language
Words Matter
When I taught fourth and fifth grade at a school that didn't assign grades, the topic occasionally came up among…
When DEI means Deny, Exclude, Intrude
The daily stroll last week took us down Claremont Avenue where large picture window affords a passing glimpse into a…
Language Matters and the Mother Tongue
Lots of appropriately scornful responses to the charity Oxfam's Inclusive Language Guide published this week. First of all, it's 92…
Cats and Pronouns
Cats and Dogs Dogs have owners; cats have staff. That's now a familiar saying but just as accurate nonetheless And…
The House of Cards
Coming out of the Irish government this week is a truly helpful definition of “gender”. So for all you folks…
Gobbledegook, Gibberish, and Deep Joy
Are you all sitty comftybold two-square on your botty? Then I'll begin. If you're a Brit of a certain vintage…
The Intersectional Cellar Door
I once shared the idea that 'cellar door' was considered by some to be the most beautiful sounding phrase in…
Wordle and Boxed
Together with half of the known universe, I added Wordle to my daily routine. I was first aware of it…
Eye-Rhyme Blues
eye rhyme /ˈī ˌrīm/ noun An eye rhyme, also called a visual rhyme or a sight rhyme, is a rhyme…
Simple Pleasures and Stickybeaking
Stickybeak NOUN: an intrusive, meddlesome, busybody, nosy parker who sticks their nose (beak) into other people's business. The act of…
Large Dog Eats Anything Loves Children
It’s always fun when a tiresome book about the rules of the English language gets debunked and when some clever…
Snow Day Distraction
Unpaired Words Prefix or Suffix reversed or left off. They have no in-, no un-, no dis-, and no -less.…
A Heap of Broken Images
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, You cannot say,…
An Abundance of Caution
In an abundance of caution, Density reducing, I stay at home. I keep my social distance Leave bleach and hand…
Game of Swans
A group of swans is a wedge when they're in flight, likely because of the shape a group of swans takes in…