The American Heritage Dictionary recognized an expression, then got an outcry from an immigrants’ advocacy group.
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What in the world is a paraprosdokian phrase? Slide on in here and I'll explain what it is and how to use it. Oh, come on: it'll be fun! Delete the scoop?
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From "significant" to "natural," here are seven scientific terms that can prove troublesome for the public and across research disciplines Delete the scoop?
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"Almost no excuse exists for their persistent occurrence..." Delete the scoop?
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For communications pros, 'Oh, well, you know what I meant,' isn't good enough. Clarity of meaning is essential. Delete the scoop?
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Quit groaking me, you slubberdegullion. Delete the scoop?
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Behold the alpha spam! In this post we'll take a very brief look at the origins of the Internet and email so we can see what is generally considered the very first spam message. Delete the scoop?
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The sounds uttered by birds offer in several respects the nearest analogy to language," Charles Darwin wrote in "The Descent of Man" (1871), while contemplating how humans learned to speak. Delete the scoop?
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Because you're typing all the time and emoticons are dumb. Read "8 New Punctuation Marks We Desperately Need" and more funny articles on CollegeHumor Delete the scoop?
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Here are 13 phrases that should be banned from the office. Delete the scoop?
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We all use these sayings in our every day vocabulary without really knowing where they came from or how the meaning has changed over the years. Some of them are odd, and some are very funny. Here's a top ten of the most commonly used expressions. Delete the scoop?
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Among the many beautiful valentines from times past are some notable outliers. These “vinegar valentines,” produced between the middle of the nineteenth century and middle of the twentieth, are tart, sassy, vindictive, and just plain mean.
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That's me on the right... Except it's real estate blog posts instead of soap ads. Delete the scoop?
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for food and drink makers, "skinny" seems to be the phattest marketing term going -- and here's why Delete the scoop?
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As society evolves, so do our curse words. Here's how some of the most famous ones developed -- and a few new ones Delete the scoop?
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Writing is simply a matter of expressing ideas, but as we all know, it’s not so simple after all. One challenge is to coherently connect those ideas. Via Steve Tuffill 
Steve Tuffill's curator insight,
April 23, 8:36 AM
...just a way of getting from one point to another. Delete the scoop?
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They cost something, mean something, and have permanence. Delete the scoop?
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You cannot avoid sending nonverbal messages; however, it is possible to train yourself to send the right ones. Here are ten nonverbal cues that convey confidence and credibility in the workplace. Delete the scoop?
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Anthropologists find that the use of "emotional" words in all sorts of books has soared and dipped across the past century, roughly mirroring each era's social and economic upheavals. Via Steve Tuffill
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April 3, 12:40 PM
Are we getting angrier? If the information here is to be trusted, yes...
The other side of this study measured "peaks and valleys" in periods of positive and negative moods through word usage and these have correlation that is not hard to understand at all. 1940 is an all-time low and 1910 is an all-time high that we are beginning to approach again now (although the graph cuts off before the start of the 21st Century). Delete the scoop?
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Do you say the same things, in the same way, to everyone you speak to? Think about adapting, suggests Stuart Pickles,Governance,People business ,Leadership,FD Careers Delete the scoop?
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Today’s post is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman. I’ll give you twenty seconds to skim these paragraphs and tell me which one exhibits stronger, more engaging writing: Paragraph A The ... Via Steve Tuffill
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February 21, 10:59 AM
Wow, is the girl holding a fresh ripe orange? I am inclined to disagree about the two paragraphs. The first is a delightful romp through sensous words and engaging images. Each sentence pops out at you and fills the mind with a carefully crafted image. From dusty-colored green trees to flies buzzing around in the sweet-smelling air, Arundhati Roy has done nothing more than arrest all of this sensuality for a "plain wrap" version, although I do not know that I am any less engaged with "Dissolute bluebottles [humming] vacuously..."! No, I really did not hate the first paragraph! Delete the scoop?
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"Regardless of sexual orientation, husband or wife is acceptable in all references to individuals in any legally recognized marriage," AP Stylebook says. Delete the scoop?
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Writers, even professionals, have a difficult time with hyphens, frequently perplexed about whether to use one -- or, worse, blithely certain they’re inserting or omitting a hyphen correctly when doing so is wrong. Via Steve Tuffill
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February 19, 3:15 PM
Writing, if grammatically correct, helps to take the strain, particularly off extraneous items like hyphens and dashes... Delete the scoop?
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We measure our lives with unread books – and 'difficult' works can induce the most guilt. How should we view this challenge? Delete the scoop?
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Last year, the Oxford Dictionary Online added a bunch of popular words including lolz, ridic and vajazzle, but there are still some feelings and experiences no English word can quite describe. Via Steve Tuffill
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February 13, 12:24 PM
Would anyone ever use "mamihlapinatapai?" If you use it in your novel, it will cause someone to have to go away and look it up! Why would anyone want to do that? It would spoil the story. It's like using a very complicated word to describe something simple. But, there again it is not! I think I would just use the phrase "sexual tension." This is the fun in language, particularly the English language, because it throws these conundrums at us and we have to decide which way we jump... Delete the scoop?
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