Do You Know the 'Bear' Facts of Usage?

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

Who said fairy tales were simple? See whether you can choose the correct words on this quiz about Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

1. Mama Bear's entreaties to buy a home security system had been in (vain, vein). 2. Papa Bear (trolled, trawled) for salmon with a huge net.

3. After Goldilocks awoke, she (bid, bade) farewell to her ursine hosts...Read more

Quoth the Raven, 'Never Said'

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

Complete each of these familiar quotations: 1. "A penny for your ... " (John Heywood); 2. "Variety is the ... of life." (William Cowper); 3. "Birds of a feather ... together." (Robert Burton); 4. "Music hath charms to soothe the savage ... " (William Congreve).

If you supplied "thoughts," "spice," "flock" and "beast," you're almost right. The...Read more

This Quiz Might Require a P'h.'D.

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

It's "H" Hour! Can you choose the correct derivation for each word beginning with "h"?

1) Harbinger: A) a corruption of "messenger"; B) a variation of "bringer"; C) from the French word for a lodger; D) a contraction of "hearty binger," referring to the warning signs of alcoholism.

2) Halo: A) from the Greek for a threshing floor, where oxen...Read more

Getting the Better of Bete Noires

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

We all encounter recurring questions about grammar, usage, punctuation or spelling that bedevil us every time they pop up. Here are some of mine:

-- The Powerses That Be?

How should I render a family name ending in "s"? For instance, are families with the names Lyons, Howells or Powers "the Lyons," "the Howells" and "the Powers" or "the ...Read more

This Boss 'Strived' To Be a Regular Guy

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

Q. "My boss insisted on using the word 'strived' in a letter he wrote to an important client. I researched the word at a library, and everyone there said the past tense of 'strive' is 'strove.' Which is correct: 'strived' or 'strove'?" -- George, Memphis, Tennessee

A. You clearly STROVE to find the correct choice, and now you know my ...Read more

A Glimpse Into the Kitchen of Language

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

We often create words in the same way we prepare delicious foods: We slice them, dice them, season them, shake them and bake them. Voila!

Can you determine the method used to form the words in each set:

1) piano, aps, abs, sophs.

2) maudlin, tawdry, fortnight, bedlam.

3) chortle, brunch, motel, smog.

4) cuss, bust, passel, buddy.

5) ...Read more

Studying History on Its Own Terms

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

"The British are coming! The British are coming!" Ah, how Paul Revere's historic call to arms still echoes in the ears of all patriotic Americans!

There's only one small problem: Paul Revere probably never uttered those words. Because Americans were themselves British, they didn't call the soldiers of their own nation "the British." ...Read more

Give These Sentences a CAT Scan

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

Cats have nine lives, and this quiz on verb use has nine questions. Choose the correct verbs and you'll avoid a grammatical "cat"astrophe:

1. The cat (use, used) to roam at night.

2. Did the cat (use, used) to roam at night?

3. The cat is carrying what (look, looks) like two mice in its mouth.

4. What (distinguishes, distinguish) the cat (...Read more

'Cisgender' Has Roots in Latin, Biochemistry

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

Several readers have asked me about the meaning, origin and use of "cisgender," an adjective for a person who identifies with the gender they had at birth.

"Cisgender," pronounced "sis-GEN-duhr," means the opposite of "transgender." While the Latin "trans" means "on the other side of," the Latin "cis" means "on this side of." Thus, ...Read more

A Canny Question Proves Uncanny

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

I had just been thinking about the odd words "canny" and "uncanny" when an email from a friend arrived asking, "How are the words 'canny' and 'uncanny' related?"

Now, that's uncanny.

If you're a canny connoisseur of language (and if you're reading this column, you undoubtedly are), you know that "canny" means shrewd, prudent, as in "a canny ...Read more

'Ghost Words' Still Haunt Our Language

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

We throw our "suitcases" and other "luggage" into the "trunks" of our cars. But those "suitcases" probably don't contain suits. We've forgotten that "luggage" is a fancy word for something we have to "lug" and that cars once had actual trunks lashed to their rear bumpers.

As technology advances, language often lags. In fact, many commonly ...Read more

From Prison to Purge: The Linguistic Origins of 'Cancel Culture'

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

The term "cancel culture" has been batted around like a volleyball during the past few weeks. It refers, of course, to the practice of discrediting, boycotting or shunning someone, whether it's a classmate or a public figure, for a perceived offense.

The fierce power of the phrase is deeply rooted in the origins of "cancel," a verb that began...Read more

And Now a Few Words From Our Sponsor

Knowledge / The Word Guy /

"God sees everything," says George Wilson, the disconsolate husband in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby." God may not see everything, but He sure sees plenty of ways to sneak his name into our words.

In fact, "god" lies at the heart of the word "giddy." Granted, we might not see God as all that giddy a guy. We're not likely to ...Read more



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