Happy New Year! It’s nice to have you near. The New Year is often represented as a baby, so this is a good time to talk about what to name — and what not to name — your bundle of joy: Namesakes. Honoring a beloved elder in your family is admirable, but the practice can […]
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: A question has come up concerning the origins of expressions that are considered racist. Have you run into any controversy about “red tape” referring to American Indian affairs and being offensive to Native Americans? At a seminar I attended recently, the presenter told a roomful of businesswomen that the expression is racist […]
In 1823 The Reverend Clement Clark Moore created “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” The poem, better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” from its first line, is largely responsible for the contemporary conception of Santa Claus, his appearance, his method of transportation and his bringing toys to boys and girls on Christmas Eve. A […]
Animals are such an integral part of our lives that almost everyone loves animal jokes. They make us bark, bellow, bray, cackle, howl, screech, snort, squawk, squeal, twitter, yip, roar and hee-haw with laughter. Duck jokes quack us up. Porcupine jokes are sharp and to the point. Elephant jokes are worth the weight. Skunk […]
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: Do you remember these high-flown words to “Three Blind Mice”?: Three rodents with defective vision, Three rodents with defective vision. Observe how they locomote. Observe how they locomote.. They all pursued the agriculturist’s mate. She severed their extremities with a kitchen utensil Have you ever observed such a phenomenon in your […]
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: I am interested in what you have to say about the (over) use of the word like. I sure hope this one dies on the vine soon! -Carol Morgan, Elfin Forest Nowadays two speech patterns of the younger generation squeak like chalk across the blackboard of adult sensibilities — the sprinkling […]
Do you remember back in junior high when you were taught that a noun was a person, place or thing? But you probably didn’t learn that proper names can be nouns, as the following narrative demonstrates: Welcome to our fair city. We invite you to take one of our scenic tours. All tours include […]
Thanksgiving Day is mainly a celebration of the harvest, giving thanks for bountiful crops. Traditionally, a particular meal in 1621 is thought to be the first Thanksgiving. Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sat down together to an autumn feast of venison and wild fowl. On November 26, 1789, George Washington established the first national […]
I recently had the great pleasure of addressing members of the University of California Master Gardeners of San Diego County. One of the least-known treasure troves of information in our vast neighborhood is that more than 300 Master Gardeners freely provide home gardening and pest control information throughout the county. These land-lovers also encourage […]
In this year of electile dysfunction, with midterm elections hurrying near, political jokes can be very powerful. That’s why so many of them get elected. Will Rogers explained, “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” Jay Leno observed, “If God wanted us to vote, he would have given […]