Q: I am wondering how chimera has come to mean both “an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts” and “an unrealizable dream.” A: When “chimera” originally appeared in ancient Greece as χίμαιρα (khimaira), it also had two meanings—a female goat as well as a monster. In its farming sense, χίμαιρα was simply the female version of a male goat, […]
Search: “journey”
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Q: Is it my imagination or has “journey” become a ubiquitous term for going mentally or spiritually between points A and B? Is this one more example of making ordinary things seem precious, special, and a bit sanctimonious? I cringe when I hear it but I am a dinosaur way behind the times. A: Yes, […]
Q: I grew up with the understanding that “singular” as a descriptor of human behavior was closest in meaning to “strange” or “weird.” But nearly all such usage of “singular” I’ve encountered in contemporary writing seems closest in meaning to “unique.” Whichizzit, pray tell? A: As a grammatical term, “singular” is a noun and adjective used […]
Q: I think you can say, “The new bits last longer than the old bits,” but you can’t say, “The new bits last shorter than the old bits.” Why is that? A: The words “short” and “long” are sometimes antonyms and sometimes not, often depending on whether they’re adjectives or adverbs. As adjectives, they’re usually […]
Q: What is the origin of the phrase “like stink” (as in “run like stink”)? I know what it means, but not why it means that. A: “Like stink” has been used colloquially in British English since the early 20th century to mean furiously or intensely. It’s similar to “like hell,” “like mad,” and “like […]
Q: Since both “sight” and “site” can refer to a place, why do we use the first one, not the second, in the term “sightseeing”? A: The word “sight” in the sense of something worth seeing is derived from a prehistoric Germanic term for “to see.” It appeared in Old English hundreds of years before […]
Q: I asked ChatGPT to create a Midjourney prompt for an image with many flowers. The prompt, or text phrase, asked for “a riot of flowers.” When did a “riot” come to mean many things as well as a violent disturbance? A: The noun “riot” has meant an extraordinary profusion, often of brilliant colors, for […]
Q: How did the word “lap” get these three different meanings: (1) the “lap” one swims, (2) the “lap” a baby is held on, and (3) the “lap” of a cat drinking milk? A: Those three senses of “lap” are derived from two Old English words of prehistoric Germanic origin, the noun læppa (the skirt or flap […]
Q: The other day one of my students asked me why a segment of a journey is called a “leg.” I didn’t have an answer. Could it be because distance was once measured in leagues, and someone misheard “league” as “leg”? A: Many English words have literal meanings as well as figurative ones fashioned from […]
Q: In David Copperfield, Mrs. Gummidge uses an odd construction to blame herself for Daniel Peggotty’s readiness to visit the pub: “I am sorry it should be along of me that you’re so ready.” She’s apparently using “along of” to mean “because of,” a usage I’m unaware of. What’s going on? A: English has had two […]
Q: When did the term “wild swimming” become common? I first I heard it a few years ago in an episode of the BBC mystery series Vera. Since then I’ve noticed it more and more. When I was a kid, we swam where there was enough water: a pond, a river, a lake, a pool. […]
Q: John Campbell, a YouTube celebrity offering Covid advice, has said a “vast minority” of young people are not observing social distancing. Although “vast majority” is a common collocation, I had never heard “vast minority” before. Did Campbell invent it, or does it have a history? A: No, Campbell didn’t coin the phrase “vast minority.” […]
Q: Merriam-Webster says “even so” means “nevertheless” or “in spite of that.” I’m puzzled by its use in this passage from the King James Version: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, […]
Q: The terms “ottoman,” “divan,” “settee,” and “sofa” seem to have been used in Victorian England. Were they known earlier? Are they interchangeable? Do they come from Turkish, Persian, or some other Eastern culture? As a writer of historical fiction, I must get this right! A: The nouns “ottoman,” “divan,” “settee,” and “sofa” overlap here […]
Q: A friend of mine refers to his pasta maker as a “pasta noodle maker.” Since “pasta” by definition is a “noodle,” is that not redundant? A: A noodle is a type of pasta, but not every type of pasta is a noodle. Standard dictionaries define “noodle” as a long, narrow strip of dough, and […]
Q: Your post about the use of “pretty” to mean “rather” got me wondering about a sentence like this: “She is a pretty little girl.” Not knowing her, how am I to tell if she’s rather little or pretty and little? Would a comma after “pretty” indicate that it’s an adjective, not an adverb? A: […]
Q: Is “clear” an adverb as well as an adjective? Can one say “I speak clear” or is it always “I speak clearly”? A: The word “clear” can be an adverb as well as an adjective, but it’s not used adverbially in quite the same way as “clearly” in modern English. A sentence like “I […]
Q: The Morrises say “Ivy League” comes from the 19th century, when a football league comprising four schools was designated the “IV League.” This sounds too good to be true. As arbiters of usage, what say you? A: The Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins (2d ed., 1988), written by William and Mary Morris, presents […]
