Pylimitics

In the southern part of England there are areas where the rock underlying most of the hills is white and chalky. The famous white cliffs of Dover are the iconic example, but many hills and meadows around those parts are just as white underneath. This has been known to the residents since prehistoric times, and… Continue reading

“Apo-” is a prefix originally from Greek. In Greek it originally meant “away” or “not part of,” and it’s used in English words from near to far. It’s used in nouns from “apogee” (the highest part of an arc) to “apostrophe” (the punctuation mark that indicates an additional letter is attached to a word but… Continue reading

From Piglet to Wilbur to Babe to Animal Farm, pigs play a certain minor (possibly mid-range) role as characters in English writing. Pigs have been domesticated for many centuries, and they’ve entered the language as well.  The thing is, most pig-related words and idioms aren’t particularly kind to the pigs. The word “hogwash,” meaning nonsense,… Continue reading

If a Hollywood studio makes a war movie set in, say, World War II, there’s sure to be some flak involved as anti-aircraft guns try to shoot down enemy planes. There’s also sure to be some flacks in involved as the studio hires public relations people to publicize the film to increase the audience.  “Flak”… Continue reading

Even though people have been “doing business” for who knows how long, the word “business” hasn’t always meant what it does now. It’s derived from the Old English word “bisignis,” which was formed from “bisig” (busy) and “ness.” “Bisig” is a bit of a mystery; it might be related to the Dutch word “bezig,” but… Continue reading

Anything sufficiently complex can suffer a systemic breakdown. Addressing a systemic breakdown usually requires a systematic approach. “Systemic” and “systematic” are an interesting pair; they’re closely related and obviously both come from the same etymological roots, but (possibly because neither one is used all that often) you’ll sometimes see one used where the other was… Continue reading

A couple of centuries ago if you hosted someone for dinner, you might, just as today, ask if they’d had enough to eat. Rather than the efficient but oafish “yup” we would use, your guest might eloquently reply “I’ve had an elegant sufficiency, thank you.” That phrase was in use pretty widely; there are examples… Continue reading