by Jamie Chavez | Apr 8, 2017 | Words & Language
We’ve been talking about dictionaries—I always enjoy talking about the dictionary—and now a friend’s sent me this article from the New York Times: “A Journey Into the Merriam-Webster Word Factory.” Oh, there’s just so much here to read! But here’s one little bit:...
by Jamie Chavez | Mar 25, 2017 | Words & Language
You know how I feel about my dictionary. It’s the first place I go, not just for spelling but even for fact-checking. Everything starts at the dictionary (here’s just one example). Even the Chicago Manual of Style tells editors to defer to the dictionary. So I was...
by Jamie Chavez | Mar 20, 2017 | Words & Language
We’ve got exciting times goin’ on here in the good ol’ US of A, with one political party making some pretty interesting claims and the opposing party reacting with outrage. (See how I did that?) My Irish immigrant husband has spent hours watching debates and newscasts...
by Jamie Chavez | Mar 4, 2017 | Miscellany, Words & Language
One looks for the good, I think. So recently some of us have been repeating that old saw, May you live in interesting times. A Chinese curse, we’re told. Or a blessing. May you live in interesting times. But … it’s not Chinese. 🙂 I know, I know, I’m a wet blanket...
by Jamie Chavez | Dec 26, 2016 | Words & Language
I grew up the child of two Midwesterners of modest means, so I knew from an early age about pudding—it was that powder Mom mixed with milk on her old Kenmore mixer until it thickened, then put in the fridge to cool and thicken a little more. You know—like a soft...