Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman’s soaring verse. How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a mention or perhaps even an illustration in the dictionary? The answer changes with the times. •...
A writer at an ad agency in Rochester, New York, has a dispute with his chief copy writer: If you’re taking off Thursday and Friday, is your last day of work that week a Wednesday Friday? Or is it a Friday Wednesday? This is part of a complete...
Writing advice from Mark Twain, who was not a fan of adjectives. In The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, he says, “As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.” He also wrote a letter with clever, useful advice that still holds true for the...
The terms mickey mouse and to mickey mouse can be used as pejoratives. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Mickey Mouse as a Pejorative” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, yes, how are you? My name is Timothy Wong, and hi...
Bill from Marquette, Michigan, asks why pretty works as a modifier in pretty good and pretty bad, even though the pairing seems to defy logic. The answer lies in a split that developed over centuries. In Old English, pretty meant cunning or crafty...
We heard from a woman who told her boyfriend about her plan to get her hair cut. He responded that he thought that particular style would make her hair “worse.” Does the word worse in this case imply that her hair was bad to begin with...