Q: Reading “arrived to” drives me nuts. Why not “arrived at”? When did this start? A: People used to arrive “at,” “in,” “into,” “on,” “to,” and “upon” their destinations. It wasn’t until the 1700s that language commentators began expressing preferences for one preposition over another. Today, we usually arrive “at” or “in” when we’re referring […]
Q: You’ve used the expression “old chestnut” on your blog, but you’ve never explained its origin. Where does it come from? A: There’s no definite answer here, but all the evidence points to an origin in 19th-century show business. Before going on, we should mention that the word “chestnut” was spelled “chesnut” for much of its […]
Q: What’s with “jerk”? A great verb and a greater noun. And what about “jerk seasoning”? And “jerk-offs” need their moment. Which leads me to this slur from my adolescent past: “He’s off jerking his gherkin.” It’s better with a Brooklyn accent! A: There are several “jerks” to be considered here, not all of them […]
Q: What’s the deal with “askance”? It’s invariably used with “look” (or “watch”), as in “They looked askance at her unorthodox proposal.” Would it be correct to say someone “listened askance”? A: It’s possible to read too much into a word, as you’ve done here. In the case of “askance,” you’re taking a figurative usage a […]
Q: Is “diaried” the past tense of the verb “diary”? Example: “I diaried a notation this morning that Ms. Heard did not show up for her Aug. 12th appointment.” A: If “diary” is used as a verb, then “diaried” would be the expected past-tense form. But there’s not a trace of the usage in standard […]
Categories
Several senses
Q: I recently came across a NY Times article that referred to charges that a man had created fake accounts for his ex-girlfriend “on a several online dating websites.” Why is there an “a” in front of “several”? A: This appears to be an editing error, though the adjective “several” was sometimes preceded by the […]
Q: I question the use of an apostrophe in “Seven Years’ War.” I assume that “Seven Years” is simply an adjectival phrase modifying the noun “War.” However, your “Sui Genitive!” post supports the apostrophe. I have a book on the subject due for publication next year, and I want the correct punctuation on the cover! […]
Q: My dictionary doesn’t have a past tense for “daresay.” Is it “daresaid”? Or “daresayed”? Or perhaps even “daredsay”? I daresay you’ll have an answer. A: We haven’t found any standard dictionaries that list a past tense for “daresay,” a compound verb that means to think very likely or to suppose. In fact, many dictionaries […]
Q: In striking down California’s teacher-tenure system, a state judge, Rolf Treu, wrote that ineffective teachers had a “negative impact on a sick number of California students.” I’ve always considered this use of “sick” to mean “excessive” (or maybe “amazing”) to be slang, but now it will be in law books. When does a word […]
Q: I’m curious about the history of the term “alcohol.” How did a word for eye shadow come to mean the spirits we know and love? A: The ultimate source of “alcohol” is Arabic, the language of a people associated with abstinence from alcohol. The tipoff here is the “al” at the beginning of “alcohol.” […]
Q: When Phil Everly died the other day, Nancy Sinatra tweeted, “I love you Phillip–Godspeed.” I’ve always assumed “Godspeed” is short for something like “May God speed you on your way.” But why speed? Why the hurry? A: The “speed” in “Godspeed” has nothing to do with quickness. In fact, the word “speed” itself didn’t […]
Categories
Let’s get kinky!
Q: We’ve had the Fierstein-Lauper take on Kinky Boots. How about Grammarphobia’s take on “kinky”? A: We’re fans of Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper, but we haven’t seen their musical about a drag queen who helps save a struggling shoe factory. From what we’ve read, it’s a lot of fun (though not all that kinky). […]
Q: I hate it when people say to me, “It’s the least I can do.” I know what they mean, but the implication is that they’ll do the least they can for me. I always point out that I’m more interested in the most they can do for me. It’s a funny old English-speaking world. […]
Q: In texting me, my daughter used the phrase “of course” (spelling it “of coarse,” naturally), which got me to thinking. How is it that we use “course” to refer to something in a positive manner (as in “of course”) as well as to a path, a route, or a plan—from a “concourse” to an […]
Q: I have a memory of my mother pronouncing “safari” as suh-FAIR-ee instead of suh-FAR-ee. Is this a correct pronunciation? Where does it come from? A: Either pronunciation of “safari” is correct. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) gives both as standard. Merriam-Webster’s says the second vowel can be pronounced like the vowel in “mop” or […]
Q: I recently asked a friend to give me the benefit of his thoughts about something. He responded thusly: “Asking for the benefit of my thoughts is a bit presumptuous—my wife can confirm that using the word ‘benefit’ in connection with my thoughts is an abuse of the English language!” I believe his response was […]
Q: I was dictating a letter on my iPhone the other day and Siri didn’t capitalize “God.” That led me to thinking. Should “God” always be capitalized? (By the way, I dictated this to Siri and she capitalized God the first time but not the second. Interesting.) A: In modern usage, the term “God” is generally […]