The other day I was talking to a friend and I mentioned that something was “dropping like flies.” And then I paused to wonder what on earth is the origin of the phrase. After all, it’s not as though we … Continue reading →
And the answer, apparently, is “no, we can’t.” Regular readers know that I’ve been trying to change the URL and format of my blog to this new site, but migration of the content of the old blog to the new … Continue reading →
You may have heard about actor Robert De Niro’s standing O performance at last night’s Tony awards. It was bleeped from the broadcast but is readily available: And so, to the question in the title of this post, you may … Continue reading →
[UPDATE: Scroll down for photo.] I’ve stayed away from the Samantha Bee brouhaha so far because it just plain wearies me. I come from a time when the c-word was simply not acceptable in public life, and that was that. … Continue reading →
Only thing is—they think the Times hasn’t been hard enough on Israel. Actually, the article in question from the Economist is about language, in particular the “weasel voice” of evasion (it’s part of a continuing “Johnson” series about words/grammar in … Continue reading →
On “Spygate,” informants, sources, and scumbags.
Continue reading →I thought this was some sort of joke at first, mainly because I’d never heard the word “beaner” as a slur against Mexicans: Nearly two weeks ahead of their day of nationwide racial bias training, coffee chain Starbucks is facing … Continue reading →
The latest internet craze is to listen to the audio and answer the burning question of whether you hear “Yanny” or “Laurel.” I heard “Yanny”—or rather, just to show you what a weirdo I am, I actually heard “Yammy.” Close … Continue reading →
I’m not referring to the possible effect of Trump’s presidency on the economy, which is the way the expression has sometimes been used. I’m using it more like a sort of speed bump in the narrative—that little obligatory hiccup in … Continue reading →
But then again, people are very strange. This is what it’s come to: Last month, a teacher at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Calif., was captured on video telling his history class that members of the military are … Continue reading →
I’m not sure whether this news makes it better or worse. I think perhaps worse: The Hawaii employee who sent out a false alarm earlier this month warning of an incoming missile attack said they misheard a message played during … Continue reading →
I am sorely tired of it. On the other hand, it raises so many fascinating issues that it’s hard to keep from mulling it over once again. Fortunately, a lot of other people have done the legwork so I’ll link … Continue reading →