Time spent solving a crossword or arranging Sudoku numbers could spell better health for aging brains, researchers say. In a study of more than 19,000 British adults age 50 and over who were tracked for 25 years, the habit of solving word or number puzzles seemed to help keep minds active and nimble over […]
The English language abounds with alliteration — series of sequential syllables starting with the same sound. To prove my point and put my money where my mouth is, I offer the cream of the crop — a treasure trove of 70 tried-and-true, bread-and butter, bigger-and-better, bright-eyed- and-bushy-tailed, back-to-basics, larger-than-life, clear-cut, proof positive (not haphazard, […]
From alpha to omega, You can bet the alphabet, Like a painting done by Degas, Will leap and pirouette. See dancing words, entrancing words, Sterling words unfurling. Watch prancing words, enhancing words, Whirling, twirling, swirling. The word alphabet is a joining of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta. The […]
St. Patrick’s Day will cavort through a merry jig tomorrow. So today I am throwing some bull — not just any kind of bull, but an Irish bull. And while I’m at it, I’ll toss in a stampede of Irish bulls. What is an Irish bull? I’m glad I asked me that. Some dismiss it […]
A couple whom I know tooled down to a local car emporium to look over the latest products. Attracted to the low sticker price on the basic model, they told the salesman that they were considering buying an unadorned automobile and had no inclination to purchase any of the long list of options affixed […]
The dictionary defines a gaffe as a blunder; faux pas.” Faux pas derives from the French “false step,” and gaffe may descend from the French gaff, “a barbed spear used in landing a large fish.” Local blooper snoopers with the gift of gaffe have speared numerous humorous specimens, hauled them aboard and shipped them, […]
John Dennis, an early 18th century playwright and critic, once sneered, “A pun is the lowest form of wit.” Three centuries later, Henry Erskine riposted, “If a pun is the lowest form of wit, it is, therefore, the foundation of all wit!” Oscar Levant added the tagline “A pun is the lowest form of […]
In our exuberant country we celebrate just about everything, so it may come as no surprise to you that tomorrow, March 4, pun-up girls and pun gents observe National Pun Day. According to a YouGov.com survey of 8,314 U.S, adults, most Americans appreciate and even adore puns. The study shows that 38 percent of […]
This is my 300th installment of “Lederer on Language,” which began life in this space on May 12, 2012. As one frog said to the other, “Time’s fun when you’re having flies!” Let’s have some flies today. Dear Mr. Lederer: I was wondering if you had thoughts on why ruthless is a common word […]
My Aunt Matilda is a very peculiar relative, a woman of strong likes and dislikes. For example, my Aunt Matilda likes apples but not oranges and tennis but not golf. She likes supper but not lunch and butter but not margarine. She likes waffles but not pancakes and jazz but not rock. It took me […]