Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
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
English Lays Its Cards on the Table of our Tongue
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the World Series of Poker, a succession of high-stakes poker tournaments played in Lost Wages, Nevada. As
Redundancies are Now the Junk Food of Our Language
Dear Readers: Your over and above and far and away enthusiastic response to last month’s column about redundancies has inspired me to write another
Try Your Head and Hand at Solving Classic Riddles
RIDDLER REACHER at your service. That’s a full anagram of my name, Richard Lederer. Riddles have riddled humanity for millennia. Even 4,000 years ago,
Once Upon a Rhyme Time: the Tale of Chicken Licken
We usually think of rhyme as a musical device found only in poems. But, in fact, rhyme is the name of the game. Rhyme
Noah Webster’s American Revolution in Language
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: In reading a short biography of Noah Webster, I was impressed by the number of languages he learned (27?) in order
Language Insights Into the Games that People Play
Time spent solving a crossword or arranging Sudoku numbers could spell better health for aging brains, researchers say. In a study of more than