Dislike a journalist, website, or publication because of their political commentary? If you write a review, try to beat this: “His Journal, then, is a depository for every species of political sophistry and personal calumny. There is no abuse or corruption that does not there find a Jesuitical palliation or a bare-faced vindication. There we… Continue reading

The Polychronicon is a book written by Ranulf Higden around 1342 or so. Higden was a monk in a monastery in Chester, England, and thanks to that book, he’s pretty famous as a medieval historian. The Polychronicon isn’t just about history; it also touches on geography (he knew in a very general way where India… Continue reading

Here’s an interesting thought experiment: using only words, how would you describe turning something “clockwise” to someone who’s never seen an analog clock? You could possibly refer to the movement of the sun in the sky, but you’d have to know whether you’re standing in the northern or southern hemisphere. As a particularly irritating extension… Continue reading

Trendy diets tend to have names, like keto or south beach. And some of them, like the Atkins diet, are named after the person who popularized them, usually by writing a book. One of the trendiest recommendations of recent diets is avoidance of carbohydrates. All this — low carbs, fashionable diets promoted by books, diets… Continue reading

The English word “flamboyant” is taken directly from French. That is, in French the word is the same, but the meaning differs. And the meaning in French has changed in interesting ways since the 1500s, and also since the 1800s, which is when it started to appear in English. The French word is probably older… Continue reading

What we call a “yard” was, in Old English, a “geard.” It was pronounced about the same way, but the word did something unusual during the transition to modern English: it split into two words, with “yard” keeping the Old English “g” sound that’s more like a “y,” but in the other (“garth”) the “g”… Continue reading

There’s something inherently amusing about the word “pants.” It’s not for nothing, after all, that David Letterman’s production company is called Worldwide Pants. One thing about “pants” is that it’s plural, and even though it’s been centuries since the garment was made in two pieces, one for each leg, we still refer to a “pair… Continue reading

Here’s a sentence you’d be unlikely to encounter nowadays. “It was noscible in the village that the oporopolist’s stall was often closed because of his fondness for riviation.” You’d be unlikely to encounter it because “noscible,” “oporopolist,” and “riviation” are all words that were once in general use in English, but haven’t been heard from… Continue reading

The original Odyssey, by the ancient Greek writer Homer, is largely about the Trojan War, which went on for years. According to the myth, the whole thing was kicked off when this guy Paris (who was from Troy) kidnapped Helen, who was married to Medelaus, the king of Sparta. One might wonder how exactly you… Continue reading

It’s getting to be the time of year when ice skating jumps quite a bit in popularity (that jump, obviously, would be an axel). To go ice skating you need skates. Unless, of course, you’re Snoopy the beagle in A Charlie Brown Christmas, where he manages to skate better than any of the kids just… Continue reading