The term zugzwang comes from chess, and refers to that situation where you can’t make any desirable moves—like being between a rock and a hard place. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Zugzwang” Hello, you have A Way with Words...
There should be no dilemma about the spelling of dilemma. It’s not dilemna, and it’s a mystery why so many people were taught that way. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Learning Dilemma” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Martha...
In parts of the South, it’s not uncommon to end a sentence about a dilemma with the word one, short for one or the other, as in “I’m going to quit my job or get fired, one.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Southern Sentence about...
If you’re facing a Hobson’s choice, you don’t really have much to choose from. The phrase describes a situation in which your options are either to take what’s offered, or else take nothing at all. Martha offers some choice words about the origin of...
gamer regret n.— «The dirty secret of gamers is that we wrestle with this dilemma all the time. We’re often gripped by what I call “gamer regret”—a sudden, horrifying sense of emptiness when we muse on all the other things we could have done with...