All In a Word
Reaching into the past for words about RussiaA "revanchist聽Moscow," "Potemkin village" armed forces,聽Vladimir Putin鈥檚 violent "irredentism." The war in Ukraine is also a war of words.
What makes learning a new language hard?Unfamiliar grammar and writing systems throw curveballs to those of us used to the rules and contours of English, our language columnist writes.
What is the hardest language for English speakers?Access is important. Are there materials online, or do you have to raft down the Maici River in Brazil hoping someone will teach you Pirah茫?
Why have so many 鈥榖ad鈥� words gone good?Awe-inspiring Black jazz musicians were "bad." Surfers throw out compliments like "sick" and "gnarly." This inversion is called amelioration.
鈥楽tereotype鈥� and other words from printers鈥� lingoThe printing press not only transformed the business of the written word, but gave English new words altogether, our language columnist writes.
Printers needed 鈥榗lich茅s鈥� to ease their workloadsThe word "clich茅" gets its origins from the cheap, repetitive processes of producing books brought about by the printing press.
Word people love to play with 鈥榮nowclones鈥�They are often written out in almost mathematical form: 鈥淭o X, or not to X.鈥� 鈥淢ake X Y again.鈥� 鈥淜eep X and Y on.鈥�
Getting to the heart of words made with 鈥�-core鈥�Cottagecore鈥檚 mix of wooded solitude, homegrown veggies, and crafting was especially appealing early in the pandemic.
Spelling games, from Wordle to 鈥榃heel of Fortune鈥�Hangman inspired "Wheel of Fortune." And now, our language columnist writes, we have Wordle, perfectly built for the Twitter age.
Can 鈥榙one鈥� be an emotion like joy and sadness?Since around 2000, and especially since the pandemic, people have increasingly been declaring themselves 鈥渄one鈥� or 鈥渟o done.鈥澛�
'Pareidolia' and other fancy Greek words for common happeningsPareidolia is an old phenomenon, but the word itself is fairly recent,聽coined in the 19th century from para-聽(鈥渂eyond鈥�) and聽eidolon聽(鈥渋mage鈥�).
Words of the Year evoke the preoccupations of 2021Words of the year from various dictionaries included: "vax," "perseverance," "allyship," "non-fungible token."
What do you call leftovers and byproducts?Maple syrup bottles often have tiny, basically useless handles 鈥� holdovers from聽the days when syrup was stored in earthenware jugs.
What pasta has to do with Christmas carols"Macaronic" texts have been produced wherever cultures are bilingual or multilingual, and can combine any languages,聽not just English and Latin.
鈥楾hwart鈥� encompasses two opposing meaningsOn one hand, to聽thwart聽something is to hinder or prevent it. But in 1609, building a bridge over a river was described as 鈥渢hwarting a bank.鈥�
Fairy tales give rise to colorful turns of phrase"Cinderella story"聽has referred to a rags-to-riches arc since the mid-19th century. It's a made-up phrase 鈥� but we all know what it means.
The Greeks put the 'meta' in 'metaverse'In English, a聽metaphor聽is a figure of speech that asserts one thing 鈥渋s鈥� another.聽In Greek,聽metaphoreis聽are the people who move your furniture.
What 鈥楤lack Friday鈥� and 鈥榬ed ink鈥� have in commonRed and black ink have been paired since ancient Egypt, where scribes carried writing palettes with styluses and two colors of ink.
Authors who made their mark with made-up words鈥淧andemonium,鈥� 鈥渃ritical,鈥� 鈥渁ssassinate,鈥� and 鈥渆ventful鈥� all came from written literature before being widely adapted in spoken English.
She tabled the discussion of a 'moot point'In the U.S., labeling something a 'moot point' means it's no longer worth discussing. In England, however, that means it's open to further debate.
