Tag Archive: Word For The Wise
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Word for the Wise : Teddy Rooseveltian terms
Today we mark the birth anniversary of Teddy Roosevelt with a look at some language associated with our twenty-sixth president. Just a few months before winning his first presidential election, Roosevelt assured an associate that he was “as strong as a bull moose.” The moose image went public when Roosevelt’s Progressive party adopted it as [...]
Word for the Wise : Split infinitive
Today is Saint Jude’s Day, commemorating the saint called upon by those who attempt the impossible. In his honor we attempt what may be impossible: we try to convince folks that it is okay to occasionally split the infinitive. Sounds like heresy? Listen up. For starters, the term split infinitive is a bit of a [...]
Word for the Wise : Hoosier English
On October 5, we mark the 150th birth anniversary of James Whitcomb Riley, the Indiana writer remembered as “the poet of the common people.” Riley first attracted attention in the 1880s for a series of poems written in what has since come to be called “Hoosier English,” the dialect spoken in south-central Indiana.
Word for the Wise : Stage names
According to the calendar, Sigourney Weaver and Chevy Chase both celebrate birthdays on October 8. According to the folks who keep track of such things, neither the actress nor the comedian was born with those names. And according to word collector Paul Dickson, both Sigourney Weaver (née Susan Weaver) and Chevy Chase (Cornelius Crane) are [...]
Word for the Wise : Lies
Mason Locke Weems, who grew up to be Parson Weems, author of The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington, was born on October 11 in 1759. In his book, that infamous clergyman taught generations of Americans that our first president could not tell a lie, but his own tale about young George chopping down [...]
Word for the Wise : None is or none are?
In the first edition of William F. Stunk, Jr. and E.B. White’s classic guide The Elements of Style, the authors declared, “None takes the singular verb.” In the second edition, however, they changed their minds and said a plural verb was fine in instances “when none suggests more than one thing or person.” They illustrated [...]
Word for the Wise : Ethelred the Unready
October 13th is the Feast Day of Edward the Confessor. We confess we don’t have too much to say about the English monarch whose 24 year reign ended shortly before William the Conqueror invaded England. Although history unflattering records Edward as an ineffectual ruler whose close ties to Normandy hurt his country, he is memorable [...]
Word for the Wise : Babel
A friend asked for the story behind the metaphoric Babel. The tale of that word seems straightforward enough, but things do get a bit confusing, so listen closely. Our story begins with the biblical Tower of Babel. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for them by building a city with a [...]
Word for the Wise : Grouchy words
Not only is October 15th the final day of National Pet Peeve Week, it is also designated National Grouch Day. Don’t complain to us; we’re only here to talk about some terms for folks who celebrate Pet Peeve Week all year long.
Word for the Wise : People vs. persons
October 18, 1999 commemorates the 70th anniversary of Persons’ Day. It was on this day in 1929 that Canadian women were declared persons, no longer subject to the English common law that pronounced women “persons in matters of pains and penalties, but not persons in matters of rights and privileges.”
