‘Let’s Play A Punderful Word Game!’ Said Tom Swiftly
February 7, 2015
Starting in 1910, American boys grew up devouring the adventures of Tom Swift, created by Edward J. Stratemeyer. More than 100 books in the series
Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
Starting in 1910, American boys grew up devouring the adventures of Tom Swift, created by Edward J. Stratemeyer. More than 100 books in the series
Dear Mr. Lederer: Watching college football, my husband and I witnessed an interesting play where the snap was bad, the kicker grabbed the ball for
This weekend, the San Diego Cat Fanciers Association sponsors its cat show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. A clutch of ailurophiles (a fancy Greek-derived word
On Saturday, Dec. 21, our Chargers took on the San Francisco 49ers. The disappointing 49ers were out of the playoff picture, while our boys still
From the very beginning of my adventures in language columny, your letters have arrived as daily gifts that inspire ideas for more columns and
About a month ago in this space, I illuminated old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology. These phrases included
More than two centuries ago, the most famous poet in Scotland was untimely ripped from this mortal coil. When Robert Burns died in 1796, he
A set-up pun is a conspiracy of narrative and word play. In set-up punnery, the punster contrives an imaginary situation that leads up to a
A newspaper headline blared ESCAPEE CAPTURED AFTER 10 DAYS ON THE LAMB. The message to be conveyed was not meant to be that the convict