Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
Midway through John Steinbeck’s epic novel “TheGrapes ofWrath” young Ivy observes, “Ever’body says words different. Arkansas folks says ’em different, and Oklahomy folks says ’em
Goodness gracious and good grief ! Leapin’ lizards and jumpin’ Jehosephat! I am an alliteration addict, a slave to the super-sized seductions of sequential syllables
Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president, came into this world as Hiram Ulysses Grant. When his name was mistakenly entered on the West Point register
As part of my monthly series honoring the centennial of our world-famous San Diego Zoo, here’s a chance to test your knowledge of our fellow
This is the time of year when teachers send parents evaluations of their children’s academic and social progress. Here are some school reports about famous
I am a freelance writer of magazine and newspaper pieces. That means that I write these articles on a fee-paid assignment basis rather than on
Dear Mr. Lederer: I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend in the Union-Tribune, namely, incorrect hyphenation between print lines. For example, front page today’s (5/5) newspaper
Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. The bartender asks, “Olive or twist?” Over the past several decades many jokes have featured
Because I feel that, in the Heavens above, The angels, whispering to one another, Can find, among their burning terms of love, None so devotional