All Verbal Energy
My duodecimoplex and other complicationsAn official form that must be filed with 12 copies prompts some musings on how hardworking the metaphor 鈥榝olding鈥� is in our language.
The bells we want to unring take their tollA look at an inspired metaphor for talking about the courtroom problem of tainted testimony in court.
Vin Scully鈥檚 music 鈥� and his silencesThe longtime voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers sometimes broadcast the game by knowing when to shut up.
The mungo men and the bomb squadAn account of how one of the Chelsea bombs was foiled introduces a colorful bit of New York City slang.
Could word power save us from road rage?A vintage Disney cartoon has some profound insights for today鈥檚 drivers.
A visit to Tom Wolfe鈥檚 鈥楰ingdom of Speech鈥�The man in the white suit takes on Darwin and Chomsky.
Burke, Twain, and the economy of truthThere鈥檚 a special way to speak of someone who tells 鈥榯he truth,鈥� and 鈥榥othing but the truth,鈥� but not quite 鈥榯he whole truth.鈥�
Some gentle notes for the mean seasonA look at how two identical words of very different origin drifted into one 鈥� and provided a perfect term for just this time of year.
How much 鈥榦verexaggeration鈥� is enough?In light of the incident of the American Olympians in Rio, a look at the vocabulary of overstatement, understatement.
A cool idea for a hot season makes a splash'Water features' trace their origin 鈥� etymologically and literally 鈥� back to ancient Babylon and Rome.
Taking care lest you trip over cableA look at some of curious lingo of currency traders as the pound has fallen against the dollar in the wake of the 鈥楤rexit鈥� vote.
Political correctness and the apostle PaulA look at the surprising history of a phrase that鈥檚 been much a part of this year鈥檚 presidential campaign.
A more positive understanding of protestThe events of a long hot summer prompt research into some of the vocabulary of public gatherings.聽
Desire lines, in our cities and our languageThe way people 鈥榲ote with their feet鈥� for a new path through a park has something in common with the way they establish new grammatical usages by using them.
Policy ideas that work 鈥榦ut of the box鈥�A presidential interview serves as a reminder that our language has two 鈥榦ut of the box鈥� idioms.
Going with the momentum of the momentA word much heard during political seasons is an apt borrowing from the worlds of physics and math.
How word power made Ali 鈥榯he Greatest鈥�The late boxing great was an early rapper and a political poet as well as a pugilist.
For a time, a life attuned to the tidesA return visit to a familiar beach house prompts some thoughts on time and the ebb and flow of the ocean.
From first lady to first woman president?Why 鈥榝emale president鈥� isn鈥檛 the best term, however this year鈥檚 election turns out.聽
Not wishing to presume about the electionThe US presidential race affords an opportunity to consider the difference between 鈥榟eir apparent鈥� and 鈥榟eir presumptive.鈥�
