All In a Word
Evocative phrases borrowed from film and theaterWhile interrupting a chronological sequence to go back in time is an ancient narrative technique, the word "flashback"聽first appeared in 1916.聽
Insiders use 'jargon' to confuse the rest of usJargon's聽second sense is that of 鈥渙bscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words,鈥� as Merriam-Webster puts it.聽
鈥業ntersectionality鈥� pushes political hot buttonSometime in the 2010s, intersectionality left the ivory tower and got thoroughly wrapped up in the culture wars.
Can irony really be conveyed with punctuation?For centuries, wordsmiths have demanded punctuation marks that would convey irony and sarcasm the way verbal intonation does in spoken conversation.
What it means to 'root' for the home teamDoes "rooting" for a sports team have to do with the underground parts of plants? Yes, etymology suggests 鈥� and pigs may be involved, too.
鈥楩itting鈥� or 鈥榝illing鈥� the bill: Which one to use?From filling to fitting to footing, the English language has lots of "bill"聽idioms 鈥� but the bills involved are not the same.
When people find themselves 鈥榓t loggerheads鈥�Whether at "at sixes and sevens"聽or聽"at loggerheads,"聽these idioms both suggest being mired聽in the midst of a strong disagreement.
How should we talk about artificial intelligence?It鈥檚 easier for the general public to grasp what is going on when complicated computerized processes are explained in terms of human cognition.
Panther, puma, cougar: All names for the same catVermonters have catamounts while Northwesterners have cougars. But, it turns out, there's only one wild cat in the New World,聽Puma concolor.
No more glossing over 鈥榞reenwashing鈥�"Green"聽has been used since the 1970s to describe individuals, political parties, and products that take steps to preserve the natural environment.
From 鈥榳atershed moments鈥� to 鈥榳indfalls鈥�The media loves to write about "watershed" moments, our language columnist writes.聽Geologically, though, a聽watershed聽is a drainage basin.
From 鈥榩ermacrisis鈥� to 鈥榟umor,鈥� the year in wordsThe past two years were all about COVID-19 鈥� "pandemic," "quarantine," "vaccine." This year dictionaries have (mostly) moved on.
I鈥檓 having 鈥榣ightbulb moments鈥� about 鈥榚piphanies鈥�English has made a connection between light and insight 鈥� think "enlightenment" since its beginnings as a language.
This winter, get 鈥榗ozy鈥� in your 鈥榮nuggery鈥�Denmark has "hygge,"聽but don't forget the Norwegian "koselig,"聽the Swedish "mys,"聽or the Icelandic "gluggave冒ur"聽(window weather.)
How marriage words evolved over centuriesEven the now-ordinary terms "man" and "wife," "husband," and "groom"聽were once lexical innovations.聽
Words help construct the reality we live inAristotle posited that houses aren鈥檛 just material structures of stones, bricks, and timber. They are also 鈥渞eceptacles to shelter ... living beings.鈥�
The words that evoke 鈥榮ound pictures鈥�Stars don鈥檛 make sounds we can hear, but saying that they 鈥渢winkle鈥� at night is a way of painting a picture with sound.
Human experience is shared, even if words aren鈥檛Just because you don鈥檛 speak Danish doesn鈥檛 mean that you can鈥檛 experience the particular sense of coziness that the famous "hygge"聽denotes.
Meet the 鈥榥oble cousins鈥� on the family tree of wordsWhen people in Greece make a deal or reach an agreement, they achieve a聽symphon铆a. Seeing eye to eye is a 鈥渟ymphony,鈥� which is a beautiful thought.
Colorful stories of acronyms are often falseNo, 鈥済olf鈥� does not mean 鈥済entlemen only; ladies forbidden.鈥� Rather, its dry etymology leads us back to the Middle Dutch聽word 鈥渃olf鈥澛爋r 鈥渃olve.鈥