Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
San Diego Raises the Bard for Shakespeare’s Sonnets
William Shakespeare is alive and well and living in America’s Finest City. The San Diego Shakespeare Society will soon be presenting its 18th annual
Our Beloved Pets Leave Paw Prints on Our Hearts
Now in its seventh year, Remember Me Thursday aims to unite people and pet adoption organizations in more than 180 countries as one voice
A Chorus of Music Legends Sport Striking Nicknames
In the world of popular music, it’s not unusual for famous people to be better known by their nicknames than their birth names. Rock
Local Authors Tell Why They Love to and Have to Write
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the San Diego Writers & Editors Guild, the oldest group in San Diego “dedicated to promoting and
Our Melodious English Language is Music to Our Ears
William Shakespeare began his comedy Twelfth Night with the line “If music be the food of love, play on!” About a century later, William
A Well-Turned Simile Can Make Us Happy as a Clam
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two essentially different objects or ideas, expressly indicated by words such as like or as,
The Festival of Books is a Paradise for Bibliophiles
Enjoy these four lines of wisdom written by San Diego’s own Dr. Seuss: The more that you read, The more that you know. The
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Political Correctness
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: A question has come up concerning the origins of expressions that are considered racist. Have you run into any controversy about
Our Language is Moonstruck with Lunar Words
For much of this year we have been jubilantly celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. We particularly rejoice