Category: language
Snowboarder on fire at X-Games!
Frontside grab … truck driver … frontside rodeo … cab double underflip … quad cork 1800 … half cab quadruple backflip … backside triple cork 1620 … Snowboarding tricks, many of them being done today during the 2017 X-Games in Aspen, Colo. Amazing to watch even when you don’t understand a word of the jargon. … Continue reading Snowboarder on fire at X-Games!
Words banished for 2017
Here it is, the list of words and phrases banished for 2017. No doubt you’ve looked forward to it for a year. Or maybe two, since I neglected to post it last year. Lake Superior State University collects the words, submitted by readers throughout the year, and compiles a list of those most frequently nominated. … Continue reading Words banished for 2017
Tennis shoes, sneakers, or trainers?
Something I read earlier this evening started me thinking about the different words people use when referring to the cushioned rubber-soled shoes worn for athletic activities. In the past I’ve gone off on tangents about soda vs. pop vs. coke usage around the country. This time it’s footwear. It’s obvious from the map that tennis shoes and sneakers … Continue reading Tennis shoes, sneakers, or trainers?
So what’s your take on ‘gestapo tactics’?
I happened to be watching CNN yesterday and saw this exchange between host Wolf Blitzer and Katrina Pierson, Trump spokeswoman (annoyingly dubbed “spox” by the media). Various sources later characterized this exchange as Pierson’s stubborn refusal to condemn the use of the word “gestapo” in the phrase “gestapo tactics.” At the time, I saw it as Blitzer’s … Continue reading So what’s your take on ‘gestapo tactics’?
Whose language is it anyway?
One advantage to having a laptop at hand most of the day is that I can instantly find answers to almost any idle question that crosses my mind. No waiting to go to the library or ask a more knowledgeable person. Ah, technology. Recently I wondered, apparently for the first time in my life, when and … Continue reading Whose language is it anyway?