How often do you hear the words campaign and political in the same breath? Oddly enough, 19th-century grammarians railed against using campaign to mean “an electoral contest.” Martha and Grant discuss why. And, lost in translation: a daughter...
Today’s pet peeve is often tomorrow’s standard usage. Nineteenth-century grammarians railed against the use of the word campaign to denote an electoral contest, arguing it was an inappropriate use of a military term. C.W. Bardeen’s 1883 volume...
An introvert in Baltimore, Maryland, is unhappy with an online definition of introvert, and is speaking up about wanting it changed. The definition describes an introvert as someone preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings—such as a selfish...
What does it mean if someone’s on a still hunt? This hunting term, for when you’re walking quietly to find prey, has been conscripted by the political world to refer to certain kinds of campaign strategies. This is part of a complete episode...
The disturbing sensation you feel when almost-human characters seem downright creepy is called the uncanny valley. Speaking of creepy, do you know someone with a morbid fear of clowns? There’s a term for that, too. Why do politicians suspend a...
Obamanomics
n.— «Even financial cabler CNBC has a play, tagging a segment last week “Obamanomics.”» —“Hail to the campaign coin” by Michael Learmonth Variety Jan. 28, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)