There are three words that seem like they might be somewhat related, at least because they’re somewhat unusual and they rhyme: bludgeon, dudgeon, and curmudgeon.  “Bludgeon” is both a noun, meaning a heavy club, and a verb, meaning to hit someone or something with the club. It’s sometimes used figuratively to mean to force or Continue reading

In the 1300s, only a minority of English-speaking people could read. Nevertheless there were still what we would call “bestsellers.” One of these was “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville,” published around 1357. The author, Sir John Mandeville himself, explains that he was born in St. Albans, England, became a knight, sailed the seas, and Continue reading

A “placebo” is a medical term for a treatment that gives only psychological benefits (or none). If you have a drug trial you might want to give some patients the real drug and others a placebo, then wait to see what happens. “Placebo” is a Latin word transplanted into English. In Latin in means “I Continue reading

When one thing bumps into another, that’s a “collision.” The that comes from the Latin “collidere,” which was formed from “col” (together) and “laedere” (to hurt by hitting). “Collision” showed up in English in the 1400s, and it’s been in constant use ever since.  Except in one very specific case. When a ship (and only Continue reading

Did you ever wonder why trousers are referred to as a “pair” of pants? And for that matter, why is “shirt” singular but “pants” plural? It all goes back a few centuries when, evidently, clothing design and assembly still had a ways to go. At the time each leg of the garment was a separate Continue reading

Ask me no questions,I’ll tell you no lies.Cottleston, cottleston, cottleston pie. -A.A.Milne Isn’t it interesting that English has so many ways to describe different ways of saying things that aren’t true. There’s the plain old “lie,” of course, but there are a number of alternatives, each with its own subtleties and connotations. You can distort, Continue reading

If you ever happen to be talking to a self-appointed expert in grammar and usage (this clearly doesn’t include me, by the way), you might hear them talk about things like “gerunds” and “subjunctive tense;” stuff like that. If you feel like you’re getting out-jargoned, pull out a few of these handy terms; you’re sure Continue reading

If you’re “nonplussed”, you’re either stuck, in a thinking sort of way, or you’re confused or perplexed by something. But does that suggest that if you figure something out, you ought to consider yourself “plussed?” Nope. “Nonplussed” is a word that came from a phrase, and when you disassemble the phrase it loses all of Continue reading

“Internecine” is an unusual word, but not really all that obscure. It means “mutually destructive,” and it’s generally used in phrases like “internecine conflict” to describe something that affects to parties in conflict relatively equally. More recently it tends to be used specifically for contention between two groups who have something in common, such as Continue reading

Over the centuries and millennia, people have believed a lot of things about the moon. Everything from what it’s made of (the “cheese” theory, while its credibility is currently low, might come roaring back at any moment) to the effects it has on what happens here on earth. For instance, back when people spoke Old Continue reading