Tag: language

• Book review: What the Dickens?! by Bryan Kozlowksi

  Last year, as you may recall, I read the complete works of William Shakespeare. It was an immensely rewarding project, to be sure, but I can’t lie: When I finished, I was really excited to read something else for a change. I immediately jumped for Bryan Kozlowksi’s What the Dickens?!: Distinctly Dickensian Words and How…

  John Kelly

  February 19, 2017

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• From dinner to disarray: the origin of “mess”

  Originally, we didn’t make messes. We ate them.  In his presser yesterday, Trump claimed: “To be honest, I inherited a mess. It’s a mess. At home, and abroad — a mess.” Clearly, he was describing his own news conference, which was a hot one, because the facts just don’t back him up. But Trump does…

  John Kelly

  February 17, 2017

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• The many “sist”-ers of persist and resist

  Persist and resist come from a very active, and in many ways activist, Latin verb.  “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted,” US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after he silenced his colleague, Elizabeth Warren, when she was opposing now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his confirmation. But McConnell’s words spectacularly backfired:…

  John Kelly

  February 10, 2017

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• Why do we call them “falcons”?

  The falcon probably takes its name from the “sickle” shape of its beak, talons, or wings. This Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. I’ve previously taken on the etymology of patriot, which ultimately derives from the Greek word for “father” and, curiously, didn’t always…

  John Kelly

  February 3, 2017

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• What is the “tray” in “betray”?

  Betray shares its root with treason and tradition.  Over concerns of its wisdom, justness, and legality, acting US attorney general Sally Yates nobly defied President Trump’s executive order banning immigrants, including refugees and visa-holders, from seven Muslim-majority countries. On Monday night, Trump fired her, claiming Yates “betrayed the Department of Justice.” It’s a strong, and…

  John Kelly

  January 31, 2017

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