The proclamation has come down. You can no longer use "maverick," "from Wall Street to Main Street," "desperate search," "monkey" (the suffix), "game-changing," "carbon foot…
Like those idiots with their tattoos, the Max Planck Institute was seduced by the allure of Chinese characters: Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the M…
Crabs Peter Hitchens. I picked the same nit as I live-blogged on election night. Scroll to "yikes." And I note that he misused the word again in his first press conference. Perhaps when he's done apologizing to Na…
Asked Dan Drezner , quoted by Language Log's Geoff Nunberg in his post about the oral argument in the Supreme Court case about "fleeting expletives" in the broadcast media. (Kevin Martin is the FCC chairman who favo…
"... across much of this nation — is a moment so powerful and so obvious that its symbolism needs no commentary." Oh lord, the drivel we must now read. Come on. Segregation wasn't the "law of the land" in …
"A child conceived after Obama was proclaimed President by way of celebratory sex, or any baby born under Barack Obama's term(s)." I was born July 2009. I'm an Obama baby! IN THE COMMENTS: Gabe said: My middle …
LOL . And those dastardly puzzlers also betray an evil fondness for Arab cities , the Spanish language , Hindu royalty , Hawaiian fowl , and these dreadful things: ADDED: A poll! What's the crossword puzzle's favorite mus…
I've been reading and listening to people talk for over a half century, so it's really weird to have to look up 2 words in 2 hours. First, MadisonMan, he of the bird's-eye view of the Michelle Obama rally-ette, said :…
A sentence that was just deleted from Barack Obama's website page about Social Security. Noted by Peter Bray, who asks: "Is he trying to stoke anxiety about his position on Social Security?" My thoughts: 1. Raising…
What do you think is Sarah Palin's most famous quote? My attempt to answer gets me to a quote that I know is not the real quote: "I can see Russia from my house." I know that's how Tina Fey spoofed Palin on SNL…
Wow. Hysteria ? I remember when feminists would rip into you for attributing "hysteria" to a woman. It was a per se sexist term. Now, a woman who fancies herself a feminist applies the word to every woman she knows and…
Big Tent Democrat on why the netroots don't get respect. IN THE COMMENTS: rhhardin said: Obama needs the talent to play the Wurlitzer for the turn of phrase to work. I'd go with iPod. Obama played the nutroots like an iPo…
Dupre was Eliot Spitzer's favorite prostitute, so people want to understand the words. But like those ridiculous Chinese characters fools have permanently inked on their carcasses, Dupre's tattoo botches the language. The…
Glenn Reynolds writes: IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ACCURATE, but it was smart! Allison Glock's New York Times piece on Knoxville contained this introduction: "KNOXVILLE is often called 'the couch' by the people who live…
With complete clarity, he says the famous 4-letter c-word. SLEDGEHAMMER ADDED: It's just for a laugh. Good lord. Does anyone still have a sense of humor?
The fervid brain of Bill Clinton knows what those other people are thinking: "It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out." Just frantic. Indeed. Is B…
I've been ignoring this Dick Cavett thing in the NYT that's been sitting at the top of the most-emailed list for days, but now I'm reading it. I don't want to delve into Cavett's earnest opposition to the war…
The NYT makes the 4 individuals that ran a prostitution ring sound like characters in a new, bad sit-com. What, exactly, makes a human being a "pixie"? Apparently, Cecil Suwal was "petite" and "bubbly.&qu…
Last night, we were asking the waitress about the dandelion salad. The music was loud. "It's a liver detoxifier." "What?" "A liver detoxifier." "Oh. I thought you said a liberty toxifier. I …