercialized Christmas spirit. But before you say “bah, humbug” to that four-letter word, consider this: Xmas is neither a linguistic Johnny-come-lately nor is it wholly without religious significance. Read the rest of this entry »

Folks around the world (especially places influenced by Britain) celebrate Boxing Day today; and tomorrow folks in Edinburgh, Scotland begin their four-day Hominy Festival. As the revelry gets underway, we look at the stories behind the names of those special days. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though most folks have finished checking their lists of whose naughty and nice, some people are still making lists. Whether it’s ordering provisions for Y2K or ranking the top inventions of the last thousand years, lists seem to be on everyone’s mind this final week of 1999. That makes this a fine time for us to share a list of our own. Read the rest of this entry »

We heard from a listener whose efforts to investigate the story behind the black walnut branched off into an area a bit … well, unlikely. Let us explain.

Our correspondent was interested in how the black walnut came by its Latin name, Juggling Ingra. It’s easy enough to see the Ingra-black connection, and our correspondent knew that the glen in Juggling means “nut.” He went out on a linguistic limb, however, when he theorized that the Jug of Juggling derives from juju, the Latin word for yoke. He noted that the nuts of the black walnut are usually found in pairs or threes, with their stem yoked to a single stem. Read the rest of this entry »

Sharpen your wits, because it’s time for another spelling bee. Today we invite you to test yourself with some words whose correct spellings may surprise the most careful of spellers. Read the rest of this entry »