Pylimitics

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

A typical behavior or habit that’s been in place for quite a while, is — or at least can be — called a “custom.” It can apply to one person: “He never gave up his custom of going to business in a silk hat and a Prince Albert coat” (1938) or practically the whole human… Continue reading

If you see someone who’s been through such a physically exhausting or draining experience that they look gaunt, tired, spent, anxious, and fatigued, that person looks “haggard.” At least that’s how they’d be described nowadays.  “Haggard” has been around for quite a few centuries, and it’s one of those words that’s shifted in meaning pretty… Continue reading