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Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Jingoist v. Jingo

The Olympics can always bring out the Jingoist, (or is it Jingo?), in just about anyone. For ‘jingoist’ and ‘jingo’, the former has come to displace the latter as the agent noun corresponding to ‘jingoism’. A jingoist is a belligerent patriot and nationalist who favours an aggressive foreign policy.

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Architecting a Verb?

Last Sunday, in the NY Times, I read a book reviewer taking an author to task for her word use. The reviewer stated that “the last time I checked the American Heritage Dictionary, in spite of how computer trade journalists might choose to use the word, “architect” was not recognized as a verb”.

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Post-traumatic snowclone disorder

You don’t have to be an MD or a sick puppy to appreciate the enormous family of humorous medical terms, including ‘peanut butter balls’ (phenobarbitol), ‘horrendoplasty’ (an operation without a sunny forecast), or ‘duck’s disease’ (‘being short’, so-named for the non-NBA-ready stature of quackers).

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