Shame and Guilt: Part 2 – Guilt
Anatoly Liberman looks at guilt and shame.
Bimonthly Gleanings (July – August 2008)
Anatoly Liberman answers questions.
Yacht – Podictionary Word of the Day
The podictionary word of the week is “yacht”.
Inside Oxford: Questions for Casper Grathwohl
A few questions for Casper Grathwohl.
Stealing thunder… OK? The origins of everyday words and phrases
In celebration of the latest edition of The Concise Oxford English Dictionary, we reveal the origins of some everyday words and phrases.
Etymology, Serendipity, and Good Luck
Anatoly gives a candid take on etymology.
Wienerhuahuas will inherit the earth:
the blend-y world of dog breed names
Word blending is a full-time sport in the world of dog breeding. Any two breeds, and their appellations, might spawn a blend. Some recent designer breeds, as they are known, include ‘Beagadors’ (Beagle and Labrador), ‘Maltipon’ (Maltese and Pomeranian) and ‘Jackabees’ (Jack Russell and Beagle).
National Poetry Month:
Introducing Michael Manner
A poem from Michael Manner for poetry month.
Clique – Podictionary Word of the Day
[display_podcast] The word clique sounds French doesn’t it. Well, it was. Of course it means “a tight group of people” and is often used in a disparaging way.
Women Who Walk Heavily or Too Much
By Anatoly Liberman In olden days women were supposed to be sweet, docile, and, if possible, incorporeal. On the other hand, men, subject to the universal law of contrasts, threw their weight about, and, once they “arrived,” demonstrated corpulence. They invented countless offensive words referring to women’s way of walking.
The Last Word
This is, I’m sad to say, the final installment of “From A to Zimmer” on OUPblog. As of next week I’m departing Oxford University Press for a new position as executive producer of ‘Visual Thesaurus’. I’ve greatly enjoyed the platform afforded me by OUPblog, but I’ve always had a niggling concern.
Tomorrow
Be sure to read the blog tomorrow because we are going to have a bonanza of language posts! I’m so excited I’m going to pull an Ammon Shea and stay up all night reading my Shorter OED.
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly answers questions that have come up throughout the month.
When Spellcheckers Attack: Perils of the Cupertino Effect
Ben Zimmer looks at modern spellcheckers.
One-Hit Wonders: From Hapax to Googlewhacks
Ben Zimmer looks at hapax legomena.
Quizzes and Gigs
Anatoly delves into word history for our entertainment.