Monthly Archives: December 2010

Intrepid Reader Brenda of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, writes WordsWordsWords, asking: “Why do we use the word John for the toilet?  I recently learned that Thomas Crapper was actually the person who popularized the modern toilet, hence the word crap. … Continue reading →

This just in. “Face palm” seems to be the new It Girl of cool expressions. This phrase refers to an act of stupidity. Today, I even saw “double face palm.” Presumably, this expression is twice as cool. The action itself … Continue reading →

I have almost, though not quite, resigned myself to the death of the distinction between less and fewer. I just saw a car ad that had a note at the bottom of the screen: “Less CO² emissions…” So, too, who … Continue reading →

Do you have one of those words that no matter how many times you see it, no matter how many times you look it up in the dictionary, you simply can NOT remember what it means the next time you … Continue reading →

When I was writing yesterday about sophistication and other related “soph-” words in English, I purposely omitted discussion of the name Sophia. I decided to wait so that I could write a post about the Social Security Administration’s Popular Baby … Continue reading →