While watching the movie Maestro, Mary in Newark, Delaware, noted that while playing Leonard Bernstein, Bradley Cooper says at one point that he misread the room. Is that phrase an anachronism, or is it appropriate for a plot taking place in the...
Marian in Norfolk, Virginia, says a character in the new Downton Abbey movie uses the term swag meaning either “bunting” or “stuff,” and wonders if its use in the film is a linguistic anachronism. In fact, swag was used with both those meanings long...
An anachronism is something that’s placed in the wrong time period, like a Roman soldier wearing Birkenstocks. But what’s the word for if someone or something is literally out of place geographically speaking? You can use the word anatopism, from a...
The Pope has several Twitter feeds — and one of them’s entirely in Latin! But how do you adapt an ancient language to the modern world of selfies and hashtags? Plus, pit bull lovers are giving their dogs a linguistic makeover; they’re calling their...
Add blow a gasket to your list of Downton Abbey anachronisms. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Historical Anachronism” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yes, good afternoon. Hi, who’s this? This is Julio Tierno. I’m calling from...
It’s always fun to catch moviemakers’ blunders. Say you’re watching an epic about ancient Rome and spot a toga-clad extra who forgot to remove his wristwatch. That’s an anachronism. But what do you call something that’s geographically incorrect...