Most occupational titles are self-explanatory: A teacher teaches, a preacher preaches, a gardener gardens and a writer writes. But the origins of some job names are more obscure. The verb to vet means “to examine credentials, manuscripts, or other documents as a veterinarian examines an animal, hoping to give it a clean bill of health.” […]
On Monday of last week, I toted some books to my local Post Office. As I waited in line, I noticed a computer-printed sign taped onto the long table behind which customers waited. The sign read: Put Tape on Your Package’s Before Talking to Clerk I trust that you, my verbivorous reader, note the […]
The fifth annual Feastival of Books will take place virtually on Saturday, August 21, 10 am-5 pm. For information about this bibliophilic event, click sdfestivalofbooks.com. Honoring this great cultural event, I share with you a quiz of “Perfect Matches,” from my bouncing baby book, Richard Lederer’s Ultimate Book of Literary Trivia. Match each real […]
A thousand thanks to you verbivorous readers for your billowy mailbag of more than 200 entries responding to my call for innovative group nouns, such as “a brace or orthodontists” and “a constellation of starfish.” I’m button-burstingly proud to show off a brainstorm of your wordwork below, with many more of your submissions reposing […]
You know that a bunch of sheep crowded together is a flock, a group of antelope loping together a herd, a cluster of fish swimming together a school and a crowd of bees buzzing together a swarm. But have you ever heard of a crash of rhinoceroses, a clowder of cats, a kindle of kittens, […]
How solid is your knowledge of nations and their legacies to the world? Where do Labrador Retrievers and Great Danes come from? Where else but Newfoundland and Germany? Where are the West Indies located? In the Caribbean, not off the west coast of India. In what country did the Pennsylvania Dutch originate? Germany. Dutch […]
Never pride yourself on your knowledge. Always remember that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing — especially when you discover that Alexander Pope actually wrote that famous quotation as “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Let’s start with your knowledge of the animal world. The Canary Islands in the Atlantic got their […]
Believe it or not, groak is a verb that means “to stare at another’s food in hopes that he or she will offer you some, in the manner of dogs and certain people we know.” But you won’t find groak in standard dictionaries. The human passion and power to name everything is nowhere better […]
May is Older Americans Month. This formal recognition of the chronologically gifted began with President John F. Kennedy in 1963, when he designated May as Senior Citizens Month. Back then, only 17 million Americans reached their 65th birthday. Today more than 40 million of us are alive and living vibrant years. Fullness of years […]
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday commemorating the defeat of the French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Today, Cinco de Mayo (“5th of May”) is among the largest and most energetic celebrations in the world. The recognition of Cinco de Mayo history quickly spread from Mexico to the […]