Category Archives: Uncategorized

Consider the word “defenestrate.” It has a strange and somewhat scientific sound, as well as a very specialized meaning. Who knew we’d need a word to express “to throw through or out of a window”? One would think that its … Continue reading →

Amulet A small object worn to ward off evil; a talisman Appears in English around the turn of the 17th century. From Latin amuletum, via Middle French amulete. Emulate To attempt to equal or surpass Appears in English around the … Continue reading →

For a long time, I’ve wondered about the name of the country Germany. I’ve studied a bunch of different languages to some extent or another, and I’ve seen that the country name was wildly different in several of them: English—Germany … Continue reading →

Today, an excerpt from a work by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), who is considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. He is widely read in translation in the U.S., so you may already be familiar … Continue reading →

On New Year’s Eve, The Professor and I decided we’d like to see a movie. We had a lot of company, judging by the fact that when we got to the mall, we had to park at the farthest end … Continue reading →