‘Twas Halloween night, and all through the house, All the creatures were stirring and eating a mouse. The monsters had gathered to plan and prepare For all trick-or-treaters they wanted to scare. Each creature stepped forth and performed energetically Their Halloween act and did so alphabetically: The Abominable Snowman, known as a Yeti, Celebrated the […]
Dear Mr. Lederer: I am writing to suggest that you review the meaning of RSVP with your readers. Recently I have received two invitations asking me to Please RSVP. I am also hearing this redundancy on radio and television. – Marilyn Riley The word redundancy is a combination of the Latin undare, “to overflow,” and […]
Two Thursdays ago, at our Padres’ last home game of the 2014-2015 season (the good guys beat the Brewers 3-1), I had the honor of sitting in the broadcast booth between legendary sports announcer Dick Enberg and color commentator Mark Grant. During our spirited conversation, we talked about baseball terms with intriguing origins. Here’s the […]
Cristoffa Corombo was born in the Republic of Genoa (now in Italy) in 1451. He began his career as a seaman in the Portuguese merchant marine. Later, in Spain, he was known as Christóbal Colón. We know him as Christopher Columbus, and he is generally given credit for discovering America. In A.D. 1000, almost 500 […]
William Shakespeare is alive and well and living in America’s Finest City. The San Diego Shakespeare Society, on whose board I serve, will soon be presenting its 14th annual evening of Celebrity Sonnets. On Monday, Oct. 12, starting at 7:30 p.m., local celebrities and performers will dramatize sonnets to a vast audience. Through dance, music, […]
Over the centuries, some lucky people have been granted a measure of immortality by having had their names transformed into common English words. One way to achieve such posthumous fame is to become so closely identified with an idea that your name becomes an ism. Thusly, the names of philosophers Plato and Karl Marx are […]
When you speak and write, there is no law that says you have to use big words. Short words are as good as long ones, and short, old words — like sun and grass and home — are best of all. A lot of small words, more than you might think, can meet your needs […]
A few weeks ago, I presented a parade of real-life, verbally clever signs and placards that have adorned places of business around the world. I invited you, my punderful readers, to wing me your own creations. More than 125 entries poured in. Here are the three winners, each of whom will receive a signed copy […]
Labor Day is a yearly national tribute to the contributions of American workers to our strength and prosperity. But long before that, the importance of work was enshrined in our last names. The pattern of naming in the English language began with single names because, when people lived together in small communities, the supply of […]
Have you noticed that a number of simple nouns have recently acquired new adjectives? What we used to call, simply, “books,” for example, we now call hardcover books because of the production of paperback books. What was once simply a guitar is now an acoustic guitar because of the popularity of electric guitars. What was […]