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Q:  Why do some people pronounce strength as strenth? Q:  Why do self-styled badass, bro-type guys like to shake hands sideways, palms flat? A:  Likely solved.  A friend suggested to me that it’s a dominating move, especially since their hands are on top, facing downward. Q:  Why does Pink in the movie Pink Floyd’s The… Continue reading Shit I’m Always Trying To Solve

I love antiquated words. Some of the best stories about the origins of words come from a book called I Love It When You Talk Retro, by Ralph Keyes. The word “widget” comes from a 1924 play called Beggar on Horseback, by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. “Taken aback” is a sailing term for… Continue reading Retro Words I Love

So, a Portland, OR masseuse claims that in 2006, Vice-President Al Gore, groped and man-handled her in a hotel room. Yeah, whatever; fine and dandy.  The most interesting aspect, to me and apparently also to Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post, is the almost-literary quality of this case–if your literature runs toward cheap and tawdry… Continue reading “Big Lummox”: Language in the Al Gore Crazed Sex Poodle Case

Holy cow. Previously, I have written about the Almighty Helvetica and how it was used to convey a sense of faux humility in advertisements in the 1960s. In fact, I plant the faux humility flag at about 1966. Turns out I’m not the only joker with this idea.  Gary Hustwit has directed a documentary film… Continue reading Somebody Made a Movie About the Almighty Helvetica–Really

Holy shit, Sally Quinn! I’m reading this profile in Vanity Fair of the ever-sweet -and-easygoing Georgetown (DC) powermeister, Sally Quinn, when this pops up: “After the firestorm, she entered the concrete meditation labyrinth her husband had built for her on their country estate in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to think.” Wha’?  Concrete meditation labyrinth?