These days, the face and body of our great nation is scarred with an outbreak of measles. Parents are urged to have their children vaccinated for their own safety and the safety of others. For centuries, smallpox was a scourge of humanity, scarring and killing millions. Edward Jenner, a British doctor, noticed that milkmaids did […]
This coming Thursday, March 12, we mark the death 70 years ago of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who grew up in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland in the Holocaust of World War II. In July 1942, Anne’s family was forced into hiding in the upper story of an Amsterdam warehouse, where […]
A few weeks ago, I presented a lineup of Tom Swifties, in which the adverb at the end of the sentence takes off punningly from the quotation, as in “I dropped my toothpaste,” said Tom crestfallen. I invited you to join in the fun. “Hot dog!” said Richard Lederer frankly and with relish. “You, my […]
This month marks the release, finally, of the film version of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by British author E.L. James. Noting that the title contains both a number and a color, I offer you a numbers game and a colorful quiz to test your knowledge of literature. Authors aren’t always the best mathematicians, but the […]
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 have been published, the latest in 2007. Based on real-life inventors Glenn Curtis, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Tom was a sterling hero and natural scientific genius. Many of his […]
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 an unplanned drop-kick and changed feet at the last minute as he scrambled for space. The announcer stated that the kicker kicked “ambidextrously.” This began one of those rambling marital […]
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 for cat lovers) will make a “feline” to the event in order to view the beauty and grace of the pets who hold the purr-strings to our hearts. The poet […]
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 had a chance. Before the game, future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates remarked, “Just because they’re not in contention anymore, we can’t go there thinking they’re going to […]
From the very beginning of my adventures in language columny, your letters have arrived as daily gifts that inspire ideas for more columns and books. The word inspire, from the Latin inspirare, means “breathe into,” and reading your e-messages breathes life into my ongoing mission of teachership. In today’s letters, readers respond to my […]
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 don’t touch that dial, carbon copy, you sound like a broken record and hung out to dry. A bevy of readers have asked me to shine light on more faded […]