Each year publishers of English dictionaries name their Words of the Year, the words or expressions that have generated the most interest over the last 12 months. This year’s award winners are not surprising since they reflect the dominant story of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the choices, which are very different from […]
The Annual Dark-and-Stormy Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Every year since 1982 writers from around the world have competed to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels. Last year was no exception, as the English Department at San Jose State University once again held the tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Bulwer-Lytton, a minor Victorian novelist, is credited with starting […]
Lake Superior’s Banished Words
Each year, Lake Superior State University posts a list of words it believes should be banished from use because of “mis-use, over-use and general uselessness.” Here are my favorites from this year’s crop. Post-Truth — To paraphrase the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, we are entitled to our own opinions but not to our own […]
Why English Does Not Communicate
This is my favorite essay on the eccentricities of the English language. The author is Richard Lederer, who wrote Anguished English, Crazy English, Get Thee to a Punnery and other delightful books about language. Enjoy. Let’s face it. English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger, neither apple […]
Ad Bloopers
The following ad bloopers are from Richard Lederer’s treasury of bloopers, “Anguished English: an Anthology of Accidental Assaults upon our Language” (ISBN: 044020352X). Four-poster bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand. Stock up and save. Limit: one. Man wanted to […]
Word Play Masters
Word Play Masters does a contest each year whereby people take a word from the dictionary; alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter (and only one letter); and then supply a new definition. Fortunately, the organizers post entries all year round, so we do not have to wait for the “awards” to enjoy […]
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