smishing n.— «Scams via text message are becoming so widespread there is actually a new name for it—”smishing”—a takeoff of SMS text messaging and phishing.» —“Text Message Scam Targeting U.S. Bank...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski SUBjects Martha and Grant to a SUBlime puzzle in which he SUBmits clues to words that contain the sequence of letters S-U-B. For example, “a stand-in for an absent teacher” would be a SUBstitute. Now try this one:...
plumage paradox n.— «My original instinct to buy the best is what I call the plumage paradox. A peacock’s dilemma is that having a large, beautiful tail attracts females, but it also attracts predators. The message the tail sends to the...
OMG, text messaging! It’s destroying the English language, corrupting young minds, turning us into illiterates. It’s probably shrinking the ozone layer, too. Or is it? In his new book, Txting: The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal offers a...
The real problem with texting isn’t how it affects language, but what it does to social interaction. Is there anything more annoying when you’re trying to have a conversation than watching your companion’s eyes flitting to his...
hopey-changey adj.— «It’s clear from this article that “Obama Fan” is merely an almost clinically accurate descriptor. Too bad the article steps on Obama’s message at the Convention by going all hopey-changey, though...